Upside Down

How to play Upside Down by Jack Johnson on guitar

These are the sounding chords. With a capo on fret 4 you play Dm, C, F, G, Em, the shapes the player above shows.

“Upside Down” is a great beginner song because it sits in a bright, easy-to-hear groove and feels relaxed once you lock into the changes. You can use it to build confidence with steady timing and clean chord switches without feeling rushed.

You’ll spend time on open shapes for E and A, with the harder barre shapes on F#m, B, and G#m. The main change to watch is the back-and-forth between F#m and E in the opening progression, since that move comes up right away and needs to stay smooth.

Start by looping F#m - E - F#m - E slowly until your hands learn the shape changes. Then add the other chords from the chart one at a time, keeping your strums even. When that feels solid, bring it up to song tempo and focus on staying relaxed through every switch.

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.