the cure

How to play the cure by Olivia Rodrigo on guitar

These are the sounding chords. With a capo on fret 1 you play A, Em, E, C, Am, F and more, the shapes the player above shows.

This song is a strong pick if you want a moody, modern pop feel that still sits nicely under the fingers. At about 120 BPM, it should feel steady and driving, with enough space to focus on clean changes and smooth timing.

You will spend most of your time on barre shapes, with F as the main open shape to give your hand a quick break. The opening move A# - Fm - F - C# is the change to watch closely, since it asks you to shift between harder grips without losing the pulse.

Start by looping just the opening progression slowly until each change feels even. Then add the rest of the chart in small sections, keeping your strums relaxed and your fretting hand close to the strings. Once the shapes are reliable, bring the tempo up in small steps until it feels natural.

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.