Let's learn how to play "Love Again" by Dua Lipa on guitar!

This cool tune from the album Future Nostalgia was one of the most requested during the last few weeks! Released in 2020, Love Again is a great dance-pop song!

If you’re doing my Beginner’s Course and dig pop music, I recommend you give it a go! Get your capo on the second fret and let’s check it out - starting with the chords. :)

Love Again by Dua Lipa: Guitar Chords

Love Again is a four-chord song and the same progression repeats throughout. The chord progression is Em, C, Am, and D. We play each chord for half a bar of 4/4. :)

Since Love Again by Dua Lipa is harmonically repetitive, we need to change up our strumming and volume to make sure it stays interesting for the listener.

Love Again by Dua Lipa: Vary the Rhythm

Song dynamics isn’t for complete beginners, but if you have some confidence with strumming and chords, you should start thinking about it as soon as possible.

This is especially true if you want to do solo covers of four-chord songs. Listen to the original - you’ll hear how the instrumentation changes with the sections.

🤔 Why Vary the Dynamics? You can hear in my demo that if we play Love Again with the same volume and groove, it gets tiresome. Unless you’re an incredible singer like Dua Lipa, you need to vary the dynamics to keep it interesting!

On the whole, we want the first verse to be the quietest section. The second verse should have an extra element to change the dynamics a little. In the pre-chorus, we’ll add stops, which are a nice way of defining that section, and in the chorus we’ll strum a bit more.

Strumming one downstrum per chord is a good verse pattern because it brings the volume right down. A similar pattern is to strum one downstrum on each beat. This works for later verses.

Varying the Dynamics: More Advanced

If you feel confident with those basic patterns, let’s try adding all-down eighth notes with an accent on beats two and four with palm mute. This is easier than it sounds, and in the video we break it all down. :) Try this pattern in the first verse.

You can also add upstrums to this pattern to vary it. These will work great in later verses! In the choruses, go for the all-down eighth notes but without the palm muting. This gives it another dimension and makes it bigger. :)

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Love Again by Dua Lipa: Power-Chords Section

The rhythm in the original Dua Lipa version changes in the pre-chorus, and we can mimic it by muting the strings on beats 2 and 4. This is a great technique to have in your rhythm-guitar repertoire. You’ll need to be hip with muting the strings with your strumming hand. :)

Then there’s a little section that uses E, C, and A power chords, and we’ll use these chords in the final verse too.

If you’re cool with the power chords, all-down strumming, and palm muting, you might like to try adding the riff to have another way to change the groove.

Love Again by Dua Lipa: Melodic Guitar Riff

There’s a nice string melody on the original Love Again that we can play with the chords. It only has three notes - try to figure it out, then add it in under the chords. The little finger might help. ;)

The feel is a little strange and it’s tricky to mix this riff with the chords, so consider it your challenge!

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