Simple Man
by Lynyrd Skynyrd • Lesson #56 • Apr 7, 2017
About this lesson
In this lesson, I show you how to play the song Simple Man by Lynyrd Skynyrd on an acoustic guitar. I’ll show you how to play the chords needed, the strumming patterns, the distinctive riffs (easy and intermediate versions), and also the picking pattern heard in the intro of the song. Tabs and chord charts are included. Note, I’ll be playing in standard tuning (note, you must tune down one-half step to play along with the Lynyrd Skynyrd version).
- 0:00 Lesson overview
- 2:01 Chords
- 4:28 Riff, simple
- 6:45 Riff, intermediate
- 8:48 Picking pattern
- 13:17 Misc other notes
Licensed 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.comLesson Discussion
Chords you’ll need
Three chords for the entire song!
E –––0––––3––––0–––
B –––1––––0––––1–––
G –––0––––0––––2–––
D –––2––––0––––2–––
A –––3––––2––––0–––
E ––––––––3––––––––
C G Am
Chord progressions
Same chord progression for the entire song! One measure of C, one measure of G, two measures of A-minor. Repeat that, literally, for the entire song. Whether you (or your pals) are strumming, picking, soloing, or playing the jazz flute – these are the chords you’ll want to be living in.
C . . . G . . . Am . . . Am . . .
Strumming pattern
If you’re super new to guitar, start with downstrums on the “1” and “3” counts only:
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
↓ ↓ ↓ ↓
> > > >
Then, taken a tad further with difficulty, I recommend this:
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
↓ ↓ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↑
> > > >
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