Note: This recording is from a Live Facebook class, of which we run multiple free sessions every single week. For more info on our live guitar lessons visit here: https://www.yourguitaracademy.com/live-guitar-lessons.
To get this awesome Prince song together you will simply need 4 chords, a capo and a bit of cool 16th note strumming. This version of Purple Rain will be a challenge for beginners, but Simone breaks it down into clear bitesize chunks to ensure you are able to work through it. We will start here by looking at the 4 chord shapes you will need to master.
Remember you will need to put a capo on the 1st fret! Whenever we put a capo the guitar and notate the chords (As below), we call the chords by the name of the shape, NOT the name of the actual sound of the chord. For example, the first chord by shape is Asus2, but by sound is Bbsus2.
Next up we need the strumming pattern. If you've never seen a strumming pattern before then no worries, check out our online course (100% free) all about learning the basics of chords and strumming patterns: Beginners Acoustic Course Part 1. Here is the full strumming pattern, divided into 16th notes.
Finally we need to learn the structure of the song! We use a method of chord chart that you may or may not have seen in the past (shown below). If you have never seen this and don't understand, please check out this beginners course: Beginners Acoustic Course Part 1 (100% free, as with all our courses).
The Verse
Asus2 /// F#m11 /// E /// Dsus2 ///
Asus2 /// F#m11 /// E /// E / Asus2 (///)
The Chorus
Dsus2 /// Dsus2 /// Asus2 /// F#m11 /// E /// E /// E /// E / Asus2 (///)
And there we have it! If you love this lesson and love Simone's style then he is available for guitar lessons in London or via Skype. If you are interested please get in touch for guitar lessons london or Skype guitar lessons. Have fun!