This super cool song combines relaxed chill out instrumentation with a quick and quite intense rap from Post Malone. The combination of the two sounds give the track a really nice summer feel, and as guitar players, we can learn from the main harmony behind the rap, which essentially just consists of two chords! Simone skill-fully breaks it down for you in this Psycho guitar lesson.
The good news is that we only need two chords to play this song! Firstly, be sure to pop a capo on the 3rd fret to make this as easy as possible for you. Then you need to play the following two chord shapes for 2 bars each throughout the whole song.
In this video Simone walks you through a number of rhythm patterns you can use for this song, each giving you a different vibe. The first pattern, when using the plectrum is simply this: (not sure how to read this pattern... take our free beginners rhythm guitar course)
You can also use a more percussive approach with fewer strums to add to the sound of the song. This simply means that on the 2nd and 4th beats of the bar you hit the strings with the side of your hand to get a sort of 'judo chop' effect! The rhythm would then be more like this (remember that the 2 and 4 beats are percussive):
if you are also familiar with fingerpicking then you can create an even more laid back version here to add to the vibe! You can essentially do whatever pattern you like, but the pattern Simone chose is the same as above, just with your fingers instead of a pick. You can use all four fingers to grab the chord and the thumb to do the 'judo chop'!.
Ready to move on? Remember to check out every lesson in this unit first – then try the next unit...
This very fast paced, upbeat tune is great fun to play on the guitar! We can put the capo on the 3rd fret and play the whole song using open chords. Simone will take you through the chords, rhythm and everything else you need to play this tune.