Orbiter

How to play Orbiter by Noah Kahan on guitar

These are the sounding chords. With a capo on fret 2 you play G, Bm, C, D, Em, Am, the shapes the player above shows.

Orbiter is a great song to learn if you want a steady, emotional groove that sits nicely at a moderate pace. At about 120 BPM, it feels driving but still manageable, and the progression gives you a clear sense of movement without getting too busy.

You can lean on the open shapes A, D, and E for the easier parts, then be ready for the barre shapes C#m, F#m, and Bm when the song asks for more reach and pressure. The main change to watch is the opening move from A to C#m, since that switch sets the tone and can expose any hesitation.

Start by looping A - C#m - D - A slowly until the shape changes feel smooth. Then add the rest of the chord changes one at a time, keeping your fretting hand relaxed. Once the transitions are clean, bring it up to tempo and focus on staying even through every change.

Use the play-along above to follow each chord change in time with the music, or learn the shapes first with the chord diagrams below.