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The song that we are about to learn how to play is one of the first hit songs of the legendary Lennon-McCartney tandem. This is the first song to ever used a 4-track recording tape! Very advance back then.

Here is a quick and easy tutorial on how to play The Beatles’ first number 1 hit in the United States – I Want To Hold Your Hand.

We’ll be doing the rhythm part played John Lennon as well as the most distinct riff part of George Harrison. All the chords of the songs can be found in the bottom of this post. This would be pretty easy for both intermediate and beginner guitarist and peanuts for those seasoned guitar players out there.

How to play “I Want To Hold Your Hand”

Let’s break it down:

The Intro

The song’s intro is just 2 chords played 3 or 4 times. The chords are C major and D major. The whole intro of the song is 5 measures long which uses a standard 4/4 measure. This is typical for a rock song.

The intro starts at the last 3 quarter notes of the first bar where C transitioned to D. Check out the video for a visual version of what we are talking about here.

I Want To Hold Your Hand on Songsterr

check out the guitar tablature at the free site Songsterr.com

 

Intro: C   D x4

The Verses

The verses are pretty straighforward as well with normal 16 counts (eight notes). The chords for the verse can be found below and those are G Major, D Major, an Em (minor) and Bm (minor).

          G           D
Oh yeah, I'll tell you something,
Em               Bm
I think you understand,
     G               D
Then I'll - say that something:
Em                Bm
I wanna hold your hand
C       D        G     Em
I wanna hold your hand.
C       D        G
I wanna hold your hand.

The Bridge

More chords for the Bridge part. But do not fret, these are not bar chords so it is still easy for beginners. You may need to practice the smooth transitions between the chords.

Dm7        G               C         Am
And when I touch you I feel happy - inside.
Dm7         G              C
It's such a feeling that me love
    C     D     C      D       C  D
I can't hide - I can't hide - I can't hide!