Seven Nation Army

How to play Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes on guitar

These are the sounding chords. With a capo on fret 7 you play A, Am, F, E, C, D and more, the shapes the player above shows.

This is a great song to learn because the riff is instantly recognizable and the groove feels strong and steady once you lock in. You get a tight, driving feel that sounds bigger than the number of chords suggests, so it is satisfying to play even at a simple level.

You will be moving between open shapes and a harder barre shape, so the main challenge is keeping everything clean while the progression turns over. The opening move from E to Em to C to B is the change to watch out for, since that last chord needs extra hand strength and a smooth shift.

Start by looping E - Em - C - B slowly until the shapes feel automatic. Then practice the transition into B on its own, and only after that bring the full progression up toward tempo. Once your fingers know the changes, you can focus on staying even and confident.

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.