Learn to Play "Say Something" by A Great Big World on the Guitar

In this lesson, we'll learn how to play Say Something on the guitar. This beautiful tune is a fantastic piece to explore with various approaches and offers excellent opportunities to enhance your fingerstyle techniques. Let's dive into it!

Understanding the Song's Structure

Say Something has a rich musical structure despite its seemingly simple composition. The song revolves around two main chord progressions, offering a great balance of repetition and variation that makes it enjoyable to play and listen to.

The chorus revolves around the chords A minor, F, C, and G sus (the holy chord, as I like to call it). If you plan on playing along with the original recording, you'll need to put your capo on the second fret.

Chord Progressions

Understanding the chord progressions in Say Something will make learning and playing the song much easier. The song begins with an intro that uses the same chords as the chorus, creating a cycle that's easy to follow.

We have almost two bars on each chord when the verse kicks in. Starting with two bars of C, then moving to E minor for two bars, followed by two bars of F, and then one bar each of C and G sus4 again.

This cycle continues throughout the song, making it a beautiful exercise in chord transitions and progressions.

Building on the Song

One of the fantastic things about Say Something is its flexibility. Even though it's a mellow tune, there's plenty of room for you to explore and develop your own interpretation.

Part of this exploration involves looking at different approaches to the rhythm guitar part or the accompaniment. After all, the original recording is mostly piano and strings, so there's plenty of room for interpretation when playing it on the guitar.

Tips and Tricks

A helpful technique to keep in mind when playing this song is to ensure that your strumming hand moves in six. This gives you 12 options, as you have upstrokes in between all of those downstrokes.

Starting with the feeling of C and playing the chord as a grip is a simple yet effective way to establish your rhythm. From there, you can explore different strumming patterns and find one that suits your playing style and interpretation of the song.

Remember, there are no rules in music! Feel free to explore the song and make it your own. Whether you want to keep the verses sparse and build up the chorus or experiment with fingerstyle, the choice is yours.

Final Thoughts

Say Something is a beautiful song and a fantastic piece to add to your repertoire. Its simple structure and rich musical potential make it a joy to learn and play. Whether you're playing for yourself or performing for others, this song will surely captivate and inspire.

Remember to enjoy the process of learning and playing this song. Music is all about expression and enjoyment, so don't forget to have fun with it. And, of course, don't forget to check out the video for a step-by-step walkthrough!

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