Learn to play "Friday I'm in Love" by The Cure on Guitar!

Let’s look at Friday I'm In Love by The Cure on the guitar – you’ll learn the chord progression, strumming pattern, the lead lines, and the awesome main riff. This is a great song that uses mostly beginner chords - but you'll also need a Bm barre chord!

💡 Boss the Bm: Use Friday I'm In Love to practice the Bm chord! It’s one of the easiest barre chords you'll encounter, so stick with it. You'll be playing it in no time. :)

You can also play this song with a jam buddy - they can play the single-note melodic lines, and you can play the chords! You'll also learn how to incorporate some of the melodic lines into the chords. It sounds wicked, and it repeats throughout the original recording.

So now let's get stuck in and learn how to play the chord progression for Friday I'm In Love. And don't forget: you can get verified tabs, chords and lyrics for this tutorial with JustinGuitarTABS!

Friday I'm In Love by The Cure - Guitar Chords

You'll play the same chord progression for the intro and verses. It goes D, G, D, A; Bm, G, D, A. You'll notice that I play the A Mini Barre instead of the usual A fingering. It doesn't really matter, though - choose the one you feel most comfortable playing! Check out the video tutorial to count the bars along with me. :)

There are two other chord progressions. For the chorus, which functions as a bridge, you'll play G, A, Bm, G, D, and A. This is a 6-bar sequence, which is a little bit unusual. Depending on where you are in the song, you'll go straight back into the verse or the interlude.

The last progression you'll need is for the bridge; it's got that super-cool Cure vibe that we love! It’s four repetitions of Bm, C, D, and A. Notice that C isn't in the original key, which is D Major. What a great trick! Use the video lesson to play along with me. :)

Friday I'm In Love by The Cure - Strumming

There are lots of strumming patterns that work well for Friday I'm In Love on the acoustic guitar. In this lesson, we'll learn a specific one you can start off with, but notice that there's a very strong push, mostly in the intro and the verses.

This means the second chord is moved an eighth note earlier each time, so you don't switch chords on beat one! Instead, you switch on the “and” after 4. This is a key part of the groove.

We should also notice that playing the same strumming pattern through the entire song gets boring. At the same time, the pattern is so strong that deviating from it might be a tricky task! The way to go here is to experiment with the dynamics and your strumming volume. ;) The bridge is a good chance to change it up. Try changing the pattern and volume.

🎸 Master Your Guitar Dynamics: if you want to add a pro touch to your rhythm guitar and learn a heap of tricks for varying your dynamics, check out my Strumming Dynamics course.

You should also play some of the lead lines, or at least the little riff part, to add some contrast to differentiate each section. Speaking of which, let's learn that awesome riff!

Friday I'm In Love by The Cure - Main Lead Line

The riff for Friday I'm In Love by The Cure is really interesting! It riff adds great movement to your playing and makes it sound really authentic.

Finger 2 goes down on 2:3 (string 2, fret 3), then you play strings 3, 2, and 1. Then finger 2 goes down on 1:2. Play that note, then 1:0, 2:3, 1:0, and then strum the D chord. This riff always comes at the end of a bar of A, so it's a good idea to play A7sus4 instead. The riff fits perfectly under the fingers that way. :)

Combine Melody with Chords on Guitar

The melody in the verse fits nicely under the chords, so targeting specific notes adds to your playing. Keeping the rhythm steady is key! I know that learning to pick up melodies within the chords is a fairly tricky skill if you're new to guitar, but the good news is that it gets easier.

The trick is to focus on hitting certain notes within the chords as you strum. It’s hard to teach exactly how you do that. Learn the melody on its own with my video, then try adding it with the chords. You should find that with some practice you’ll be able to pick it out.

🚨 Keep the hand moving! Don't forget to keep your strumming hand moving consistently while you're trying to pick out the individual melody notes. Remember to start slowly and make sure you're getting the notes right. :)

Targeting individual strings while strumming is a very common technique, and you'll benefit a lot from learning it! So take your time and use this video tutorial to guide you.

The Cure will always hold a special place in my heart - I performed Love Cats live at the Brit Awards with Jamie Cullum and Katie Melua way back when! I can’t believe this is the first Cure song I’ve done for the site. Anyways, I hope you have loads of fun with it. Happy trails!

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