Buffalo Soldier

How to play Buffalo Soldier by Bob Marley on guitar

Buffalo Soldier is a great beginner song to learn because the groove is steady and the chord movement feels memorable right away. You can get into a relaxed, driving feel without needing a lot of speed, which makes it a good one for building confidence.

Most of the chart uses a mix of open shapes and barre shapes, so the main challenge is switching cleanly between the easier Dm, A, and D shapes and the harder A#, C#m, F#m, and C# shapes. The opening progression Dm - A# - C#m - A is the change to watch most closely, since it asks you to move from an open shape into barre chords and back again.

Start by looping just Dm - A# - C#m - A slowly until each change feels smooth. Then add the rest of the song section by section, keeping your hand relaxed and your chord changes even. Once the shapes are solid, bring it up to tempo and focus on staying locked into the steady pulse.

Use the play-along above to follow each chord change in time with the music, or learn the shapes first with the chord diagrams below.