Patient Zero

How to play Patient Zero by Taylor Swift on guitar

This is a great beginner song to learn because the tempo sits in a comfortable groove and the progression feels familiar right away. You get a steady, upbeat play-along feel that helps you lock in timing without having to fight the changes.

All of the shapes are open, so you can focus on clean fretting and smooth transitions instead of barre work. The main change to watch is the move through C, G, Em, and D, since that shift can feel a little jumpy at first if your fingers lift too slowly.

Start by looping C to G until the move feels relaxed, then add Em and D one at a time. Once the shapes are smooth, practice the full opening progression slowly, then bring it up to tempo while keeping your strums even and your chord changes ahead of the beat.

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.