Every acoustic guitarist learns Wonderwall. There's a reason: the chord shapes overlap, the strumming pattern is steady, and the song is forgiving. You can sound good on this one within a week.
Deep-dive guide
Read the full guide
A longer write-up with every detail, drill, and common pitfall.
The chords (with capo on 2)
Standard Wonderwall: capo on the 2nd fret, then play these shapes:- Em7: standard Em with pinky on 3rd fret B string (or just plain Em)
- G: standard open G
- Dsus4: D with pinky added on 3rd fret high E
- A7sus4: like Asus4 but easier; index on 2nd fret D, middle on 2nd fret B, ring on 3rd fret high E
- Cadd9: like C, but ring finger moves up to the 3rd fret high E
The strum
Down-down-up-up-down-up. Constant. Don't stop strumming, even between chord changes; let buzzy chords ring while you find the next shape.Practice metronome
88BPM
Wonderwall sits around 88 BPM. Drill the chord changes at this tempo with the strum pattern.
Sing along
This one is unkillable. Even half-buzzed it sounds like Wonderwall. Sing if you want; that's half the fun.Next: fingerpicking. The technique that takes acoustic from "strummed chords" to "music."