Santeria

How to play Santeria by Sublime on guitar

These are the sounding chords. With a capo on fret 4 you play C, E, A, Am, G, F and more, the shapes the player above shows.

Santeria is a great song to learn because it sits in a relaxed groove and lets you focus on clean changes without feeling rushed. You get a steady, laid-back feel that sounds good even when you keep the playing simple, so it is a strong pick for building confidence.

The chart uses a mix of open and barre shapes, so the main challenge is moving smoothly between the easier E and A shapes and the harder G#, C#, C#m, B, Bm, and G#m forms. Watch the opening move from E to G# to C# to C#m, since that shift asks you to stay precise while keeping the rhythm even.

Start by looping just E to G# to C# to C#m until the shapes feel automatic. Then add the rest of the progression and keep the tempo slow enough that every change lands cleanly. Once your hands know the sequence, bring it up to speed little by little and aim for relaxed, even transitions.

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.