The Weeknd - Blinding Lights

How to play The Weeknd - Blinding Lights by TheWeeknd on guitar

This song is a great beginner pick because the groove is steady, the tempo is upbeat, and the progression gives you a strong pop feel right away. Once you lock in the pulse, it feels driving and catchy, so you can focus on clean changes instead of tricky rhythms.

You can keep it simple with a mix of open shapes and barre shapes, but the main challenge is moving smoothly through the barre chords. Watch the shift from D# to Fm to A#m and back to Fm, since that opening loop is where your timing and hand pressure need to stay consistent.

Start by practicing the opening progression slowly, one change at a time, until each shape sounds clean. Then link the chords in pairs, keep the beat steady, and only speed up when your fingers land without hesitation. After that, run the full loop repeatedly until it feels automatic.

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.