How to play Happier Than Ever by Billie Eilish
Happier Than Ever by Billie Eilish is the title track from her second album Happier Than Ever. Released in 2021, the casual, old-school guitar style makes it sounds more like a 1950s Country lament until the energy starts to build towards the Grunge/thrash style ending. An intelligent mix of chords and the blending of styles make it a great song for acoustic guitarists.
Chords: G G7 C C2 E7 Am Am7 F Fm Dm Am/G D9/F#
Pick or Fingers? Pick is best, especially for the energy of the ending section, but hybrid-picking is a possibility, and it would also work with a thumb-pick and finger strums.
Acoustic or Electric? Steel-string acoustic is the best choice but electric guitar will work okay. Less successful on nylon strings if you are trying to emulate the style of the original.
Rhythm: Happier Than Ever is in 12/8 time. The old-school Country style of the first half is based on a slow three notes-to-a-beat feel. Count this as “1-and-a 2-and-a 3-and-a 4-and-a”. It stays in 12/8 throughout but the rhythm gradually becomes Grunge-rock style as the momentum builds through the second half. Play all down strums through the thrash ending to create the intensity of tone and volume. Rake the chord fairly strongly on the 1st beat and as it is ringing strum the lower notes with strong, short downstrokes.
Dynamics: The build up of intensity is a really important element of Happier Than Ever. The intro and verses 1 & 2 have a soft, lazy vibe. Keep the pick attack pretty soft here and don’t push the tempo. A stronger feel develops when the guitar introduces the old-school Country rhythm for verses 3 & 4 ; give this section a stronger tone and a play a little faster. Make sure the bass notes on the 1st & third beats are strong enough to be clear amongst the strumming. Then the song slows slightly as it returns to the original tempo before the crescendo of the ending section. Begin this section with a harder feel but not too loud at first; leave space to increase the volume and make the tone stronger as you play the end-progression repeats.
Relevant pages in Modern Guitar Chord Styles 1 : To learn more about the chords and rhythms used in Happier Than Ever go to pages 6, 8, 12-13, 18-19, 25, 34 and 38.
Need a bit of help?
If you’re finding the chords a bit tricky, or reading the strumming patterns a challenge, Modern Guitar Chord Styles 1 is here to help! It’s the perfect companion for our song guides- it is specifically designed to help beginners speed up their chord changes, master their strumming patterns, and many other techniques.
