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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
Song Sheet with Lyrics 3 pages
A printed arrangement with the lyrics, chords, and other guitar parts taught in my video lesson. Available for purchase through Musicnotes.com.
Have questions? Read this help page to learn how buying & printing works, with answers to many 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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