Derek and the Dominos - Layla

How to play Derek and the Dominos - Layla by TacoBender79 on guitar

This song is worth learning because it gives you a strong, dramatic chord change that sounds big even at a beginner level. You get a driving feel at about 120 BPM, so it stays energetic without being too fast to handle. Playing it well makes you sound confident right away.

You can lean on the open shapes D, Dm, G, A, and C, but the harder barre shapes A#, C#m, Cm, C#, and G# will take more finger pressure and clean muting. The main change to watch is the opening move from D to Dm and then into A# and C#m, since that shift can feel abrupt at first.

Start by looping D to Dm until it feels smooth, then add A# and C#m one at a time. Once your hands know the movement, practice the full opening progression slowly with steady time, then raise the tempo in small steps. Focus on clean chord changes before trying to play it at full speed.

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.