We Are Young

How to play We Are Young by Fun. feat. Janelle Monáe on guitar

These are the sounding chords. With a capo on fret 5 you play C, Am, D, F, G, Dm and more, the shapes the player above shows.

This song is a great pick if you want a big, anthemic feel that builds energy fast. It sits at a steady pace, so you can focus on making the changes clean and letting the chords ring with confidence.

You can lean on mostly open shapes here with F, Dm, G, C, and Am, which keeps the left hand manageable. The harder shapes are A# and Gm, so pay extra attention when the progression moves into those and back out again, since that shift can feel like the main hurdle.

Start by looping the opening progression F - Dm - F - G until it feels automatic. Then add the barre shapes slowly, one change at a time, and only speed up once your hands land cleanly. When that feels solid, play through the full song at a relaxed tempo and build toward full speed.

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.