Learn to Play Sam Cook's "What a Wonderful World"

In this easy guitar lesson, we'll learn how to play "What a Wonderful World" by Sam Cooke on the acoustic guitar—a beautiful song, perfect for honing your open chord changes and sticking to that trusty Old Faithful strumming pattern.

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Starting with the chords, our main player is G. I prefer using the third and fourth fingers, making the shift to E minor smoother. Feel free to choose any G that suits you! The intro starts with a bar of G, followed by a bar of E minor. Then, we jump into the verses—G, E minor, C, and D. Repeat it, and we're into the chorus. Check out JustinGuitarTabs for the entire chord progression with lyrics and music sheet! :)

👉 This is the song structure: Verse, Chorus, Verse, Chorus, Bridge, Verse, Chorus, Instrumental, Verse, Chorus, and a sweet finish.

Now, you've got a couple of cool options for the instrumental section. You could improvise a vocal, dive into chord embellishments, or even experiment to jam with a friend!

💡 Quick note: I'm using a capo at the second fret. To align with the original recording, slap it on the fourth fret. However, I found it more vocally friendly two frets down, fitting my voice better.

If you're feeling up to a solo, remember to stick to the key of the first chord. In this case, we're on a G shape, effectively an A note with the capo. So, improvise using the A major scale or A major pentatonic. Adjust accordingly if you're playing along with the original recording.

The original recording flaunts some electric guitar single-note arpeggios—an advanced move suitable for a band setup. If you're starting, a strumming pattern is your best friend. The classic Old Faithful works wonders. Feel free to add that last upstroke or not—it's your call. The key is to maintain a consistent hand motion!

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