Vance Joy was an Australian one-hit wonder who rose to fame in 2013 with their song Riptide. This four-chord number can easily be played on both guitar and ukulele for maximum accessibility.
In this article we’ll look at the chord progression and strumming pattern used in Riptide to further your understanding of this song. By learning to play it you will increase your comprehension.
Chords
Vance Joy originally recorded Riptide in C# major. To play it on guitar or ukulele, beginners will use a capo on the first fret to enable them to remain true to its key while using more straightforward chord progressions than those available with standard tuning.
A capo is used to give the song an apparent more complex chord progression than it actually is; Vance Joy uses A minor, G major and C major chords as well as Fmaj7 for his bridge section.
Learn three simple chords by consulting a guitar or ukulele chord chart, which will assist in finding out the correct fingerings and strumming pattern used throughout a song – this pattern should serve you for years of music! Once mastered, you’ll have something that works across hundreds of simple songs!
Melody
Vance Joy’s Riptide is an upbeat song with an intriguing chord progression written in 4/4 time signature – each bar contains four beats with each representing one quarter note. Knowing this time signature makes playing other songs much simpler!
Riptide stands out among popular songs because it doesn’t require complex chords – in fact, most of it only uses three chords! Additionally, its open chord shapes make it simpler for novice players to learn it quickly.
Riptide’s strumming pattern is straightforward and only changes between chords in its chorus. To practice its rhythm, try keeping a steady down-up motion with your hand; or use an autoharp that repeats itself to help maintain rhythm while switching chords. Beginners may find this type of tempo difficult to master but are well worth their efforts in mastering this song!
Rhythm
As soon as you hear an engaging song, your natural sense of rhythm kicks in and you find yourself tapping your feet or nodding your head without realising. This happens because its infectious melody simply grabs hold of you and resonates within.
Riptide’s chord progression and strumming pattern are both straightforward, making it simple to learn. If you want to take it one step further, though, study the chord progression more closely by seeing how each individual chord works together to give yourself an in-depth knowledge of its song so that transposing and improvising over it are much simpler tasks.
As you learn the strumming pattern for Riptide, make sure that each downstrum hits all strings while only hitting three or four on every upstrum; this will create a fuller sound on downstrums while lightening them out for upstrums for an uplifting, melodic effect. This is an effective strategy you may come across elsewhere too!
Strumming
Riptide’s strumming patterns are relatively easy, making it an excellent song for beginners to learn. To ensure proper results and make future transposition of chords or improvisation easier. Take the time to practice it well so you get rhythm and sound right! Practicing will also allow you to transpose chords more efficiently as well.
In order to play Riptide on guitar, a capo must be applied at the first fret as Vance Joy has played this song in C# tuning – an additional half step up from standard tuning.
This song employs a basic open chord strumming pattern known as “DU DU DU”. You may already have come across this style when playing other songs; to ensure its accurate implementation you should compare your strumming with that found on original recordings to figure out exact timing for every beat.