What I Got

How to play What I Got by Sublime on guitar

This is a great beginner song because it sits in a relaxed groove and feels instantly familiar once you lock into the main progression. You get a laid-back, singable part that is fun to repeat and easy to recognize as it moves along.

You can start with mostly open shapes, since G, D, Dm, Em, and F are the easier grips here, while Cm, Gm, D#, and F#m are the barre shapes that ask for more hand strength. The change to watch closely is the opening move from G to D to Cm and back to G, because that jump into Cm can feel the most awkward at first.

Practice the opening progression slowly and cleanly until the shape changes feel automatic. Then loop the full song at a steady pace, keeping your strums even and your left hand relaxed. Once the chord shifts are smooth, bring the tempo up little by little until it feels natural.

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.