Now you’ve learned three beginner guitar chords, it’s time to put them to use.
In this lesson, we’ll teach you how to play Love Me Do on guitar.
This Beatles song is one of the best beginner guitar songs.
That’s because:
- It’s well-known
- Has a simple structure
- Only uses three chords
- Is relatively easy to learn
The downside is that it has quite a fast tempo. While this makes it harder to learn, it’s also a good chance to practice switching between some of the basic chords.
About the song
Love Me Do was released in 1962 and was the Beatles’ first single. It only reached number 17 in the UK singles charts but went on to become number 1 in the U.S. when it was released two years later.
The song is credited to Lennon and McCartney and was written in the 1950’s before the band was formed. It was groundbreaking at the time because very few bands would write and record their own material.
The song features an iconic harmonica intro by John Lennon and hamonised vocals from Lennon and McCartney. The song’s structure is super simple. It has just one verse/chorus that is repeated three times, as well as a bridge and harmonica solo.
Chords
This song uses three chords: C major, G major and D major. The guitar chord charts below explain how to play these. The verse involves simply switching between the C and G chords. Practice this switch and this song will become much easier!
The D comes in at the start of the chorus. This song also has a harmonica intro and solo. If you can’t play the harmonica then you could whistle or hum these parts.
Keeping it simple
This song has quite a quick tempo. If you’re finding it difficult to play then don’t be afraid to play it much slower.
If you are still finding it tough then try playing the G and C chords on the lowest four strings on the guitar. This way you only have to put your fingers in two positions and it should make it easier to switch chords. You can practice getting this right first and then introduce the higher strings.
Lyrics and chords: How to play love me do on guitar
Verse:
G C
Love, love me do
G C
You know I love you
G C
I’ll always be true
C
So ple-e-e-ease
G
Love me do
C G C
Whoa-oh-oh love me do
Bridge:
D G C
Someone to love, somebody new
D G C
Someone to love, someone like you
Solo:
DCG
DCG
GCG
Rhythm and strumming
This song uses a 4/4 time signature. The strumming pattern goes across two bars.
For the G bar you strum four downstrokes. Try to only catch the lower strings on beats one and three and put heavy emphasis on the second beat’s strum.
Practice this basic pattern throughout the song to begin with.
Once you get the hang of that you can add a more complex strumming pattern in the C section.
The C bar is the same as the G, but with upstrokes between the beats after the third and fourth beat. The last upstroke is actually a G, played by taking your hands off of the fretboard to change chords.
Advanced chords
This song actually uses extended versions of G major and C major. To begin with, focus on learning the basic versions mentioned above. Once you’ve mastered those, then give these harder versions a try.
- The G major has an extra D note on the third fret of the second string
- The C major has an extra G note on the third fret of the first string
These chords give the song a nice jangly sound and help them fit the vocals better. Both chords are harder to play. The C is particularly tough for beginner guitarists and will take quite a lot of practice to get right.
Practice makes perfect
Remember, it could take you a while to get the hang of this song. If you are finding it too difficult then try to slow down your playing and simplify the chords and strumming pattern.
Practice every day and take a break if you are getting frustrated. You’ll find that something you struggle with one day will be much easier the next—that’s because your brain needs time to process the things it learns (it does this when you are asleep).
Keep practicing and let us know how you get on in the comments below.
In our next lesson, you’re going to learn how to play Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door on guitar. See you there!