Is this the best pop-punk guitar song ever written?

In this guitar lesson, we'll learn how to play Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) by Green Day. What a classic acoustic song!

We'll start with a very easy beginner version and build it up to sound just like the original record. So grab your acoustic guitar, and let's get started!

Good Riddance by Green Day - Guitar Chords

Good news! We just need easy open chords to play Good Riddance by Green Day: G, Cadd9 (I'll call this C), D, and Em. Check out the video for all the chord progressions and a guitar demo with the vocal. :)

We play G and C with Stuck 3&4 grips. This means we keep fingers 3 and 4 in the same place and switch between G and C by moving fingers 1 and 2. We use the standard open grips for Em and D, and you might like to try adding sus2 and sus4 embellishments over the D.

Good Riddance by Green Day - Strumming

There are loads of strumming options for Good Riddance (Time of Your Life). I like The Old Faithful Strumming pattern, one of the most common patterns ever. It sounds great on this tune! You can use it all the way through, though I suggest you change the dynamics to add some variation.

🔥 Transcribe Strumming - If you'd like to figure out any strumming pattern by ear on your own, check out my Rhythm Maestro course. :)

Get very comfortable with the strumming pattern before moving on to exploring the picking. :)

Authentic Rhythm Guitar

Here's where the fun begins - and where many guitar players seem to get it wrong! To sound just like Green Day, we need to pick individual notes when playing. So, here are my tips on how to play Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) authentically!

Strumming Pattern! The first tip here is to really get the Old Faithful strumming pattern down before picking out individual notes. It'll make it easier for you. ;)
Mute The Thinnest String. Use finger 4 of your strumming hand to mute the thinnest string. That note shouldn't ring out at all. This makes a huge difference to your sound.
Picking Pattern. I've always played this song without paying attention to which notes were sounding out - as long as the thinnest string is muted. We look at a specific picking pattern (see the chapter "Picking Pattern" in the video lesson), but think of it as a guide. It's not the end of the world if you just relax and play more freely.

After the first chorus, I let the thinnest string ring out and strum the full chord. This adds a nice shift in dynamics.

🚨 It Feels Like Normal Strumming - If you want your rhythm guitar to sound great when you pick out notes, make it feel like you're strumming normally. It should feel smooth and flowing, not jerky.

Good Riddance by Green Day is a wicked song to play! It's a fun song to sing and play at the same time too - here are my tips on how to sing while playing guitar if you fancy it. ;) Have fun!

🔥 Check out other great Green Day guitar songs in my dedicated Green Day section