Is "Mull of Kintyre" Paul McCartney's biggest hit? 🤔

I'm not sure if it is - but it's a beautiful tune and a great song for beginners learning the acoustic guitar! Paul McCartney and Denny Laine wrote Mull of Kintyre, recorded by Wings, back in 1977. The song became the year Christmas number one hit in Britain. The song is a tribute to the Kintyre peninsula in Scotland, where McCartney owns a High Park Farm.

In today's guitar lesson, we'll learn how to play Mull of Kintyre on the guitar. It's a relatively easy song to play, as it doesn't use many chords. If you're following my Beginner Guitar Course, you'll be able to play this song right in our Grade 2 - even before, if you're feeling adventurous. :)

💡 In the original recording of Mull of Kintyre, there's a quirky key change happening. The song starts in one key, then it modulates to another key, which is the same chord progression in a different key for the bagpipes! This is nice if you can get a jam buddy: one guitar will play with a guitar capo on the 7th fret and the other one will play it in the original key, in open position. :)

In this video tutorial, we'll learn all of that! We'll explore how to play Mull of Kintyre as a chord melody as well so that you can emulate the stuff going on in the original recording if you play on your own. :)

Now let's get stuck in and learn how to play Mull of Kintyre by Paul McCartney on the acoustic guitar.

What's the Time Signature of Mull of Kintyre?

Paul McCartney's Mull of Kintyre has a 3/4 time signature. It means the song has just three beats per bar, which gives that familiar waltz feel. If we divide 3:4 time with 'ands' between the beats, we also end up with 6 pulses in a bar, but the accents' placement differs from 6:8. If you'd like to know more about time signatures, check out this free beginner lesson!

I'd recommend you start by getting used to the feeling of this rhythm.

Mull of Kintyre - Guitar Chords

Mull of Kintyre starts with an A chord, and then you'll add on a D chord and a G chord. That's it! The song intro has four bars. Then the verses have 12 bars. We hit the chorus and then another 16-bar sequence using those same three open chords!

💡 Write down the chord sequence we've learned in the video lesson. That will help you memorize the song! If you want chords, tabs, and lyrics to follow along with my song tutorials, check out JustinGuitar Tabs. :)

You should try to pick out the bass notes for each chord instead of strumming all the notes - see the video lesson for more detail. But the thing to keep in mind is that keeping an accurate time feel is more important than picking out the bass notes.

Some people will find that using an anchor finger will help them pick out individual notes when strumming. Take a look:

You can experiment with the position of your anchor. It should help you with accuracy, but if you feel it doesn't - don't get stuck with it!

🎤 Singing and playing? When the key changes happen, itt might get just too high for you too sing. It does for me! So, you might want to just stick with the initial key - and the video lesson shows you exaclty how. ;)

If you're feeling adventurous, exploring the chord melody will help you sound just great. Sometimes, you'll strum the chords, and sometimes, you'll play individual notes. But keeping the time right is the most important thing here, so make sure you've nailed the strumming and rhythm before trying to spice things up.

But remember - if you're a beginner, keep things as simple as possible. You can always revisit songs you're learning later and spice them up as your guitar skills improve.

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