We will cover the Introduction and the first part or the Part A portion of the song in this lesson. The second lesson in this series will address the last portion or the Part B portion of the song Can't Buy Me Love.
The introduction of the piece should be played with feeling - just listen to the CD. The chord forms should be brushed with the right hand thumb.
Also, once you have fingered these chord forms, be sure to hold your fingers in place to play the subsequent notes. As you will experience, this will create a free-flowing sound for this portion of the song.
Rhythm Chords - Can't Buy Me Love
Look above the notation score for the rhythm chords for Can't Buy Me Love. When you form your chords with the left hand, be sure to refer to these forms as they contain many of the notes you will be playing in the melody.
Interested only in the rhythm chords? Simply refer to the chord diagrams illustrated here and you can play along with the rhythm too, as these are the appropriate chords you should use. Alternating bass is the name of the game for most of the Part A portion of Can't Buy Me Love. This refers to the right hand thumb that plays the bass line of the arrangement.
While the right hand thumb plays the bass notes, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd fingers of the right hand play the melody line Once you have the chords formed with your LH fingers, attempt to hold these forms for the duration of their timing, only lifting fingers as necessary to play the proper melody notes.
This method will do two things for you: First - you will be able to maintain proper position within the melody. Second - not only will the song be easier to play, it will sound much smoother and take the "chop" out of the melody. The only time you should relocate or lift a left hand finger is when it is necessary to play a different note than is depicted.
The F Major Chord
One of the hardest chords for any finger-style guitar player to play with absolute clarity is the barred F Major chord in the first position. There certainly more ways to skin this cat in fingering this chord. This lesson depicts the use of the left hand thumb to play the F note on the 6th bass string in lieu of the more difficult bar chord across all 6 of the strings.
Of course the method that is chosen is completely up to you and is somewhat dependent on the action and type of guitar you are using to play the lesson.
Syncopation Notes of Can't Buy Me Love
You will find that the use of syncopated notes is a very common technique that many finger-style artists use. Although the syncopated note can be played in a few different manners, this notes depicted in this lesson place the notes slightly behind their normal location.
If you view the 1st note in the Part A lesson tab, which is after the introduction, you will see a syncopated note. Look at the lesson tab and in particular, the last note in the 7th measure of the lesson.
Normally this note is the kick-off note, which would be played as the first beat of the 8th measure. Rather, it is moved "backward" by 1/2 beat and played in the 7th measure instead, created syncopation. As you play through this version of Can't Buy Me Love, you will find several more examples of this often-used technique.
The introduction of the piece should be played with feeling - just listen to the CD. The chord forms should be brushed with the right hand thumb.
Also, once you have fingered these chord forms, be sure to hold your fingers in place to play the subsequent notes. As you will experience, this will create a free-flowing sound for this portion of the song.
Rhythm Chords - Can't Buy Me Love
Look above the notation score for the rhythm chords for Can't Buy Me Love. When you form your chords with the left hand, be sure to refer to these forms as they contain many of the notes you will be playing in the melody.
Interested only in the rhythm chords? Simply refer to the chord diagrams illustrated here and you can play along with the rhythm too, as these are the appropriate chords you should use. Alternating bass is the name of the game for most of the Part A portion of Can't Buy Me Love. This refers to the right hand thumb that plays the bass line of the arrangement.
While the right hand thumb plays the bass notes, the 1st, 2nd and 3rd fingers of the right hand play the melody line Once you have the chords formed with your LH fingers, attempt to hold these forms for the duration of their timing, only lifting fingers as necessary to play the proper melody notes.
This method will do two things for you: First - you will be able to maintain proper position within the melody. Second - not only will the song be easier to play, it will sound much smoother and take the "chop" out of the melody. The only time you should relocate or lift a left hand finger is when it is necessary to play a different note than is depicted.
The F Major Chord
One of the hardest chords for any finger-style guitar player to play with absolute clarity is the barred F Major chord in the first position. There certainly more ways to skin this cat in fingering this chord. This lesson depicts the use of the left hand thumb to play the F note on the 6th bass string in lieu of the more difficult bar chord across all 6 of the strings.
Of course the method that is chosen is completely up to you and is somewhat dependent on the action and type of guitar you are using to play the lesson.
Syncopation Notes of Can't Buy Me Love
You will find that the use of syncopated notes is a very common technique that many finger-style artists use. Although the syncopated note can be played in a few different manners, this notes depicted in this lesson place the notes slightly behind their normal location.
If you view the 1st note in the Part A lesson tab, which is after the introduction, you will see a syncopated note. Look at the lesson tab and in particular, the last note in the 7th measure of the lesson.
Normally this note is the kick-off note, which would be played as the first beat of the 8th measure. Rather, it is moved "backward" by 1/2 beat and played in the 7th measure instead, created syncopation. As you play through this version of Can't Buy Me Love, you will find several more examples of this often-used technique.
About the Author:
For more on this great Beatles song for finger-style guitar go to our free lesson Cant Buy Me Love. Also, visit our site for free tab, guitar lessons, reviews and much more for the guitar player at: Ultimate Guitar OnLine.
