Premium
VIP
Beta Tester
Under the Bridge
by Red Hot Chili Peppers • Lesson #419 • Mar 6, 2022
Video Lesson
Print-Friendly Song Sheet 3 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.comEditor’s notes
Hey there, friends! Here’s a guitar lesson teaching you how to play a simplified acoustic version of Under the Bridge by Red Hot Chili Peppers. To make this song easier to play, I’ve moved all chords down one whole-step compared to what RHCP guitarist John Frusciante actually plays. This makes many of the chord shapes easier, particularly in the intro – thus making the song far more accessible to us mortals. If you do want to play along with the RHCP version, you can simply add a capo on the 2nd fret and use the chords I show you.
Timestamps for my full video lesson:
- 0:00 Preview & Lesson Summary
- 1:27 Intro Riff (with tab)
- 9:02 Verse (basics)
- 14:33 Verse (fills)
- 18:05 Chorus
- 21:47 Refrain & Ending
My Beginning-to-End Playthrough (Lesson #224)
Here’s my original video lesson, where I play all sections from beginning to end (showing lyrics, chords, etc). The sheet music I linked above applies to this version, as well as my full video lesson at the top of the page.
Red Hot Chili Peppers Music Video
Here’s the album version of this song as played by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
John Frusciante’s Guitar Part, Close Up
Here’s the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ guitarist showing exactly how he plays it. Again, note that in my version I’m playing all chords one whole step lower (e.g. his D becomes my C; his A becomes my G, etc). Still, I wanted to include a link to this version in case you’re curious to see how he pulls it off.
Browse Related Lessons
Click any tag below to view other lessons I've made in that category:
About Song Notes
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 »
Get Free Lessons Each Week!
Join the 20,000+ readers who get my new lessons dropped in their inbox each week. I teach a fun mix of songs, weekly riffs, practice ideas, and more!
Enjoy my lessons? Buy me a beer!
If this and my other lessons have proven helpful to you, please consider making a one-time donation to my tip jar. Contributions of any amount help make this project possible (including the many, many hours I put into it).
Fun & Helpful Tools I've Made
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 3, 2023
Pentatonic Fun with Billy Strings' "Lonely At The Top" Riff
-
June 2, 2023
Major Pentatonic Scales in Open Position
-
May 27, 2023
"Fast Car" Riff, Explained Step-by-Step!
-
May 23, 2023
Uncle John's Band
-
May 16, 2023
Learn the Percussive Slap Strum, Step by Step
-
May 12, 2023
Tips for Writing Guitar Tabs (on Paper and iPad)
-
May 8, 2023
First Steps with the "Amie" Intro Riff
-
May 3, 2023
Easy-Going Fingerstyle Blues! A Step-by-Step Guide.