Animals - The House Of The Rising Sun

How to play Animals - The House Of The Rising Sun by v94j on guitar

This is a great beginner song to learn because it has a dramatic, familiar feel and a steady pulse that makes you sound musical quickly. You get to focus on clean chord changes and timing, so it feels rewarding even at a simple level.

All of the shapes are open, so you do not need any barre chords here. The main thing to watch is the opening move between E and Am, since that back-and-forth sets the whole song and needs to stay smooth and even.

Start by looping E - Am very slowly until the change feels automatic. Then add the rest of the progression in short sections, keeping the rhythm steady, and only speed up once each switch sounds clean.

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.