Learn "Please Read The Letter" by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss on acoustic guitar.

Learning to play Play Read The Letter is a great exercise for all guitarist levels! If you're a beginner guitar player, you can play most of this using simple, easy, open chords. And if you're more advanced, you can add many extra parts to bring it to life. :)

Ready? Let's get to it!

🚨 JustinGuitarTabs now available for Please Read the Letter. :) Explore it now!

Please Read The Letter – Basic Chords and Structure

The intro uses an A chord (X02220) and an E chord (022100), each for a bar. Repeat twice. For the verse, we do the same (one bar of A, then one bar of E) before switching to a D chord (XX0232) for half a bar, A for half a bar, then E for a full bar. Repeat the whole sequence twice for one verse.

💡 One-Minute Changes – See rapid progress in your chord changes using my One Minute Changes Exercise. This is the most important video in my entire Beginner’s Course!

If you're new to guitar, play along with the original, using one strum on the chord change and trying to stay in time. If you're comfortable with that, it's time to tackle the big obstacle – the B chord in the pre-chorus.

Please Read The Letter – B Chord In Pre-Chorus

In the pre-chorus section with the "ahhs," we play the B Major chord for one and a half bars and A for half a bar. B is a tricky one. The most common grip is X2444X, using a barre on fret 4 with finger 3. Beginners will likely struggle with this, so another option is to play a B power chord (X244XX) or a Badd11 (X24400).

You can also try a B chord as an E-shape (799877). Or you can play 799800. This chord is not a barre chord! You can slide this down two frets for the A chord (577600).

💡 Barre Chords – This lesson is the most complete barre chords guide I could ever make! We cover all the elements you need to play brilliant barre chords.

As for the chorus, we play E and A, each for half a bar. This little sequence lasts for two bars, and you repeat it twice or three times, depending on which section of the song you're playing.

There are two versions of this song – the album and the single. I've given you the puzzle pieces. Choose the version you like, and then figure out where the pieces go! If you're hip with everything, try spicing up your playing with fancier strumming.

Please Read The Letter – Fancy Strumming

We come to one of the essentials to solid strumming: keep your hand moving – even if you only strum on beat 1 of each bar. This mechanic is crucial if you want to add new strumming elements.

I'm playing 16th notes with my hand, meaning it's constantly moving. But it only hits the strings on beat 1. Listen to the song lots first, looking for the guitarist's strumming, then see what you can create!

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You'll hear that there are a few strums before each chord change in the intro. Try strumming on 4e+a before moving to the new chord on beat 1. Or you could play e+a, missing out on the down strum on 4. I can hear the chord change happening into the second beat of the new bar rather than on beat 1. Now let's look at a cool embellishment.

Please Read The Letter – Lead Intro Part

In the intro, the electric guitar plays a little riff between the chords – let's look at how to blend that with the rhythm. Use fingers 2, 3, and 4 for the A chord. On the "e" of 4, put finger 1 down on fret 1 of string 3, remove your other fingers, and strum (000100), focusing on the middle strings.

Then on the "and," add fingers 2 and 3 on fret 2 of strings 4 and 3 (002200) and strum. Alternate between these two grips on the 16th notes until you reach the "and" of the next 1, where you switch to the standard E open chord. See the song tab for full details.

"Please Read The Letter" is a wicked song! And it mainly uses A, D, and E, making it great for beginners. You need a B chord for the pre-chorus! Have lots of fun with this one, and see you for more lessons soon. :)

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