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.
Beginner guitarists may find it confusing to read chord charts because they only display three to four unique notes that comprise one chord.
To understand how to read guitar chords, one needs a basic knowledge of intervals. Each fret on the guitar represents one semitone.
1. C Major
C Major is one of the most prevalent keys used in modern pop music. Carly Rae Jepsen’s hit “Call Me Maybe”, The Bloodhound Gang’s “The Bad Touch”, and Cee Lo Green’s ‘Forget You” all utilize this key, each boasting their own special characteristics that help define each chord family in it.
Passenger’s Let Her Go is an elegant example of this type of music composition; starting from a limited range and using tone color combinations to evoke emotion.
To play in C Major, one must possess an understanding of finger positions. You can either play open or first position; either way, your pinky finger (finger 5) plays the note C while index finger (2) plays D, middle finger (3) E and ring finger (4) F as you progress up the scale.
2. D Major
D Major is a key that contains notes D – E – F# – G – A – B. It can produce many varied chords, as well as providing the basis for melodies in general.
Chords in D major are formed using the seven-note diatonic scale that comprises this key, with two sharps representing relative minor of B minor scale. Therefore, ascending and descending this scale are crucial in order to create diatonic chords of any key.
Passenger’s strumming rhythm in Let Her Go is certainly engaging, so we suggest checking out his other recordings to gain an appreciation of his unique style of composition. When performing this song, however, simply strum each chord as you come upon it.
3. E Major
Blues songs often use E Major chords as the foundation, as this chord contains many minor chords that blend well. (This method of chord writing is known as Diatonic Harmonized Scales).
Modulation from an E Major key into a minor key can also be accomplished using E7 chords played through a circle of fourths – as demonstrated by The Turtles in Happy Together or Muddy Waters with Catfish Blues.
Note that when making modulations transitions, your scale must have the same key signature as the major key you are going into, otherwise sharps or flats may occur on chords – this won’t always be necessary, but is worth keeping in mind.
4. G Major
G Major is an ideal starting point for beginning players due to its fewer sharps than other keys requiring sharps, making it a good place to practice fingerstyle chords when performing songs recorded by Passenger.
To play G Major you can use your thumb to hit the root note G, your index finger to play A, middle finger to play B and ring finger to play C. To go down the scale further you can add your pinky for D, 2nd finger for E and thumb for F sharp; this practice is known as inversion and helps minimize distance between chords; all musicians should learn this skill at some point! For more on inversions see this lesson.
5. A Major
A Major is a key with three sharps, not as commonly encountered in orchestral literature compared to keys with less sharps like D or G; nevertheless, Mozart composed several clarinet concertos and an ensemble in this key.
Passenger employs a fingerstyle arrangement for Let Her Go’s introduction, offering an ideal opportunity to practice picking thumb skills while learning chords with various rhythmic and syncopated patterns.
Fingerstyle intro doesn’t last long — after that comes an upbeat strummed chorus section that should be played just like on record. For an accurate reproduction, place your capo at seventh fret to transpose chords into G key.