Teenage Dirtbag (2020)

How to play Teenage Dirtbag (2020) by Wheatus on guitar

Teenage Dirtbag is a fun beginner song to learn because it locks into a steady, catchy feel and gets moving quickly. At about 120 BPM, it should feel upbeat and direct, with a simple drive that makes it easy to keep your place once you settle into the groove.

You can lean on the open shapes A, E, and Em, but the harder changes bring in barre shapes like B, C#m, F#m, G#, and D#m. The main thing to watch is the move from A to B to E in the opening progression, since that change can feel tight at first and needs clean fretting.

Start by looping A - B - E - A slowly until the switches feel smooth. Then add the rest of the shapes one at a time, keeping your hand relaxed and your rhythm even. When the changes feel automatic, bring the tempo up in small steps until it sits comfortably at full speed.

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.