Xanadu

How to play Xanadu by Rush on guitar

Xanadu is a great pick if you want a song that feels big, melodic, and a little cinematic. At about 120 BPM, it has a steady drive that rewards clean changes and confident timing, so it feels satisfying once you lock in.

You can lean on open shapes for much of it, with E, A, and D doing the heavy lifting. The harder moves come when you hit the barre shapes like B and F#, so watch those transitions closely, especially the opening E - A - D - A loop, where smooth movement matters more than speed.

Start by looping that opening progression slowly until the shapes feel automatic. Then add the barre chords one at a time, keeping your hand relaxed, and only push the tempo up after you can switch cleanly without pauses.

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.