Learn "Sunny" by Bobby Hebb on the Acoustic Guitar

This easy lesson will teach you how to play Sunny by Bobby Hebb on the acoustic guitar. This song is great for beginners looking to challenge themselves: you can play it using easier chords! However, we'll also look at a real barre-chord workout version for intermediate players.

💬 Which version will you play? Join the Discussion and let me know in the comments! :)

Sunny by Bobby Hebb – Verse Chords

First, let's look at the chords and structure. The basic chords in verse are Em (022000), G (320033), C (X32010), F#m11 (2X2200), and B7 (X21202). Each lasts for one bar except the last two, which each last half a bar.

The above F#m11 grip is a lovely substitute for F#m. Use your ears – if it sounds good, it is good! You can also leave off your little finger on the B7 to get X21200, which is technically a B11 chord. But don't worry about the names too much. It sounds cool!

If you're hip with barre chords or want to practice them, play F#m (244222) instead of F#m11 and B7 (X24242). These are both barre chords at the second fret.

Sunny by Bobby Hebb – Post-Verse Section + Riff

We play Em, G, C, and F on the second repeat, each for one bar. Then we play a bar of F#m and B7, followed by Em for two bars.

🎸 F Chord Variations – F as a barre chord? As a mini shape? With the thumb? Learn three super-useful F chord variations and when to use them.

Time for the James Bond sequence! On the final two bars of Em, we do embellishments with finger 1 and finger 4. First, on beat 3, add finger 1 to fret 1 of string 2 to get Em#5 (022010). On beat 1 of the next bar, add your little finger to fret 2 to get Em6 (022020) before switching back to Em#5 on beat 3.

As for the rhythm, Old Faithful (1 2 + + 4) works great here. I suggest you switch to one strum per beat for F#m to B7. You can also try playing 8th notes (1+2+3+4+) with accents on 2 and 4.

Sunny by Bobby Hebb – Original Guitar Parts

In the original, you can hear the electric guitar playing chips on 2 and 4, along with a bass guitar part. Chips aren't potatoes – they're little triads played on the backbeat! This tricky is an ultra-common second guitar part.

Try out these chips: Em (XXX987), G (XXX787), C (XXX988), F#m (XXX222), and B7 (XXX242). You can also try F#m (X X X 11 10 9) and B7 (X X X 11 10 11) – that way, you need to add your little finger to the thinnest string to switch to B7. Experiment with your triads and see what cool alternatives you can find. :)

💡 Triad Shapes A to Z – Get going with your triad shapes with my tutorial on major and minor guitar triads.

Sunny – Key Changes and Barre Chord Part

One of the remarkable things about this song is that it moves up a semitone – twice! That means we must move all the chords up a semitone each time the song changes the key. You could somehow slip a capo on while nobody is watching. But the best way to develop your musicianship is to play them all as barre chords!

The sequence in the verses becomes Fm (133111), Ab (466544), Db (X4666X), Gm (355333), and C7 (X35353). The F chord becomes Gb (244322). This song is an excellent barre chord workout. You could give your hand a short break by playing C7 as an open chord (X32310), but switching to this chord is tricky.

This time, the James Bond riff falls over the Fm. This detail makes it awkward to play. My solution in the video was to add finger 2 to fret 2 to get Fm#5 (133121), then move finger 2 up to fret 3 for Fm6 (133131).

🖐️ Use Open Chords – During long barre chord sequences, it's a good idea to rest your hand by switching to open chords when possible. When the song changes key for a second time, you could play A and D as open chords. :)

We stay with those chords for one verse before moving up another semitone. This time, use the same shapes but up another fret, giving you F#m, A, D, G#m, C#7.

If you're experimenting with triads, you'll have to move those too. You can slide each shape up one fret or switch to other positions on the fretboard. That is a tremendous challenge for intermediate players! You'll need to be hip with the notes on the neck. :)

This one is a grower. You can use open chords throughout, with the cheats for the F#m and B7. Then you can play barre chords for those. And when you're an Intermediate player, you can add chips, explore the bass line, and add in the key changes with all those weird and wonderful barre chords.

There's a lot to work on and many essential skills to learn for your guitar journey! Have lots of fun with Sunny by Bobby Hebb, and I'll see you for more song lessons soon.

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