Eric Clapton's Tears in Heaven is the gold standard for intermediate acoustic fingerstyle. Three or four bass walks, slurs in the melody, a key change in the bridge. It's the song every studio musician learns to prove they have technique.
Read the full guide
A longer write-up with every detail, drill, and common pitfall.
The chords
Verse: A → E/G# → F#m → F#m/E → D → A/C# → Bm → E.
The slashes (A/C#, E/G#, F#m/E) are slash chords: same root chord, different bass note. Your thumb chases the bass note up and down the neck while the chord shape stays the same (or close to it).
Read the full guide
A longer write-up with every detail, drill, and common pitfall.
The fingerpicking pattern
Travis-style. Thumb plays the bass note (and the slash bass when there's one). Index and middle finger play the inner two strings (G and B). Ring finger plays the high E for melody accents.
beat: 1 2 & 3 4 &
thumb: bass D bass D
fingers: M I A ...
That's the pulse. It changes subtly with each chord but the foundation stays.
The hard part: the slash chords
A/C#: A chord shape, but instead of the A string root, your thumb plucks the C# at the 4th fret of the A string. Hand position barely changes; thumb moves a few frets.
E/G#: E chord shape (open), thumb plucks the 4th fret of the low E (which is G#).
F#m/E: F#m shape (a barre at the 2nd fret), thumb plucks the open low E underneath. Creates a beautiful descending bass.
These slash chords are what create the song's descending bass line. Sing the verse to yourself; you'll hear the bass walking down under each chord change. That walk is the heart of the arrangement.
75 BPM. The song is slow; don't push the tempo. Slow practice + a metronome is how you nail this one.
Why it's worth months
This song teaches you everything intermediate acoustic does well: chord changes inside a fingerpicked groove, walking bass, slurs, the importance of thumb independence. Players come back to it for years and find new things.
Next: writing your own progressions.