Northern Attitude

How to play Northern Attitude by Noah Kahan, Hozier on guitar

These are the sounding chords. With a capo on fret 3 you play C, Am, Em, F, G, D, the shapes the player above shows.

Northern Attitude is a great one to learn because it sits in a steady, driving groove and feels strong without being overly complex. At about 120 BPM, you can focus on keeping the pulse even and letting the progression carry the song. It has a confident, singable feel that rewards clean changes more than flashy technique.

The main thing to watch is the balance between the easy open F shape and the barre shapes for D#, Cm, Gm, G#, and A#. Those barre chords will take the most work, especially when the song moves between them quickly. The opening D# - Cm - D# - Cm loop is the first change to lock in, so make that swap smooth before adding anything else.

Start by practicing the opening progression slowly, one change at a time, until your hands know the shape shift. Then add the rest of the barre chords in small groups and keep your strumming steady. Once the changes feel automatic, bring the tempo up in steps until you can play the full song cleanly.

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.