The Final Countdown

How to play The Final Countdown by Europe on guitar

These are the sounding chords. With a capo on fret 2 you play C, B, Am, D, E, Em and more, the shapes the player above shows.

The Final Countdown is a big, driving song that feels bold and energetic to play. You get a strong rock pulse, and the progression gives you a clear, memorable shape to lock into as you build confidence.

You can lean on the open shapes D, E, and A, but the barre shapes C#, Bm, F#, F#m, and C#m will ask more from your fretting hand. The main change to watch is the opening move from D to C# and then into Bm, since that shift can feel tight at first.

Start by looping D - C# - Bm - E slowly until the changes feel clean. Then raise the tempo in small steps, keeping your hand relaxed and your chord switches close to the strings. Once that feels solid, play through the full song shape at a 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.