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And It's Still Alright

by Nathaniel Rateliff • Lesson #553 • Jun 7, 2024

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In today’s lesson I’ll teach you how to play And It’s Still Alright, the amazingly powerful song from Nathaniel Rateliff. On the surface this seems like a simple 4-chord strummer, but there’s a fair number of tricky bits I’ll guide you through in my lesson. I’ll explain the chord progression, show you some ways to add flourish the chords, teach the intro riff, and teach some advanced strumming techniques Rateliff uses — should you really want to level things up. Let’s get into it!

0:00 Playthrough
2:07 Capo and Chords
4:07 Verse
7:27 Chorus
9:08 Bridge
11:24 Strumming Pattern
14:10 Intro Riff
19:10 Advanced Strumming Tips

Lesson Discussion

Practice Guide 5 pages

Recommended Lyric Sheets

If you’re looking for a write-up of the complete lyrics and chords, here’s what I recommend:

Bonus Tutorial Videos

Demonstration with Simple Strumming

Here’s me playing each section of the song (intro, verse, chorus, bridge) using the simplest possible strum. I recommend mastering this before attempting to use the moderate strumming pattern.

Demonstration with Moderate Strumming

Same as above, but with the strumming leveled up to use the moderate strumming pattern. This makes it feel like a proper song!

Demonstration with Advanced Strumming

Same as above, but I’m also using a few of the advanced rhythmic techniques Rateliff uses. Specifically, continuous strum (during the intro and parts of the chorus) as well as the accented up-strums — which are used in select places to great affect.

Full Play-Along Cover

Watch me play the entire song from start to finish, using everything I teach you in this lesson. All verses included, along with the bridge. This is how it sounds when you put it all together!

Here’s a few lessons I’ve made that will help with techniques used in this song:

G-chord finger position guide

★ Instructional PDF

Accenting Notes While Strumming

★ Instructional PDF

Strumming with a Light Touch

Bass Note Strumming

★ Instructional PDF

Nathaniel Rateliff Performances

Official Album Recording (2020)

Live from On the Farm Sessions (2022)

More About Nathaniel Rateliff

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And It's Still Alright

Lesson Discussion

Practice Guide 5 pages

Recommended Lyric Sheets

Bonus Tutorial Videos

Demonstration with Simple Strumming

Demonstration with Moderate Strumming

Demonstration with Advanced Strumming

Full Play-Along Cover

Related Lessons

Nathaniel Rateliff Performances

Official Album Recording (2020)

Live from On the Farm Sessions (2022)

More About Nathaniel Rateliff

Unlock My Secret Stash!

Browse Related Lessons

Enjoy My Lessons? Show Your Support!

Looking for More Song Lessons?

Featured Courses

Travis Picking Essentials

Practical Music Theory

Guitar for Beginners

Beginner Chord Guide

Blues Starter Kit

Reading Music for Guitarists

Fun & Helpful Tools I've Made

Fret Monster

JamBox

Key Master

Capo Captain

Blank Tabs

Subscribe to my YouTube channel

Recent Lessons