Hotel California

How to play Hotel California by Eagles on guitar

Hotel California is a great song to learn because it sounds dramatic and steady, and you get that classic flowing feel once the changes lock in. At about 75 BPM, you have room to shape each move and let the progression breathe.

You will use a mix of open shapes and barre shapes, so the chord hand needs to stay relaxed and ready. The main change to watch is the opening move from B to F# to A to E, since it jumps between harder and easier grips and can throw off your timing if you rush.

Start by looping the opening progression slowly, then make each change clean before adding more speed. Once your fingers know the shapes, play along with the pulse and keep the transitions even. Build it up in small steps until the whole song feels smooth.

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.