Let Her Go is one of Passenger’s most beloved songs. Beginning as a fingerstyle arrangement, the song builds into full throttle strumming action as its song continues.
Understanding this principle can be useful for recognizing chord progressions used by other musicians and also in learning how to play chords using capos by understanding how intervals work on the scale.
Key of C
Let Her Go begins with an accessible fingerpicking intro that incorporates C family chords with an attractive melodic motif. While this initial step may prove challenging for newcomers to fingerstyle music, breaking it down four notes at a time makes the experience far less daunting.
Once the fingerstyle intro is complete, the song changes gears and you begin strumming Let Her Go chords full-on. Passenger uses a fairly straightforward rhythm in this part, although occasionally switching things up with syncopated patterns. Though learning such intricate rhythms is challenging but ultimately worth your while.
To recreate this song as recorded, a capo on the seventh fret must be used if playing solo and transposes it to key of G if playing with other musicians who do not utilize capos – adding variety and adding something memorable when performing this classic tune!
Chorus
Passenger begins the chorus after a brief fingerstyle introduction and showcases his incredible strumming ability with chords played using only his picking thumb to keep time with the beat – an invaluable trick that helps novice guitar players avoid making costly errors during performances.
He plays both straight and syncopated patterns at once, which gives it an interesting feel and helps build your rhythmic awareness. This strategy has helped elevate Passenger’s music to such high levels.
The chords for the chorus are identical to those used in the intro, except with a capo placed on the seventh fret and transposed from C to G – this can help when playing with other musicians who do not use capos. Click here for a chart that includes both keys of this song! Focus on learning both sets of chord shapes before trying your luck at rhythm.
Verse
Passenger utilizes both traditional strumming patterns for its verse, as well as an unconventional syncopated rhythm which throws off the beat a bit and is fun to play, to give an additional element of energy to its tune. Our ears tend to expect that an emphasis will always fall on the first beat of each measure, so it takes some practice hearing this pattern and keeping its rhythm even when your fingers are not hitting any strings!
After the verse comes a second chorus with the same chord progression as before; this recording uses strumming but you could play fingerstyle if preferred. Once in key of G, a capo should be put on seventh fret to transpose chords from C to G key and back again.
Bridge
Once upon a time, Passenger’s thoughtful acoustic-based folk songs like “Let Her Go” could only be found on college radio stations or eclectic NPR shows; now their hit is everywhere – perhaps its widespread appeal owing to its simple lyrics featuring simple imagery such as candles, sunbeams and roads in its chorus; the repeated images give it its strength and sense of authenticity.
Passenger plays his fingerstyle guitar intro with a limited set of chords, creating a folk-like atmosphere with his tone color choices and style of playing. This technique is vital to its success because it prevents listeners from becoming disinterested by an endlessly repeating melody and chord pattern. As the chorus progresses, band and strings build to crescendo before culminating with an amazing violin solo and fade to silence by the end of the song.