Learn How To Play "Bird On The Wire" by Leonard Cohen on Guitar!

In this lesson, we'll learn how to play Bird On The Wire by Leonard Cohen on acoustic guitar. This is a beautiful ballad and fun to play on guitar! It's a simple song, but there is a barre chord to watch out for, which makes this ideal for intermediate guitar players.

We'll explore the chords and strumming you need to play it and the fingerstyle basics to get you playing this beautiful acoustic song.

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Bird On The Wire - Chords & Strumming

This song starts simply with open chords you should be familiar with! A, E, D, and eventually a couple of sus chords in there too. The Bm is what might give you a hard time, especially if you're new to barre chords.

💡 A to Bm is quite the chord jump on your guitar fretboard! It's a good idea to practice this chord change individually with the One Minute Changes exercise.

You can use your thumb or pick to play this song - the thumb will give you a rounder sound, but the choice comes down to personal preference. For the strumming - you can keep it real simple and play it in 6:8 time signature.

Bird On The Wire - Fingerstyle Tips

For the fingerstyle, it's better not to bed too strict with the fingerpicking pattern! This ballad sounds better if it's more weaving and less pattern-oriented.

You can use your thumb to play the bass chord, which generally happens on beat 1 - but feel free to experiment and make it your own. As for the timing, it'll be at 6:8 time.

But there are many ways to play this song, and it's worth looking up some of the many covers online! Maybe it'll inspire you to create your version. :)

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