One way or another

How to play One way or another by Blondie on guitar

These are the sounding chords. With a capo on fret 2 you play C, A, F, G, E, D and more, the shapes the player above shows.

This is a fun, driving song to learn because it keeps a steady pulse and feels punchy under your hands. You get a strong rock groove in D major, and once it locks in, it has a confident, forward-moving feel that is great for building timing.

You can lean on the open shapes D, G, A, and E, but the harder barre shapes B, F#, and C#m will ask for clean fretting and quick hand shifts. The main thing to watch is the opening D - B - D - B movement, since that change can expose any hesitation between open and barre grips.

Start by looping just D and B until the switch feels smooth, then add the rest of the shapes at a slow tempo. Once your hands know the changes, bring it up gradually and focus on staying even rather than rushing.

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.