Play "Nothing Compares 2 You" on Guitar!

We'll base this easy lesson on Chris Cornell's cover, partly because the Sinead O'Connor one sounds ridiculous if I sing it and partly because Chris Cornell was one of the greatest Rock singers of all time. He did an incredible version of this classic. If you're unfamiliar with it, I'd encourage you to go and check it out.

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We'll start with a very simple and easy strumming pattern, and then we'll learn how to pick out some of the notes individually to highlight parts of the melody.

How to Play the Sinead O'Connor & Prince Versions

To play along with Sinead O'Connor, you need to put a capo on at Fret 5 and use all the same chords we'll learn in this tutorial, but with the capo there! If you want to play along with the original version from Prince, who wrote this song, you'd need to use these chords and tune your guitar down one semitone - as he plays it in the key of B.

Nothing Compares 2 U: Guitar Chords

Most of the chords are relatively easy, but you need a Bb Barre Chord and an F Barre Chord - the only tricky points. You can approach the rest of the chords in many different ways!

Introduction

The chord progression for the intro is C, G/B, Am, C, and then G. You'll play this progression twice.

👉 Fingering Choices!

Chris Cornell used to play G/B by putting his first finger on the second fret of the fifth string, then playing the open fourth and third strings, followed by his third and fourth fingers on the third and second frets of the thinnest two strings. I prefer to use my second and fourth fingers instead, and I skip playing the thinnest string because I find it easier to transition from C to G/B bass, and I like the way it sounds. Ultimately, it doesn't matter which approach you choose. G/B is a G chord with a B bass note, which creates a nice progression to C, G/B, and A minor, which is the next chord.

The same thing goes to the G chord, you could choose to use the Big Rock G or the one with just three fingers. It doesn't really matter. It's up to you!

You should aim to create your cover of the song, so pick the chords that you like the sound of and that you feel comfortable playing. You'll never be able to play it nicely and smoothly or think about the singing if you're worried about the chords. So, choose the chords that sound good and fit well under your fingers.

Verse 1

For the first verse, you'll play C, G/B, Am, C, and G; you'll repeat this chord progression three times. Then, you'll play C, G/B, Am, and E7.

Chorus 1

The first chorus is different from the other ones. You'll play Bb, G, Bb, F, and G. This chorus introduces some barre chords, but check out my free lessons on how to play E Shape and A Shape Barre Chords to help you easily play barre chords. :)

Verse 2

We're now back into another verse. Sinead O'Connor's version has two bars of G, but Chris Cornell's cover only has one bar. You'll play the following chord progression:

C, G/B, Am, C, G

C, G/B, Am, G

C, G/B, Am, C, G

C, G/B, Am, E7

Chorus 2 & Instrumental Section

The next chorus has a slightly different chord progress, starting with a Bb. You'll play Bb, F, Am, C, and G. Then, we're into the instrumental section. You could choose what chord progression you'll play here and how you'll play it!

On the Sinead O'Connor version, you have the verse progression a couple of times - nothing too fancy. The Chris Cornell cover also goes through the chorus progression, but it makes it slightly more challenging and more interesting if you're going to solo over it!

If you're picking out notes yourself, it just depends on what you feel comfortable with, remembering that you've got to stay in time while adding those embellishments, which can be tricky if you go into the chorus progression because you've got the barre chords.

So, it's really up to you how much detail you want to put in the instrumental section because it's different for everyone. Choose what works for you!

Verse 3

The last verse is again the same as verse two, with the E at the end. Remember that the voice comes right in at the beginning! So, after you've gone to the end of the solo, you're probably finishing on a G.

Outro

The end also seems to be different depending on the version you go for! I encourage you to make your cover of the song and choose how your ending goes. The obvious way would be to play twice through the chorus and then go down to an E minor at the end, play a G chord, and then finish.

Strumming Pattern

I would encourage you to play along with either the Chris Cornell, Sinead O'Connor, or Prince version. Start with simple strumming - like strumming only on the chord changes. This is a great way to make sure you feel comfortable with all chord changes when it comes to developing the rhythm!

💡 Working with a 16th Note Strumming framework is also a great idea. You would be playing All Down Strums to the bar, doing a bigger strum on the beat and a smaller strum on the end.

You have some freedom to choose your strumming pattern, so be sensitive! You don't want your rhythm to be too trashy for a song like this! Don't even feel like you have to play all the 8th notes, by the way. The key is to keep your hand moving, which will help you stay on time. You must stay on time, even if you leave some things out. ;)

Be aware of the strumming dynamics. Try to bring it down in the verses by playing and singing more sensitively. You don't want the rhythm to be too strong, or it will upset the balance of the song. These kinds of songs, which are essentially simple, can be hard because you need to get the sensitivity level right. It's not just about bashing out the chords; they are relatively easy. Trying to make it into a tune that sounds good to listen to requires understanding the song, where it needs to be harder and more forceful, and when it needs to chill out.

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Follow these steps to nail down the rhythm to play Nothing Compares 2 U:

Step 1: Play the chords with simple strumming along with the original recording.
Step 2: Integrate some strumming patterns - like the 16th Note feeling. There are 8 down strums to the bar, so remember it's called 16th notes because there are eight downs and eight ups, so there are 16 possible strums in the bar. Work on that a little bit.

Then, it's time to start introducing a little embellishment if you want, and there are a couple that make the song sound like the song! Let's take a look at this.

Embellishments

When you're confident with the basic rhythm, the next step is to pick out some melody parts. It won't sound good if you start adding embellishments and lose the timing. People will notice if you mess around with the rhythm, like adding extra beats. So, be confident with the basics first!

Don't feel like you have to play the melody exactly, particularly in the solo section. It could be fun to explore it. Remember - when playing the C chord, you can access the whole scale, so experiment around it. I don't recommend playing a very scaly thing. Your goal is to make it sound interesting.

I used something I call Rhythm Fills - Mayfield & Hendrix. You can learn more about it here. I also have a more beginner-friendly lesson to help you start picking out individual notes! Enjoy. :)

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