Premium
VIP
Beta Tester
About This Lesson
In today’s lesson I’ll teach you how to play the much-requested classic If I Needed You. While this song was originally recorded by Townes Van Zandt in 1972, my arrangement is inspired by the Emmylou Harris & Don Williams duet from 1981. I’ll walk you through things step-by-step, which will help you settle in to the Travis-style fingerpicking needed to capture this song’s magical sound.
- 0:00 Lesson Overview
- 1:01 Chords
- 2:08 Strumming
- 3:41 Fingerstyle: Bass Notes
- 6:31 Fingerstyle: Step 1
- 8:25 Fingerstyle: Step 2
- 10:26 Fingerstyle: Step 3
- 12:54 Fingerstyle: Step 4
- 15:52 Additional Variations
Quick Links
- Song Wikipedia page
- Lyric & chords
- Townes Van Zandt 1972 recording
- Emmylou Harris & Down Williams 1981 recording
Practice Notes 3 pages
Lesson Discussion
Step-by-Step Fingerstyle Demonstrations
Here’s a few extra videos, made in thanks to those supporting me with Premium membership here on my Song Notes website. To those showing your support, you have my true thanks and appreciation — and I hope you find these additional videos helpful!
Fingerstyle, Level 1 of 4
This plays through the 9 measure sequence with all the bass notes, but only adds melody notes on the “1” count of each measure. This gives you a very lightweight way to get familiar with things.
Fingerstyle, Level 2 of 4
This adds some more melody notes, which are always played on the strong beats (e.g. the 1 2 3 4 counts). You can hear how the song’s melody is starting to take shape, even if there’s still plenty of nuance we’ve yet to add.
Fingerstyle, Level 3 of 4
This is almost the same as the guitar you hear in Emmylou & Don Williams recording. It adds a bit of melody syncopation (i.e. notes played on the off-beat), as well as a few hammer-ons.
Fingerstyle, Level 4 of 4
This is “the full Emmylou” version, which adds all remaining melody note flourish. This includes some more syncopation, as well as some pull-offs. If you find this too tricky, go back to the previous level and get some reps in.
Full Playthrough
Here’s a full play-along, where I show what it sounds like when you put it all together. This begins with me playing the additional variations for the intro and chorus, as taught at the end of my lesson. For the remainder of the song, I use a light strum to demonstrate what that sounds like. To conclude, I switch back to fingerstyle for an outro.
Related and Recommended
Browse Related Lessons
Click any tag below to view other lessons I've made in that category:
Enjoy My Lessons? Show Your Support!
Most of the lessons on my website are 100% free. If you have the means, please show your support with a tip jar contribution. I put many hours into every lesson — but it only takes you a minute to make a donation. You have my thanks!
Looking for More Song Lessons?
Featured Courses
Fun & Helpful Tools I've Made
Coming soon is Jambox – which shows all the video jam tracks I've made. It's note quite ready for the spotlight, but check it out if you like!
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
-
March 23, 2026
"I'm a Little Crazy" by Morgan Wallen
-
March 17, 2026
[Fixed] Minor Pentatonic Cheat Sheet - Download Link Fixed!
-
March 13, 2026
Guitar Tech Tip: Change the Key of Any YouTube Video
-
March 12, 2026
[Updated] Strum & Riff Guide for "About a Girl" by Nirvana
-
March 3, 2026
Strumming Issues? Try the "Pyramid" Rhythm Drill
-
Feb 13-20, 2026
Save Your "Favorite" Lessons, with Custom Collections!
-
February 4, 2026
Sing & Strum "Piano Man" by Billy Joel
-
Jan 26, 2026
Member Q&A: January 2026
-
Jan 16, 2026
Melodic Fingerstyle Fun with "Piano Man"
