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Hey everyone! In this lesson, I’m going to show you how to play “New Light” by John Mayer. There’s so much guitar stuff in this song that I’m going to be splitting this into 2 videos: 1 for rhythm and 1 for lead guitar. In this one, we’ll be learning to strum along using some simple chord shapes and a funky variation of the most common strumming pattern ever. (The lead guitar lesson is coming next!)
The lesson begins with the main chord progression. This is what we play for most of the song. It consists of 5 chords: Am, D7, G, C, G/B. I show you some tips for switching efficiently (especially for Am to D7 and then for C to G/B… do it right and it’s a cinch!)
Once we learn the chord shapes, we practice playing them in order, counting out the number of beats for each chord. This is sooo important because it teaches you to switch chords at the right time (a huge problem for some people).
Afterwards, we learn a strumming pattern, which is actually a variation on “the most common strumming pattern ever.” We take it and change beat 2 to a muted stroke. Then, I show you how to break it all down and get the right sound before we combine the strumming and chords and play through the main progression.
At this point we take a moment to discuss the order that you play everything in, and how to get through the first half of the song. This leads us to the Bridge, which is so different that it’s like learning another song.
So we go at it again, learning another set of chord shapes and another strumming pattern for the bridge. Honestly, it’s much more difficult than the first part of the song and not 100% necessary if you’re just going to be strumming and singing along (since there aren’t any words during the bridge.. it’s purely instrumental). I show you how to do it anyways, and if you are willing to try it, it’ll help you a lot with some of the more intermediate guitar strumming stuff.
Either way I hope you enjoy the lesson and I’ll see you soon!
-James
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