Baba O'Riley

How to play Baba O'Riley by The Who on guitar

These are the sounding chords. With a capo on fret 3 you play G, D, A, the shapes the player above shows.

This song is a great beginner pick because it loops a small set of chords and sits at a steady, manageable tempo. You get a strong, driving feel without needing a lot of changes, so it is easy to lock into the groove and build confidence.

You will use open shapes for F and C, while A# is the harder barre shape. The main thing to watch is the quick move between A# and F in the opening progression, since that change comes up again and again as the song cycles.

Start by practicing A# to F slowly until the shape change feels clean. Then add the rest of the cycle and repeat it in time, keeping your hand relaxed. Once the switches feel automatic, bring it up to full tempo and focus on staying steady through the repeated pattern.

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.