Learn to play "I Still Call Australia Home" by Peter Allen on the guitar

G'day, mate! Let's dive into an Australian classic today. In this lesson, we'll learn how to play I Still Call Australia Home on the guitar. This iconic Australian tune is a great song for guitarists of all levels to learn, especially for those who want to enhance their chord progression knowledge.

It's been over 20 years since I lived in Australia, and I thought, what better way to celebrate Australia Day than by teaching you this song. When I lived in Australia, I didn't appreciate it as much, but it's become more meaningful now that I've been away for so long. And let's not forget, it's a really, really nice tune.

Changing the Key

I've had to change the key of this song to make it more guitar-friendly. The original key is a piano key. After some mucking around, I found a way that works nicely for the guitar. You can use a capo on the second fret and these chord forms. But remember, you can just move the capo up and down the fretboard to find a key that suits your voice.

Chord Progressions

In this song, we will look at the main chord changes and a couple of different approaches to playing it. If you want to try and start picking out the chord melody, that's great. However, just to be clear, we'll mainly focus on chords in this lesson.

This song has some interesting chords, probably because Peter Allen, the original artist, is a piano player. They can do more interesting stuff than us guitarists. However, don't worry. I've simplified some of them so that you can choose to add in that sort of stuff or not, depending on how you like it.

Let's start with a super simple version with really easy chords and no fancy stuff. So, if you're a beginner, you'll be able to play the tune through without too much difficulty. It's pretty much all open chords. We have the C chord, E7, which is a regular E, A minor, and then to C. Then F, to C, to D or D7, to G or G7. Either one will do.

There's also an F#m7♭5 in there, which might sound complicated, but it's not that hard to play. Don't let the long name intimidate you—it's just another chord.

Wrapping up

That's it! I Still Call Australia Home is a great tune to add to your guitar repertoire, and with a bit of practice, you'll be playing it in no time. Remember to take it slow, keep your rhythm steady, and most importantly, have fun! Don't hesitate to rewind and replay any parts of the video that you find tricky.

Keep practicing the chord progressions, and don't be afraid to put your own spin on it. Remember, the most important thing is to have fun and enjoy the process of learning. So, why not watch the video now and start playing?

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