Unholy

How to play Unholy by Sam Smith on guitar

These are the sounding chords. With a capo on fret 4 you play A#, A, F, A#m, Am, Dm, the shapes the player above shows.

This is a strong choice if you want a dark, steady groove that feels immediate under your fingers. You can lock into the pulse quickly, and the repeating harmony makes it satisfying to play once the shape changes start to click.

You will spend most of your time moving between open shapes and barre shapes, so the contrast is the main challenge. The chart starts with D - C# - D - A, so watch the quick shift into C# and then back to the easier open position. Keep your hand relaxed so the barre shapes do not slow you down.

Start by looping the opening progression slowly until the movement feels automatic. Then add the rest of the changes one at a time, always returning to the opening pattern as your anchor. Once the switches are clean, bring it up to tempo and focus on staying even through every change.

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.