Chords for Sweet Caroline Guitar Lesson - Acoustic Guitar Tutorial

This last time we're gonna be learning Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond.
_ _ _ Chord wise, really pretty simple tune.
The trickiest part about this song is gonna be the intro,
but we can simplify it for you.
In the beginning there I was using a hybrid picking technique.
_ So the melody of the intro _ sounds like this. _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [E] _ _ _ [G#] _
_ [E] _ _ _ [F#] _ _ _ _
[B] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ [C#m] _
And you could just play that, but there's an E,
well I'm capo to the second fret by the way. _
_ There's a, sorry it's actually an F sharp note,
_ _ _ _ _ _ is ringing out throughout that.
So it's, _ _ _ [C#] _
_ _ _ [F#] _ _ [E] but right here when you go to the second [G] part of
the melody you have to use, I'm using my pick to pick the open E string and my second finger to
pluck the melody [F#] on the D string. _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [F#] _
_ And that really makes it sound more like the tune.
So
you _ _ can simplify it and not play the open E string if you'd like. _
_ But I would encourage
you to try to work on the hybrid picking method.
So let's take a closer look.
So we're starting
with basically an E5 _ power chord, [G] except it's actually an F sharp because of the capo.
So [F#] _ _ it's gonna be second fret [C#] A string, [Cm] fourth fret to fifth [F#] fret. _ _
[E] And we're picking the E string
with [F#] all those. _ _
Then you do the same thing again _ and then go back _ twice. _ _ _
So it's, _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ [G#m] but there's an
[G] open E in between. _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ And then we do, now it's the same thing, now we start the hybrid picking thing.
So it's gonna be open E, or open D string, second fret, fourth fret, with the low E.
As well.
_ [C#] _ _
_ [F#] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [E] _ Then the third part is fourth fret, sixth fret, [D#] seventh fret, _ [F#] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ seventh fret, sixth fret,
_ _ thirteenth fret, eleventh fret, with those open E strings in between. _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [B] _ _ _ [F#] _ _ _ _
[D#] So one more time, nice and slow on the [F#] intro. _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [D#m] _
_ _ [F#] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ And now we're into the verse, which [D#] starts on an A chord.
_ And we're capoed because the song's actually in B, so it makes it a little bit easier to play
_ the open [B] chord.
So we got _ two bars, just playing quarter notes on the A.
Then we go [E] to a D
for two bars. _ _
Back [B] to an A, one, two, three, four, one, two, three, four, [F#] to an E. _ _ _
_ _ _ Now you wanna play this real staccato.
So I'm strumming all downstrokes, but I'm cutting it
off with the palm of my hand.
_ _ [B] Or almost palm muting it, just kind of not letting it fully ring
out. _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [E] D, _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [B] A, _
_ _ _ _ _ [F#] E. _
_ _ _ The same [B] thing, A, _
_ _ _ _ _ [E] D, _
_ _ _ _ _ [B] A, _
_ _ _ _ _ [F#] E. _
[F#m] Now here comes the pre-chorus.
We're gonna [B] hang on the A,
_ _ _ then we're gonna go to an A6, _ which all you gotta do is bar the high E string as well. _ _ _ _ _
_ [F#] _ A, E, D, _ _
_ _ [E] _ _ three, four, one, two, three, [F#] four, E. _ _ _ _
_ _ _ [B] _ And that brings us into the chorus.
So one [G#] more time [B] with
pre-chorus.
_ Three, four, one, two, three, four, A6, _ _ _ _ _ [F#] E, two, three, four, one, two, three, [E] four,
D, two, three, four, one, two, three, [F#] four, E, two, three, four, one, two, three, four, [G#m] D, E,
back to E at the [B] very end there.
Now the chorus. _
A for a bar, _ [E] _ D, _ _ _ _ and we do our little lick there.
So [B] it's one, two, three, four, one, two, _ _ _ and that's 12th fret.
I'm up here on the 12th fret,
barring the E and B string, _ second finger's on the 13th fret of the G string. _
_ Then move it back
[B] half step and play like a D chord shape.
_ So 11, 12, 11, _ [E] _ _ back to your regular D. _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ One, two, three,
four, [F#] E, two, three, four, one, [B] two, D, E, two, three, [E] four, D, _ _ _ two, three, four, one, two, three,
four, [F#] E, [E] _ D, [D#m] C sharp, [C#m] minor, B minor. _ _
[D#m] _ _ _ _ _ Fourth fret minor chord, _ [C#m] _ second fret minor chord. _ _
[B] And then you're back into the verse.
So let me play through the chorus one whole time there.
_ _ [E] _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [F#] _ _ _ _ _ _
[E] _ _ _ [B] _ _ _ _ [E] _
_ _ Whoops. _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [F#] _ [E] E, D, [D#m] _ _ [C#m] _ _ [B] _ and we're back to the verse.
_ _ _ [E] _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [B] A, _
_ _ _ _ _ [F#] D, _
_ _ _ _ _ [B] _ A, _ _ _ _ _ [E] _ D, _ _ _ _ _ [B] A, _
_ _ _ _ _ [F#] E. _
_ _ _ _ [B] Pre-chorus.
A, _ _ _ _ A6, _
_ _ _ _ [F#] E, _ _
_ _ _ _ [E] D, _ _
_ _ _ _ [F#] E. _ _
_ _ _ _ [B] _ _ Chorus.
[E] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ [F#] _ _ _ _ _
_ [E] _ _ [B] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ [F#] _ _ [E] _ _ _
[D#m] _ [C#] _ [F#] Then we're back to the intro. _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ Then it goes back to [B] the chorus, I think.
_ [E] _ _ _ _ _
_ And then it just kind of goes to the chorus there
at the end.
So that's pretty much it.
_ Three parts.
Three or four parts.
_ _ Pretty simple tune,
easy open chords.
That's pretty much it for Sweet