How to Play Good Morning Good Morning by The Beatles on Guitar (Practice Video)
Guitarist Julie Meyers demonstrates how to play this song, using bar chords and strumming muted strings in strategic places for a rhythm effect.
If you're trying to learn how to play "Good Morning, Good Morning" from The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album on guitar, it can be be helpful to reference a practice video that will aid you in your quest of mastery. Beginning guitarists can use common chord fingerings, while intermediate and advanced players can use bar chords.
The Sgt. Pepper album was released in 1967. Other songs that debuted on this album include "When I'm Sixty-Four" and "With a Little Help from My Friends." The album was recorded in London at Abbey Road Studios, and was considered a milestone in terms of introducing new sounds and production values to rock music.
Step 1: Learn the Refrain
The refrain of this song, not a full-fledged chorus, is quite simple. The words "good morning" are repeated five times. The chords accompanying this refrain are A major and D major. You may play them using their common fingerings. However, in this video, Julie plays them as bar chords on the fifth fret.
The bar chord for A major has the same fingering as E major, but it is played at the fifth fret. The bar chord for D major uses the A major fingering, again at the fifth fret. Watch the video to see how Julie places her hand on the neck of the guitar when playing these chords.
Each chord change comes after two strokes until the final A chord, which you strum three times.
Step 2: Practice the First Section
The first section begins with the lyrics, "Nothing to do to save his life." The chord pattern here goes from A major for three strokes to E minor for two strokes. Then, it goes from G major to A major.
As a bar chord, the E minor is played with the fingering for A minor at the seventh fret.
Step 3: Practice the Second Section
The second section begins with the lyrics, "People running around, it's five o'clock," and the tempo is cut half-time with a swing beat. The chords alternate between D major and E major.
The D major is played as an A major bar chord at the fifth fret. The E major is played as an A major bar chord at the seventh fret. Because you are playing the D and E chords with the same fingering, you can slide up two frets from the D to the E.
References
Tips for How to Play "Good Morning Good Morning" on Guitar
- Use basic chords if you're a beginning guitar player.
- Learn bar chords to play this song as Julie performs it.
- Play the chords A major and D major for the first section.
- Play A major and E minor for the second section.
