How to play Riptide by Vance Joy
Riptide by Vance Joy is one of the biggest hit songs of the current Pop era. Released in 2013 it became a hit in many countries and has since become a staple of streaming services. The studio recording features distinctive Ukulele strumming but earlier live versions by Vance Joy are played on acoustic guitar. Here’s how to play it on guitar:
Chords: Am G6 C G F/C (F with a C bass)
Does it need a Capo? To match the Vance Joy recording you need a capo at the first fret. Otherwise, standard open-position pitch is only a semitone lower and is fine if you are playing and singing solo. The Taylor Swift version is in concert pitch (no capo).
Rhythm strumming: Riptide features fast rhythm strumming. If we count this in crotchets and quavers we find the tempo is about 192 beats per minute!. Normally, songs that fast are counted in ‘cut-time’ which is two minim beats per bar. If you set your metronome at minim = 96 you’ll get the fast ‘in two’ feel of the Vance Joy original.
Pick or fingers? On steel-string acoustic guitar, a pick will best produce the clean, bright strum tone of the original. However, if you are playing a Ukulele then use your fingers!
What type of guitar should I use? Steel-string acoustic suits Riptide best but an electric guitar with a clean tone will also sound good. Interestingly, even though the Ukulele has nylon strings, a nylon-string guitar will be less successful as you won’t get the brightness of either a steel-string guitar, or the Ukulele’s higher pitched, thinner strings.
Relevant pages in Modern Guitar Chord Styles 1 : to learn more about the chords and rhythms used in Riptide go to pages 8, 10, 12 - 13 and 19 - 20.
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 many other techniques.