Premium
VIP
Beta Tester
Brown Eyed Girl
by Van Morrison • Lesson #479 • Mar 19, 2023
Hello there, my friends! In today’s lesson I’ll teach you how to play Brown Eyed Girl, the Van Morrison classic from 1967. I’ll start off with a beginner-friendly walkthrough of things, including the chord shapes some basic strumming patterns. Later in the lesson I’ll move into some more intermediate techniques, including a percussive strum pattern and a few ways to play the distinctive intro riff. I hope you enjoy!
Timestamps for my main lesson:
- 0:00 Lesson Summary
- 1:44 Chord Shapes
- 4:33 Chord Progressions
- 7:43 Strumming: Basics
- 11:36 Strumming: Percussive Slaps
- 14:42 Intro: Basic Melody
- 16:52 Intro: Using Sixths
- 22:02 Intro: Hybrid Picking Tips
Lesson Discussion
Play-Along Covers
Here’s a video showing two play-along covers you can use to practice playing this song. One of them uses the “intermediate” strumming pattern I teach (0:00), while the other uses the percussive slap-strum (1:39).
Backing Tracks
If you want to practice playing over the G-C-G-D chord progression (used in the intro, verse, and refrain) — check out these backing tracks! You could use these to practice strumming, playing the vocal melody, the intro riff (in open position or using sixths).
I’ve included two versions here, one slower (95bpm) and the other a bit more brisk (110bpm). For context, Van Morrison’s recorded version is played at 150bpm — which is quite fast, compared to these!
Related Technique Lessons
Here’s some related lessons I’ve made to help the chords & techniques used in this song.
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.comOther Suggested Videos
Van Morrison’s album version:
Browse Related Lessons
Click any tag below to view other lessons I've made in that category:
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
-
November 22, 2023
10 Years of Song Notes... Thanks to You!
-
November 17, 2023
Guitar Finger Exercises for Flexibility, Control, Speed, and more
-
November 10, 2023
Lead Guitar Improvisation Tips (feat. Wagon Wheel)
-
November 5, 2023
Travis Picking Training Wheels (ft. Hayes Carll)
-
November 4, 2023
Strumming with Alternating Bass Notes
-
November 3, 2023
Long Black Veil
-
October 28, 2023
St James Infimary Blues
-
October 21, 2023
Fingerstyle Patterns for All Chords (using Travis Picking)
-
October 16, 2023
Soulful Lead Guitar Licks over "Amazing Grace"
-
October 11, 2023
Helpful Tips for Hammer-Ons, Pull-Offs, and Bends