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The Middle

by Jimmy Eat World • Lesson #414 • Feb 4, 2022

Video lesson

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Editor’s notes

Hey friends! Quick lesson today teaching you how to play an easy-going acoustic version of The Middle by Jimmy Eat World (2001). Originally a pop-punk song with a driving beat, this acoustic arrangement is inspired by musician Kina Grannis, who is known for creating lo-fi, folky acoustic covers of popular rock songs. This song is only 3 chords, with the same chord progression repeating throughout – so it doesn’t take long to learn! But I’ll look a bit beneath the surface and show you ways to have fun with the chord voicings, and also how to strum while playing the melody notes for the verse and chorus. Let’s check it out!

Video timestamps:

  • 0:00 Lesson Preview
  • 2:02 Capo & Chord Progression
  • 3:25 Chord Shapes
  • 7:00 Strumming Patterns
  • 9:22 Melody Tab (Verse + Chorus)
  • 13:45 Full Playthrough

Jimmy Eat World’s original version

This is the original version of the song, played in the Key of D (using the chords D,G,A).

Kina Grannis’ acoustic cover

Here’s the version of the song my lesson is inspired by & based on. She’s playing capo 2nd fret, using chords (C,F,G) in the Key of C.

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Hey there! My name is David Potsiadlo, and I'm the creator of the 400+ weekly lessons here at Song Notes, going back to 2013. Here’s my guitar story »

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