As with most Bruno Mars songs on this 24K Magic album, this song is full of chords, rhythms and sections! Our awesome tutor, Thomas, takes you through the song from start to finish in incredible detail, with every chord, rhythm and tiny section covered!
To kick off our tutorial of '24K Magic' we have recorded the full rhythm part, from start to finish. This will really help you guys see exactly how the song is played, and be able to get a good feel for the rhythm and groove. So let's start by watching the entire playthrough before starting the actual lesson series. Have fun!
Verse & Chorus: The chords
We have some really cool chords to go through with this song, and it's important to understand why we use these particular shapes. As Thomas explains, as the guitar sits in a mix of keys, bass, synth and many other layers, we want a very thin clear sound from our chords. We, therefore, remove any unnecessary notes from the chords as other members of the band will be playing them. For example, we would remove the root as the bass player has that, and the 5th as it just isn't needed in the chord. The chords in the verse and chorus are as follows:
6
Fm9add11
X
X
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1
1
3
4
6
Bbm7
X
X
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X
1
3
4
6
Ebmaj7
X
X
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•
•
•
1
1
4
6
C7#5
X
X
•
•
•
X
1
3
4
Verse & Chorus: The Groove!
The rhythm is based on the 16th note rhythm, so you should try and count it "1 'e' and 'a' 2 'e' and 'a' 3 'e' and 'a' 4 'e' and 'a'" which helps you divide the bar into 16th equal notes (even if it does sound a little silly!). The rhythm part for the verse and chorus is simply this:
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2
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3
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4
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1
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2
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3
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4
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Remember that you bring in those two extra chords (the Ebmaj7 & C7#5) on the third repetition of the verse. They simply play on the 3rd and 4th beats, as Thomas clearly shows in the video (5.50minutes in if you wanna check!). The, as a final element, you stab at the Fm9add11 chord on the 4th repetition, in time with the rest of the song, rather than going to the Bbm7. Altogether, you get this:
Fm9add11 /// Bbm7 /// Fm9add11 /// Bbm7 ///
Fm9add11 /// Bbm7 / Ebmaj7 C7#5 Fm9add11 /// ////
The pre-chorus: The chords
So, we are using two chords and a cool little bass line run up to get this pre-chorus part together. The two chords are as follows (which we already know from the first video).
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Ebmaj7
X
X
•
•
•
•
1
1
4
6
Fm9add11
X
X
•
•
•
•
1
1
3
4
Pre-Chorus: The Groove!
As for the rhythm on the pre-chorus, you are using the following very simple pattern, and letting the chords ring out all the way through to create a more atmospheric sound.
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2
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3
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4
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The Bridge: The Chords
Much like the pre-chorus, there is not much groove, just more of an atmospheric sound to really pad out the section. We have some new chord shapes to go through and another cool little bass line walk up to lead back to the chorus. The chord shapes are:
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Cm7
X
X
•
•
•
•
1
1
6
Bbm7
X
X
•
•
•
•
1
1
4
Dbmaj7
X
•
•
•
•
•
1
1
2
3
4
8
Eb/F
X
•
•
•
•
•
1
1
The Bridge: The Groove!
For the rhythm we actually start on the third beat of the bar, which is a great songwriting tool if you are looking to create a new section in your song... Just shift from the 1st beat to another beat in the bar! The rhythm, therefore, looks like this, with the Cm7 played on the 3rd beat, and the Bbm7 on the 4th (then you leave a whole bar free to let the Bbm7 ring out):
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2
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3
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4
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1
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2
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3
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4
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When you hit the 4th bar you need to play the Dbmaj7 and Eb/F chords. They come in on the 1st and 3rd beats which is then followed by the lead line, which Thomas walks you through in the video lesson.
Bonus Lesson Extra fills
All the way through this track there are little drops, fills and cool parts which are worth learning. Not only will you get the song absolutely bang on, but you'll also learn how these little band ideas and fills can be very powerful in songwriting. Thomas takes you through all the little bits in the video, so have a bit of fun with this bonus extra!
Ready to move on? Remember to check out every lesson in this unit
first – then try the next unit...
This upbeat Bruno Mars classic is such a fun track to play along to. It's a perfect song to learn for early intermediate players as it really requires quick barre chord changes and a good understanding of rhythm to get through it. Simone will walk you through every section.
