How to play Let Her Go by Passenger
'Let Her Go by Passenger is one of the biggest hit songs of the 2010’s. Recorded in Sydney in 2012 for the album All The Little Lights, it took some time to find a wide audience but was a global hit by 2014, reaching number 1 in more than a dozen countries. It has since become one of the most streamed songs of the digital era and has been viewed on YouTube more than 3 billion times. With it’s distinctive fingerpick intro and sweet minor chord progression, it’s a perfect track for acoustic guitarists.
Genre: Folk-Pop / Folk-Rock
Chords: Fmaj7 G6. Am G C G4 Em (these chords are at the Passenger pitch)
Does it need a Capo? To play at the original recorded pitch you need a capo at the 7th fret ; it’s in the key of E minor. Passenger’s lead vocal is quite high, so if you are singing it’s likely you need a lower key. Try the capo at the 5th (for the key of D Minor), 4th (C# Minor) or the 2nd fret (B Minor) to create a comfortable vocal range for yourself. You could also just take the capo off and play at concert pitch; if you play the chart as written in the open position, you are in the key of A Minor.
What if I want to play in the original key but without the capo? The corresponding chords in open position are Cmaj7 G D6 Em D D4 Bm : you can play along with the original using these chords.
Is the intro right?: The finger-picked intro suggested in this chart is a blend of the keyboard and guitar intro on the original. The two don’t play all the same notes but blend well. This suggested version suits a solo guitar. It has been slightly simplified but contains all the important notes!
Easy chord accompaniment: On a fundamental harmonic level Let Her Go is a four-chord song ; Cmaj7 G D Em
How come there aren’t any chord diagrams? Because the chart is in TAB ; the numbers are supposed to tell you what to play. You get one or the other!
Relevant pages in Modern Guitar Chord Styles 1 : to learn more about the chord forms and rhythm reading used in Let Her Go see pages 5, 8, 10, 12-14, 20, 24 and 28 in MGCS1. For a detailed course in finger picking and it’s stylistic applications check out Modern Guitar Fingerstyles 1.
Need a bit of help?
Modern Guitar Chord Styles 1 is the perfect companion for our song guides ; it is specifically designed to help beginners speed up their chord changes, master their strumming patterns, and get songs sounding right!