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 play-along because it has a strong, familiar minor feel and a steady pace that makes it easy to lock in. You get a dramatic, moody sound without needing a lot of fast changes, so it feels satisfying right away.

Most of the chart uses open shapes, with Cm as the one harder barre shape to watch. The main thing to focus on is the move from Cm into A and then E, since that shift can feel awkward at first. Keep your fretting hand relaxed and aim for clean changes rather than speed.

Start by looping the opening progression slowly: Cm - A - E - A. Once that feels smooth, add the rest of the open shapes one at a time and keep the rhythm even. When you can change cleanly at a slow pace, bring it up toward the full tempo.

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.