How to play L’amour de Ma Vie by Billie Eilish
L’amour de Ma Vie by Billie Eilish is one of the lead tracks from her 2024 album Hit Me Hard and Soft. L’amour de Ma Vie is an old-school Pop progression featuring a laid back, medium-tempo rhythm that gives way, somewhat unexpectedly, to an EDM nightclub feel late in the track. The chord progression features old style ii-V-I harmony with a nice mix of open-position and bar-chord forms, making it a great chord progression for intermediate players.
Key and tuning : L’amour de Ma Vie is recorded at concert pitch with standard tuning. It’s in the key of A overall but with a refrain (alternate verse) in the relative minor key, F# Minor.
Chords : Bm7 E7 Amaj7 C#m7 F#7 F#m Bm C#7
Pick or fingers? This is one of those pieces that work either style. What you feel works best will depend on the instrument you are using. Finger-style will work well on all acoustics, though the song will sound closest to the recorded version played on steel strings. Electric guitar will work either way. If using a pick keep a pretty relaxed feel in the pick hand.
What are the crossed strums for? Rhythm slashes with a cross through them are a ‘percussive strum’ ; play the strum as indicated but lightly mute the strings. So, rather than hearing a chord, what you hear is a sound described as percussive. These are a common effect in steel-string rhythms, and especially so on the electric guitar.
Modern guitar chord styles to the rescue!
Modern Guitar Chord Styles 1 : This is a very helpful book for entry-level players and those who have already learned the common chords but are still having trouble putting a full song together. If this reflects where you are up to, just a few weeks of the technique building work in MGCS1 will have you putting songs together.
Relevant pages in Modern Guitar Chord Styles 1 : Relevant pages in MGCS1 are p.14, 19, 28 and 34. Relevant pages about bar-chord forms in MGCS Book 2 are p.4-5, 10, 14-15 and 20.