"Heartbeat" is one of those beautiful old-time classics we love to play on the guitar.

It's a relatively easy song to play and sing along, too! If you're a total beginner, you'll keep the strumming pattern super simple, but you can grow it as you develop your guitar skills. :) If you're an advancing guitar player, we'll also learn how to play the little riff that we all recognize.

💡 Heartbeat by Buddy Holly is available on my Beginner Guitar app! If you haven't tried my app yet - get your free trial here and playalong with real backing-tracks. :)

Let's get stuck in and learn how to play Heartbeat by Buddy Holly on the acoustic guitar.

Heartbeat - Guitar Chords

The chord progression to play Heartbeat by Buddy Holly is A, D, and E. These are simple open chords, and most beginner guitar players will be comfortable playing them. Try anchoring your fingers to get faster changes!

💡 Anchor Finger means you'll change between two chords and keep a finger on the same fret or string. That makes chord changes faster and more efficient.

Your first task is to be able to strum once per bar consistently when changing between chords. Heartbeat bounces between two sections of A, D, and E - and that makes this an easy song to memorize. ;)

If you're struggling to get the changes right while strumming or are struggling with finger pain, consistent rhythm, and other basics, check out my free Grade 1 Beginner Guitar Lessons!

Ready to go further? Let's take a how at playing the rhythm for Heartbeat by Buddy Holly on the guitar.

Heartbeat - Strumming Pattern

Before learning a more complex strumming pattern to play this song, make sure you're hip with the chord changes and can keep your time! Not doing that is one of the most common beginner mistakes, and it makes you'll be stopping the strumming pattern from changing your chords. It just won't sound right.

Once your changes are on point, practice this strumming pattern:

D u   u   u D u 

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +

Sometimes, that last strum, an up strum, will fall on a chord change. It's the way it is - you have to start your chord changes a bit earlier so that you can strum down on the first beat of the bear. That's what matters!

🚨 Again - make sure not to rush the process! If you're following my Beginner Guitar Course and are just in the very first modules, you shouldn't be worrying about more complex strumming patterns. We're learning it on a way that will help you build a very solid rhythm foundation. Just trust the process - and your teacher here. :)

A great tip if you're planning to play and sing this song along is to practice the strumming pattern with your muted strings! As with everything else on the guitar, you must learn and practice each skill on its own. Check out the video lesson for more information about that - and extra trips to help you learn faster.

Heartbeat - How to Play the Riff

More advancing beginners should give a go at learning this riff. It's down the neck, and it might sound awkward to play up there, but definitely interesting. If you'd like to get tabs, and chords/lyrics to follow along with my song tutorials, check out JustinGuitar Tabs. It's especially helpful to learn riffs!

To play Heartbeat's riff, you'll also have to get into some light palm muting - and the video lesson shows you exactly how to get that right. It might take some practice, but if you stick with it - you'll get super satisfied when you nail this! Good luck. :)

Want chords, tabs, and lyrics to follow along with my song tutorials? Check out JustinGuitar Tabs!