How to Play Hey There Delilah

This fun and easy guitar lesson will have you playing this Plain White T's song in no time!

Each riff and song on the site is carefully chosen to work as part of a complete step by step guitar method designed to take the guess work out of what to play next.  Learn songs, play them well and gain the skills needed to play anything!

Measure 1

0:00 - 1:00

Learn your fretboard and how to read music easily with the video and breakdown below.

Measure 1 starts with a D5.  You may not think of this as a power chord but it is.

Note:  there is one measure of rest before it repeats to give your ears, fingers and brain a chance to absorb the information.

So the first note is a D and we are playing it as open D (4th string).  We play it on every beat. The two notes together on the '&' of beats are the A on the 2nd fret of your G string (3rd string) and the top note is D on the 3rd fret of your B string (2nd string).

D5

Half Speed (52 bpm)

Full Speed (104 bpm)

Measure 2

1:01 - 1:35

Measure 2 has us playing an F#m chord.  This chord may take a little getting used to if you have never played it before.

This chord is a bit tricky to play if you haven't played for very long.  In the video I bar my first finger across the 2nd and 3rd string however you don't have to play it that way.  You can use your first on the A and second finger on the D.  Then either your third or fourth finger can play the F#.  Whichever  you find easier.

Quick look at where the F#m chord comes from.

1:36 - 1:57

Below we will take a quick look at where the F#m chord comes from.

Let's Put it Together (Measure 1 and 2)

1:58 - 2:20

So now let's put the two measures together. The example below has a measure of rest before repeating for practicing.  Like the above exercises, it allows time for your brain, fingers and ears to absorb the information.  Less panic that way 🙂

Full Speed (104 bpm)

Last measure of verse

2:21 - 2:33

Small change in the last measure of the verse.  You still play the F#m chord, however you skip the '&' of beat 4.

Pre-Chorus

2:34 - 3:39

We now have a new chord for the beginning of the pre-chorus.  The far right fretboard is just showing you the full chord however you do not need it for this song.

 

Bm (omit 5th)

Bm

3:39 - 4:28

Two more new chords take us to a G and then A.

 

 

G

A (omit 5th)

Learn Songs.  Have Fun.  Be Amazing.

The Ultimate Guitar Method Guaranteed to Make You Great, Fast

Learning songs is not the only part of learning to play guitar but it is certainly a fun one 🙂 However, knowing what song to play next, at your current level, is not always easy.

Become a member and take the guess work out of what to play next.   Membership gives you access to a complete step by step guitar method designed to learn lots of songs and learn to play those songs well.  Plus learn the technique and skills necessary to be able to play anything and everything!

Hi, my name is Teague. 🙂  I love music. I love guitar.  And I love sharing my knowledge and helping others gain the same excitement I have for the instrument and learning!

I started this site in 1999 and from 20 plus years of teaching experience I know students learn better, progress faster, and have much more fun when songs are at the core of the method.

However that being said, the site is much more then just learning songs.  It is a complete step by step method designed to give you all the skills needed to become a great guitar player!

Each lesson reinforces and expands on the previous lesson.  Material includes learning scales, arpeggios, ear training, strumming and rhythm, improvising and even playing and singing.  All created to get you playing songs and playing those songs well.

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