Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)

How to play Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) by The Beatles on guitar

This song is a great beginner pick because it has a calm, memorable feel and a steady groove that sits nicely under your hands. You can focus on clean changes and a relaxed rhythm instead of speed, which makes it satisfying to play right away.

Most of the chart uses open shapes, so E, G, A, and Em should feel comfortable if you already know basic first-position chords. The tougher moments are F#m and B, so watch for those shape changes and make sure your fretting hand stays ready when the progression moves away from the open chords. The opening move, E - G - E - A, is a good place to lock in the shape of the song.

Start by looping the opening progression slowly until the changes feel smooth, then add the harder F#m and B spots one at a time. After that, play through the whole chart at a relaxed pace, and only speed up when your chord changes stay clean 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.