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Happy Xmas (War is Over) Fingerstyle Guitar Lesson

John Lennon

SONG DETAILS

DIFFICULTY:

5

TUNING:

Standard

KEY:

A major

This song was written by the great John Lennon in 1971 with the John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band. For an extra helping hand, Lennon recruited the Harlem Community Choir to help out with the backing vocals. Although the song didn’t race to the top of the Charts upon its release, it has become and continues to be a Christmas classic to many.

Learn To Play Happy Xmas (War is Over)

Happy Xmas (War is Over) - Performance

Here’s a quick demo of Happy Xmas (War is Over), be sure to refer back to it as you learn the arrangement to make sure you’re playing it correctly.

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Happy Xmas (War is Over) - Chord Progression

There are loads of chords in this song so before we jump into all the fingerstyle parts, I think it’s vital to properly learn the chord progression off by heart. This lesson focuses solely on the chords and a good strum pattern you can use throughout. Let’s get cracking!

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Happy Xmas (War is Over) - Verse

Remember that you can simplify this down as much as you want to. Feel free to take out the alternating bass at any point, and don’t feel as though you have to add all the chord variations.

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Happy Xmas (War is Over) - Chorus

That’s most of the hard stuff done! You will hopefully find the chorus a bit easier.

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