Fast Car

How to play Fast Car by Tracy Chapman on guitar

These are the sounding chords. With a capo on fret 2 you play Em, D, C, G, the shapes the player above shows.

Fast Car is a great beginner song because it uses a small loop of familiar chords and has a steady, relaxed feel. You can focus on clean changes and a smooth rhythm instead of chasing lots of new shapes, which makes it rewarding to learn early.

You will use open shapes for E, D, and A, with F#m as the harder barre shape. The main change to watch is moving between F#m and the open chords without breaking the flow, especially at the start of the F#m - E - D - A cycle.

Start by practicing each shape on its own, then loop F#m - E - D - A slowly until the changes feel even. After that, play the full cycle with a steady pulse, and only speed up when your hands can move without pausing.

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.