Houdini

How to play Houdini by Dua Lipa on guitar

These are the sounding chords. With a capo on fret 5 you play A, Am, Dm, Em, D, G and more, the shapes the player above shows.

“Houdini” is a strong song to learn because the groove feels tight and modern, and the progression gives you a good mix of tension and release. At about 120 BPM, it should feel lively but still manageable once you lock into the pulse.

You can lean on mostly open shapes here, with D, Dm, Am, G, C, and F available, while Gm and A# are the harder barre shapes. The main change to watch is the opening move from D to Dm and then into Gm, since that shift can feel abrupt if your fretting hand is late.

Start by looping the opening progression slowly, then add the next chord change only after each move feels clean. Once your fingers know the shape changes, practice with a steady count and bring the tempo up in small steps until the full progression 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.