Slow Burn

by Kacey Musgraves • Lesson #140 • Apr 3, 2018

Video lesson

Licensed Song Sheet 2 pages

Follow along with my print-friendly guide for this song! It’s available for purchase at Musicnotes.com, the web’s leading provider of licensed sheet music.

On the fence? Here's a guide I made showing the purchase & print process, including answers to common questions about my song sheets.

Buy at Musicnotes.com

Save 50% on this song sheet by applying the June 2026 code at Musicnotes checkout: ZDAVPA2DMN (click to copy). Thanks for being a Premium supporter!

Song Notes Premium includes a 50% discount code you can use when buying any of my licensed song sheets. For the current month's code, upgrade to premium or log in.

Editor’s notes

In this video I’ll teach you how to play Slow Burn by Kacey Musgraves on the acoustic guitar. This is the opening track from Kacey Musgraves 2018 album “Golden Hour”. It uses the same 4 chords for most of the song… I’ll show you play to play them and also break down the strumming pattern.

Lyrics with chords

See page 1 of my sheet music for the lyrics and chords.

How to play the chords

The easiest way to play the chords is as follows (left). However, the two best things you can do to spice up the song is use the Asus2 (in place of a regular A) and this Dsus2, both shown on the right.

E –––0––––0––––3––––0––––0–––        E –––––0–––––––0–––––
B –––2––––0––––0––––3––––1–––        B –––––0–––––––3–––––
G –––2––––0––––0––––2––––0–––        G –––––2–––––––0–––––
D –––2––––2––––0––––0––––2–––        D –––––2–––––––4–––––
A –––0––––2––––2–––––––––3–––        A –––––0–––––––5–––––
E ––––––––0––––3–––––––––––––        E –––––––––––––––––––
     A    Em   G  Dsus2  C                Asus2   Dsus2  

Chords progression

With the exception of the bridge, the entire song uses this progression. Sometimes, she’ll swap out the E minor and play a C instead, such as this. Watch live videos of her playing for reference.

See my sheet music for the chord progression diagrams.

Strumming pattern

To keep it very easy, start with all down strums. If you can add, an accent to the “3” count. And from there, you could add an up-strum on the “+” count following the 4. Finally: if you wish, add alternating up-strums between each down strum. Keep the accent on the 3! For an “advanced” strumming pattern, I’ve also included a 2-measure pattern.

See my sheet music for the strumming pattern diagram.

Kacey Musgraves versions of this song

Her album version:

Her Late Show w/ Stephen Colbert version – I love this one! It’s where I first learned about Kacey Musgraves and I think it’s a great performance.

Good luck!

Thanks for reading! I hope this helped you.

Unlock My Secret Stash!

Gain instant access to my library of 309 print-friendly cheat sheets! Also includes my extended video lessons, jam tracks, courses, and more.

Join Song Notes Premium

Have questions? Watch video tour »

Browse Related Lessons

Click any tag below to view other lessons I've made in that category:

Enjoy My Lessons? Show Your Support!

Most of the lessons on my website are 100% free. If you have the means, please show your support with a tip jar contribution. I put many hours into every lesson — but it only takes you a minute to make a donation. You have my thanks!

Donate

Looking for More Song Lessons?

Featured Courses

Fun & Helpful Tools I've Made

Coming soon is Jambox – which shows all the video jam tracks I've made. It's note quite ready for the spotlight, but check it out if you like!


Subscribe to my YouTube channel

Be sure to never miss a lesson by subscribing on YouTube. I put out 2-3 new videos every week. These include full song lessons, as well as covers, practice tips, behind-the-scenes updates. Thanks!


Recent Lessons

  • June 12, 2026

    "Ramble On" Acoustic Bassline Groove (Led Zeppelin)

    Learn a strummed version of this iconic Led Zeppelin bassline, made playable on an acoustic guitar! Includes a fun variation that allows continuous strumming throughout.

  • June 6, 2026

    Melody, with Chords: "Love Me Tender"

    Learn to play Love Me Tender's melody and chords at the same time! This lesson uses Key of C chords (capo 2), which simplify things in several helpful ways.

  • June 5, 2026

    "Love Me Tender" as played by Elvis Presley

    Learn to sing & strum this all-time classic! I'll teach you the alternating bass note approach that Elvis uses in his 1956 recording, with plenty of helpful tips included.

  • May 29, 2026

    Learning Triads with "Happy Birthday" (Key of G)

    Here's an amazingly helpful way to get better with triads: use it to play the familiar song Happy Birthday. In this lesson, I'll show you two ways to do this in the Key of G.

  • May 19, 2026

    Guitar Jam Tracks: How I Make Them!

    In today's lesson I'll answer a common question: how do I make the audio + video jam tracks that accompany my lessons! I walk through the process in real-time using my DAW of choice (GarageBand on the Mac).

  • May 4, 2026

    New and Improved! Song List Update.

    For years, 50+ song-inspired lessons I've made haven't been in the "Song" section of my website... until now! A few other improvements are included too.

  • April 24, 2026

    Country Fingerstyle, Melody + Bass (feat. "Live Forever" by Billy Joe Shaver)

    Learn three ways to dive into a melodic country style groove, inspired by Billy Joe Shaver's Live Forever.

  • April 21, 2026

    Sneak Peek! Step-by-Step Travis Picking Course

    The last few months I've been working on a brand new course, and the first 13 lessons are now online. Over 20 exercise videos are also included. Much more to come soon!

  • April 10, 2026

    "Free Fallin'" by Tom Petty

    Learn to strum and sing Tom Petty's 1989 classic. I include a campfire version (no capo), as well as the colorful chord variations used in Key of D (capo 3) and Key of E (capo 1) versions. Rhythm & strumming tips too!

Browse All Recent Lessons →

← back to homepage


Title (short)
Slow Burn by Kacey Musgraves
YouTube URL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Jl09fiSVSk
Thumbnail (video)
Video thumbnail for
Thumbnail (pdf)
PDF thumbnail for
Slug
140
Lesson URL
/lessons/140/
PDF num pages
2
Patreon URL
https://www.patreon.com/posts/35741438
Discussion URL
n/a
Add to Favorites
List of Favorites