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Easy Fingerpicking
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Unlock the flowing rhythm of Coldplay's "Clocks" with one simple pattern
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For the Am and C chords, use your thumb on the fifth string.
  Example 17
Example 17, Played Slowly
Example 18
Example 18, Played Slowly
And for the Em and G, play the sixth string with your thumb.
Example 19
Example 19, Played Slowly
Example 20
Example 20, Played Slowly
This may seem difficult, but the only difference between these patterns and the one you’ve learned is that here your thumb also plays on the first beat.
For the verses and choruses, play this pattern over a D-Am-Em progression, and for the bridge, play an F-C-G progression. [You can also follow along with the complete transcription found on page 24 of the hard-copy version of Play Guitar!]
You did it! Now you’re ready to serenade your sweetie from behind the bushes with your new fingerpicking skills. If you want to play this in the same key Coldplay does, put a capo on the first fret—or try putting it in different places until the key is comfortable for your singing voice.
Other Fingerpicking Songs
If you’re scouting around for songs to play fingerstyle, you’ve got endless options—from classical and folk to blues, jazz, and pop—and you don’t have to open just the “acoustic guitar” drawer to find them. For example, “Clocks” was originally played on piano, but it sounds great on an acoustic guitar. At a loss for where to start? Here are a few songs that would work well:
“A Sorta Fairytale” by Tori Amos
“Drops of Jupiter” by Train
“Fly Away” by Lenny Kravitz
“Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” by Green Day
“Hey Jude” by the Beatles
“Johnny B. Goode” by Chuck Berry
“One of Us” by Joan Osborne
“The Middle” by Jimmy Eat World
“Sweet Child o’ Mine” by Guns ’n’ Roses
“The Weight” by the Band
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