Pain

How to play Pain by Jimmy Eat World on guitar

These are the sounding chords. With a capo on fret 3 you play A, D, C, Am, Dm, E and more, the shapes the player above shows.

This song is a strong pick if you want a moody, driving rock feel that sits nicely at an intermediate level. You get a steady pulse around 120 BPM, so it feels energetic without being rushed, and the opening C - F - D# - C progression gives you a clear hook to lock into right away.

The shapes are a mix of open and barre chords, so you can ease in with C, F, and G, then handle the tougher moves on D#, Cm, Fm, G#, and A#. The main change to watch is the jump from the open shapes into D# and back again, since that shift can break your timing if you rush it.

Start by looping the opening progression slowly until the changes feel clean. Then add the barre chords one at a time, keeping your fretting hand relaxed and your strumming even. Once the moves are smooth, bring it up to tempo in small steps and focus on staying tight through every repeat.

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.