Learn to Play "Love On The Weekend" by John Mayer on Guitar!

Let's check out Love On The Weekend by John Mayer! For the basic acoustic version, you'll just need three super easy open chords, G, C, and D. :) This is accessible to all guitar players.

We'll also spice it up with chord variations and the lead-guitar parts. If you're new to learning lead solos, these simple ones are great. They are especially fun for jamming with another guitarist.

🎸 Make guitar friends from all over the world at the JustinGuitar Community! Join Open Mics, ask questions, and get to know great musicians to make music with. :)

Love On The Weekend: Easy Guitar Chords

The first chord we need is a G chord – I recommend the grip with fingers 2 and 3. Finger 2 plays 6:3 (string 6, fret 3) and mutes the fifth string, while finger 3 goes down at 1:3 (string 1, fret 3). Play this for two bars, then switch to a Cadd9 chord.

💡 Why Cadd9? You could play the regular C chord, but the Cadd9 adds some spice to the song and incorporates the flavor of the main lead line. Try it and see!

I suggest a three-fingered version of Cadd9. Put finger 1 on 4:2, finger 2 on 5:3, and finger 3 on 2:3. Finger 3 needs to mute the thickest string too! This grip makes it real easy to change between G and Cadd9. This Cadd9 also gives you a nice third-finger anchor for switching from Cadd9 to D.

💡 A nice little variation you might like to try is a Gadd9 chord! Start with this G, then put finger 1 on 3:2. It adds a little bit of variation. Sounds great, doesn't it?

The chord progression is two reps of G G Cadd9 Cadd9, then two reps of D D Cadd9 Cadd9. You can also play regular G and C – it's your call.

And that's it for the chord progression. Check out JustinGuitarTABS to get chords, lyrics, and tabs to follow along with my tutorial for Love On The Weekend and make your practice easier!

This song sounds great with those simple chords, so it's perfect for beginner guitarists. You don't have to do anything fancy: just learn these chords, and off you go.

Love On The Weekend by John Mayer: Nail The Groove

Since the chords are easy, Love On The Weekend is a great song for working on your groove. One of the wonderful things about John Mayer is his dreamy, relaxed groove. Learning this song on guitar is a great opportunity to practice sounding more relaxed and laid back when you play. Practice jamming with the original to really nail it. :)

Sounding relaxed when playing the guitar might be tricky for many beginners. Any stiffness that you've got in your arm will make you sound tense, which comes through in your sound. So try to relax and transmit the feel-good vibe that John Mayer gives to Love On The Weekend. You can do it!

Love On The Weekend by John Mayer: Strumming Pattern

If you're looking for a specific strumming pattern to play Love On The Weekend on the guitar, the one you hear on the record is the following:

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
D U D U D U   U

You can also play all-eighth note strumming (D U D U D U D U). Give a little bit of an accent on beats two and four, but remember: you don't have to play a set strumming pattern. The important thing here is to be aware of the beats and the song structure. Your songs should have a slightly different strumming pattern between the verses and the choruses, with more strumming in the chorus.

It gets a little boring if you hear a guitarist use the same strumming pattern for the whole song. So, I'd really encourage you not to do that. :) Don't think about having one strumming pattern for the entire song. Check out the song tutorial video to learn more about it and practice this strumming pattern with me!

Electric Guitar: Get The Sound!

The electric guitar part of Love On The Weekend by John Mayer has a strong reverb. It sounds absolutely delicious! I'm using my new Neunaber Immerse Reverberator pedal, and it sounds awesome. My setup isn't exactly what's on the original recording, but it still sounds wicked. In any case, you want lots of reverb. Check out the video lesson to learn how to play the lead line.

The main lead line only has seven distinct notes – can you figure it out? As for the other layers, I was just picking out chord tones. Use the mini-grips you know for G, C, and D, and explore which notes work. :)

For the bridge lead part, you just need a couple of triad shapes. Very U2! See if you can work it out. If you want to jam this one, make sure you don't overpower the vocal – weave around it. It's not a full solo.

🎶 Up for more? Get my Guitar App and choose from over 1000+ songs with backing tracks and on-screen chords!