Play "Better Together" by Jack Johnson on Acoustic Guitar

In this tutorial, we'll learn how to play Better Together by Jack Johnson on the acoustic guitar. This song is perfect for working on your barre chords - you'll need them for the entire song. But the key to nailing it and making it sound authentic is the strumming. We'll pick the intro and strum the chords with our fingers to capture the authentic vibe. :)

Beyond the techniques, Better Together sounds lovely and relaxed. The trick to mimicking Jack Johnson's sound is to relax into the music and feel laid back while you play.

☀️ I love Jack Johnson. He seems to channel the sunshine through his songs! Every time I feel a bit miserable or am stuck in traffic, a little Jack Johnson always cheers me up. Maybe it'll do the same for you. :)

If you need an extra hand with your barre chords before we start this tutorial, check out my lessons on the E Shape and A Shape guitar chords - we use the E Major, E minor, A Major, and A minor shapes in this song.

Ready? Let's get started!

Better Together: How to Play the Intro (Guitar Riff)

The intro guitar riff in Better Together is pretty simple in terms of technique. You hold one grip with the fretting hand and move it around the neck while picking with only two fingers.

The rhythm is trickier because it's syncopated, but the riff will sound pro if you nail it. Watch the video for the exact count, and listen to the original loads.

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Better Together: Verse and Instrumental Chords

This sequence is an awesome workout for your barre chords! Each chord lasts two beats.

E, E/D#, C#m, B
A, A/G#, F#m, B

These chords aren't as tricky as they seem, but they require a bit of explanation! We play the first four chords as A-Shape chords. The first chord is E as an A Major shape. This grip makes it easy to switch to E/D#: we move finger 1 back one fret. C#m is an Am Shape chord, and B is an A Major shape.

🧐 B fingering: You might have noticed that my fingering for B is pretty unusual. I use fingers 1 and 4, with finger 3 helping finger 4 to barre the strings. This works best for me, but I suggest you go for the standard grip with fingers 1 and 3. Jack plays it this way in Better Together.

We use the E shape for the remaining chords. A is an E Major shape, and we move finger 1 back one fret on string 6 to get A/G#. Make sure that finger 1 mutes strings 1 and 2 over the A/G#, or it'll sound sour. F#m is an Em shape, and this B is an E Major shape.

💣 Remember the Progression: You might think this is a tough progression to memorise, but there's a trick. If you know that these chords all belong to E Major, it’s much easier. ;) You'll automatically expect the chords to be a combination of E, A, B, F#m, C#m, and G#m, and all you have to remember is the order.

Better Together: Strumming Pattern

To sound like Jack Johnson, focus on mastering this strumming pattern. While the rhythm in Better Together is a simple eighth-note pattern, the technique might take some work.

We use the thumb and finger 1, plucking the bass note with the thumb on beats 1 and 3, playing percussive hits on 2 and 4, and up strums between. We look at an exact pattern in the video, but Jack often varies it, missing out up strums and changing the volume of the hits.

The hit is similar to the backbeat hit we learned in Grade 2, except we don't use a pick. It only involves the fretting hand, and we create it by slapping the palm on the strings and then strumming them while the hand mutes them. Sometimes the chord will ring out during the hit, and that's okay.

Here's a great tip for learning this pattern: work on it with the E chord and make it comfortable before you try switching to other chords.

💡 Play this sequence nice and slow - there's no hurry! You have to make it feel good. Relax, get in a good mood, and enjoy yourself. You can even smile as you play to help. Get in the pocket and channel that Jack Johnson sunshine. :)

Better Together: Chorus Chords

The Better Together chorus is much simpler than the verses - we only need two chords and a passing chord. :) The sequence is four reps of A to B as E Major shapes, each lasting one whole bar. Right before we switch to A, we switch to Bb and then slide back to A. This sounds wicked and makes this song unique.

Better Together: Bridge Chords

As for the bridge, the sequence is F#m to B four times. We play F#m as an Em Shape and B as an A Shape so that it's to change between them and prevent unwanted string noise. Then we play the chorus chords but with different lyrics. :)

After the bridge, we play the verse progression once, then finish on E. If you're playing in a band, you can continue jamming like the original track. The E Major scale might be handy for lead guitar. ;)

👉 Maste guitar techniques like barre chords with my free Intermediate Guitar Lessons.