Learn How to Play "Good Times" by Chic on the Guitar

In this lesson, we'll learn how to play Good Times on the guitar, a classic tune from Chic featuring the incredible Nile Rogers. This fantastic song showcases many of Nile Rogers' stylistic elements. Good Times has a rhythmic groove built around four main chords, and throughout the song, you'll notice quite a few variations that add to its richness. It's a fun and engaging piece to add to your guitar repertoire!

Understanding the Chords

The song starts with four main chords that set the stage for the entire track. We begin with an E minor seven chord, which many of you might already be familiar with. From there, we transition to an E7 sus4, adding a bit more complexity to the sound.

Next, we move on to what I like to call an A9 chord with an E on the bass - it's the E minor seven chord, but we lift off the third finger. I like to think of it as an A chord because the harmony of the song on the bass is moving to an A note.

The last chord is an A13 chord, again with an E bass. It's a lovely chord that rounds out the chord progression beautifully.

Strumming Pattern

There's a specific strumming pattern that accompanies the main riff. It's a rhythmic pattern you'll get the hang of with some practice. We'll go through it bar by bar, starting with the E minor seven.

As you play along, remember that a big part of getting this song right is the 'pumping' of the chords – pressing down on the chord and then lifting it up straight away. This gives us a crisp, tight chord sound, essential to nailing that funky groove.

As the song progresses, Nile starts to chill things out a little bit in the verses. You should try to play a little bit less during these sections and really try to absorb the feel of the song.

More Learning Resources

To enhance your learning experience, I've created this Rhythm Pattern. It sometimes helps to see rhythms as well as being able to play and count them!

Rhythm Pattern of Main Groove

D . x x D . x x D . x x x U . . D . D . D . D . D . D . D . x x 
1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a 1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a

Chords Used

Em7: x 7 9 7 8 7

E7sus: x 7 9 7 10 7

A9/E: x 7 7 7 8 7

A13/E: x 7 5 6 7 5

Wrapping Up

I really hope you enjoy learning this tune. Nile Rogers is a master funk guitar player, and his music is fantastic to get into if you're a fan of funk guitar. He's an incredible musician, a great songwriter, a terrific producer, and he seems like a really nice guy, too!

Listening to as much of Nile Rogers' stuff and his band Chic is good food for your soul. It's an enriching experience that I highly recommend to any guitar enthusiast.

So, watch the video and have a great time learning Good Times. I look forward to seeing you for more lessons soon. Don't forget to have fun and take care of yourselves!

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