Learn The LeAnn Rimes Hit "How Do I Live" on Acoustic Guitar!

In this lesson, we'll learn how to play How Do I Live by LeAnn Rimes on acoustic guitar. It's a great song to explore key changes, sus chords, unusual timing, picked fingerstyle, and more!

We'll learn How Do I Live with a guitar capo on Fret 2, which enables us to play the song in its original tuning, mainly using open chords, but you'll need some barre chords too.

We also cover embellishments, dynamics, and other elements you can incorporate to jazz up your cover of How Do I Live.

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Now let's get started and check out some basics on how to play this LeAnn Rimes hit on the acoustic guitar.

How Do I Live: Chord Progression

The chords last half a bar in some sections and a full bar in others, and a few only last for one beat! We'll discuss the duration of each chord in the video lesson, but it helps if you're super familiar with the original track.

Guitar Chords for the Intro

Each chord in the intro lasts half a bar (except the final G and Asus4), and every second chord is pushed, meaning we change to it half a beat early. Here's the progression:

C, G, F, Em

C, G, F, G, Asus4.

Note that we strum Asus4 only on beat 4! You can pick out some melody notes to add some interest. Before the first C chord, I always play the notes G, A, and B, then make sure C is the highest note from the C chord that rings.

💡 Pro Tip! It's much easier to make sense of these fills and runs if you know the notes in open position.

I also strike the open E string before switching to G, then mute it over the G. I don't think the traditional G chord sounds good, so I make D the top note instead. Over F, I like playing a C-B-A-B run by using the open FMaj7 grip.

Guitar Chords for the Verses

This is an 11-bar sequence, with each chord lasting a full bar, except for F#m and Bm7. The sequence is:

D, A/C#, Em, Asus4

D, A/C#, G, |F#m Bm7 |

Em, |F#m Bm7 |, Gsus4.

You can replace Em with Em7 by adding an extra finger to the basic shape. It sounds wicked! I also hear an F#m7 on the original, but the low ♭7 note doesn't sound great on guitar, so I often opt for the standard F#m (using the Em shape).

💡 The final chords in both the verse and chorus are sus4 chords. This is a composition trick: sus4 chords make the key changes smoother. Asus4 helps the transition from C to D, and Gsus4 helps us go back again.

Guitar Chords for the Chorus

Each chord lasts half a bar in the chorus, except the first Em and G, which both last one beat. Here's the progression:

C, G, F, |Em G |

C, G, F, Em

Am, Dm7, Em, F

F, Gsus4, G.

The timing for the three chords in the final line is strange. While F, Gsus4, and G all last two beats, F lasts for one bar of 2:4, and Gsus4 and G both last for half a bar of 4:4. But nothing to worry about - this is a technical point, and what you need to know is that each chord in the final line lasts two beats.

There's one chord that you might not know: Dm7. This looks like a mini F barre chord but with finger 3 missing! It's also pushed, so make sure you switch to it half a bar early.

Instrumental Guitar Solo & Outro

There's just one more section to learn: the guitar solo. Here's the chord progression for it - each chord lasts half a bar, and every second chord is pushed:

Am, Em, Dm7, Em
Am, Em, Asus4, Asus4.

A shortened verse comes after this, and the original outro is a fade of the chorus, but this is tricky to mimic well on guitar. I prefer doing something different, like picking out some melody notes. This is your chance to explore your own ideas and see what you like best!

Change Up Your Guitar Dynamics

When you play How Do I Live by LeAnn Rimes, pay attention to the loud and soft, the sparse, and the busy. As I always say, if you're a solo guitarist and play the same rhythm and volume for the whole song, your playing will sound monotonous.

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Varying the strumming is important unless you have an incredible voice to change your groove. Even then, world-class singers and their accompanying instruments will still alter their volume and pitch in each section.

An easy first step is to keep the verses mellow by only strumming now and again. This gives you a lot of room to up the volume when you reach the chorus. In the verse, I keep it simple, only strumming on beat 1 and adding a couple of strums at the end of each bar. It works!

💡 Drop After Chorus. It's particularly important you drop the volume just after the chorus, especially chorus 1. If you drop the volume right down, it lets the listener know that the chorus is over and the groove has changed.

You can also try doing picked fingerstyle and adding embellishments in the verses - anything that differentiates them from the choruses! Explore all of this and find an arrangement that works for you. :) There's plenty to work on in this LeAnn Rimes tune, so grab your guitar and get to work!

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