Hey everybody! In today’s lesson I’m going to show you how to play “Everyday People” by Sly and the Family Stone. This is a 2 chord song and even without simplification is pretty darn easy. The one thing that’s challenging is how quickly we have to make the switch but I show you a way that allows you to make it just by lowering and lifting up 2 fingers. And for those of you who are just getting started I simplify it even further by showing you two of the easiest ways to play the chords used in this song.
Speaking of just getting started… you might need some extra help. I have 2 resources for that:
Having trouble with the basics? You’ll want to check out my Beginner Guitar Course! More information here: https://goodguitarist.com/beginner-guitar-course/
And there’s my FREE eBOOK (which is free for all subscribers!) – You can use it to help you build a solid foundation: chords, switching, progressions, riffs, techniques… everything it takes to be a “good guitarist.” You can find it here: https://goodguitarist.com/learn-rhythm-guitar/
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The lesson begins with the chord shapes: G and C. Now you might be used to playing the G chord using all four of your fingers but I’ll show you a way where we can use just two fingers to get the entire chord! It’s very easy to play, and very efficient. And from there, switching to the next chord shape is just a matter of lowering down two fingers.
After figuring out the chords we take a look at the timing of the switch because this is very different than what you’re used to. Normally we play four beats of this chord and maybe four beats of the next chord, but in this one we’re switching to the chord on an off-beat and we’re switching back to our first chord also on an off-beat. We need to nail it so I show you how to count it out and build up your rhythm in order to get it sounding right.
Next, I show you a strumming pattern that you can use along with the chord switch that takes these two chords and turns them into the song. This one’s great because it’s just the same thing over and over again so we spend plenty of time practicing it. There’s a longer play along near the end.
Enjoy the lesson!
-James
