Life is a Highway

How to play Life is a Highway by Rascal Flatts on guitar

This song is a great beginner play-along because it feels upbeat, steady, and fun right away. At about 120 BPM, you get a driving groove that makes the changes feel musical without being too fast, so you can focus on keeping your rhythm relaxed and confident.

You will use a mix of open shapes and barre shapes, so the main challenge is moving cleanly between them. The opening progression is A# - F - Cm - A#, and the change into Cm is the one to watch closely because it asks you to shift from an open shape into a barre shape smoothly.

Start by looping the opening progression slowly, then add the rest of the chord moves in small chunks. Once your fingers know the barre shapes, practice with a steady count, then bring the tempo up until the changes feel automatic and even.

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.