Now Play It

[Official NPI Guy]

Intermediate Selection

All the songs in this section have been chosen with the intermediate player in mind. Tutorials all have a 2 or 3 star difficulty rating and are ideal if you’ve mastered the basics and are looking to take your level to the next stage.


1. Catch The Sun (Doves) 3* In House

Now Play It's very own in-house tutor takes you through the Doves hit "Catch the Sun". The song itself features some interesting and challenging chords, but the tutorial demonstrates several ways of playing the song, including a simplified version for beginners that is comprised of basic open and barred chords. This is a great tutorial for anyone who wants to advance their knowledge of playing chords in different positions around the neck.

Tutorial Type: In House
Tutorial Duration: 20.48 mins


2. Fake Plastic Trees (Radiohead) 3* In House

This melancholic classic shows that not all Radiohead songs have to be insanely difficult to play! The simple effectiveness of the chords in this song are perfectly suited to anyone who is used to the basic chords and feels ready to learn some slightly more challenging shapes. The guitar part to this song also gives a great insight into how subtle changes in volume and variation of rhythm or strumming can add depth and dynamics to a guitar part. These are all explained in detail in the lesson giving you plenty of chances to play along. Not only is this a great song to learn but it also makes use of techniques that you'll find invaluable as a guitarist.

Tutorial Type: Lite
Tutorial Duration: 05.24


3. Hurricane (Athlete) 3* Full with Joal Pott

Joel gives a fantastic lesson on how to play both lead and rhythm parts to the fantastic single from their new album, Beyond the Neighbourhood. A great teacher, Joel breaks the song down and takes you through all the parts section by section. For the rhythm part Joel also shows you how you can get beautiful variations around simple chord positions without having to get too complex. A great tutorial! REQUIRES CAPO

Tutorial Type: Full with Joel Pott
Tutorial Duration: 26.33 mins


4. Ziggy Stardust (David Bowie) 3* House Tutor

This iconic song is broken down section by section by our in house tutor, who takes you through all the chords and rhythm techniques used. We show you different ways you can approach a few of the sections, one that is more suited to beginners and another that shows you how to develop the part into something a little more complex. This makes it ideal for both beginners and intermediate players.

Tutorial Type: In House
Tutorial Duration: 25.24 mins


5. Suddenly I See (KT Tunstall) 3* with KT Tunstall

KT gives a great tutorial for this song, proving to be a natural tutor! She takes you through both the basic and more advanced ways to play along, thus catering for beginners and more intermediate players. This tutorial also provides emphasis on various strumming rhythms as well as insight into string dampening. The song features a standard but effective verse/ chorus structure that gives good insight for anyone who is interested in writing thier own songs.

Tutorial Type: Full with KT Tunstall
Tutorial Duration: 25.40


6. Bohemian Like You (The Dandy Warholes) 2* with Peter Holmstrom

Peter, the Dandy Warhols’ guitarist, teaches you another one of their classics on guitar, demonstrating the unconventional tuning and inventive techniques behind the song. Peter is a friendly tutor who not only takes you through the all the sections, explaining the chords and rhythm style he uses but also gives you a real insight into the Warhols' writing process and how the band evolved. The tutorial also explains how to tune your guitar to open-G. The song is really easy once you get the hang of playing in open-G tuning and is great for any guitarist just starting out!

Tutorial Type: Full with Peter Holmstrom
Tutorial Duration: 19:16 mins


7. God Put A Smile On Your Face (Coldplay) 2* Lite

A song that consists of just one chord shape that is then moved around the neck. Can be played in a simplified way if you're a beginner and developed into a more challenging part for intermediate players who want incorporate the more complex rhythmic elements.

Tutorial Type: Lite
Tutorial Duration: 06:04 mins


8. Ordinary World (Duran Duran) 3* In House

The Now Play It in-house tutor takes you through the lead and rhythm guitar parts of this stadium-filling classic. Perfect if you're an intermediate guitarist looking to get your teeth into something a little more challenging. Some techniques used in the tutorial include straight lead playing, some advanced chords (with some fast chord changes) and a tricky picked-out part. This is a great tutorial for the all-round guitarist because it has a bit of everything. Once you've learned to play this song it'll open up a whole new array of guitar techniques for you to experiment with. Overall if you're a fan of Duran Duran, this tutorial will prove to be very helpful and enjoyable.

Tutorial Type: In House
Tutorial Duration: 22:20 mins


9. You & I (Graham Coxon) 3* with Graham Coxon

Graham gives you a lesson on his hit "You & I" off his 2006 album "Love Travels At Illegal Speeds". Not only does he show you all of the rhythm and lead parts for the song but he also talks about how he wrote the song, and how all of the music and lyrics follow a central theme. He's a great teacher, taking you through the song in loads of detail and explaining many of the techniques unique to his style of playing. The chords involved are a mixture of simple open and barred chords, with the occasional interesting variation thrown in. The rhythm part is quite accessible, since the song is comprised mainly of simple barred chords. However, the solo may take a bit of practice. A great tutorial for anyone who is a fan of Graham's style of playing.

Tutorial Type: Full with Graham Coxon
Tutorial Duration: 31:36 mins


10. When I Argue I See Shapes (Idlewild) 3* with Rod Jones

Idlewild's guitarist Rod Jones takes you through their hit "When I Argue I See Shapes". The first thing to note would be the alternative tuning, referred to by Rod as "Jeff" tuning. It allows all sorts of chords to be played just by barring the open chord, and the picked part of the song can be played using just one finger. This lesson is a great balance between interesting, inventive techniques and a comfortable, steady learning curve.

Tutorial Type: Full with Rod Jones
Tutorial Duration: 33:22 mins


11. Lust For Life (Iggy Pop) 2* Lite

Play along to this legendary video courtesy of The Stooges front man Iggy Pop. Ideal for the intermediate players out there who enjoy getting a little energetic whilst playing! Also a great track for working on rapid chord changes and fast strumming techniques.

Tutorial Type: Lite
Tutorial Duration: 03:38 mins


12. European Lover (Little Man Tate) 3* with Maz

Maz of Little Man Tate demonstrates how to play the band's punky ballad 'European Lover'. All of the techniques in the song are demonstrated, including arpeggio picking (playing the notes of a chord separately in quick succession) and a mixture of open and barred chords. Dissecting each part of the song, Maz proves to be a thorough teacher (the video weighs in at over half an hour) which means that even beginner guitarists can learn to play the song without much experience being assumed of you. In terms of difficulty, there are a few tricky picking sections but with practice even beginner guitarists could nail this song.

Tutorial Type: Full with Maz
Tutorial Duration: 31:30 mins


13. Here It Goes Again (OK Go) 2* Lite

This highly entertaining tutorial is perfect for those who want to improve bar chord agility and strength. There are also some nice examples of how to use staccato strumming patterns to a great effect.

Tutorial Type: Lite
Tutorial Duration: 03:43 mins


14. Golden Brown (The Stranglers) 3* Lite

A classic from The Stranglers, this song is great for anyone that is interested to see how standard chords can be used in an interesting and original way. Also this tutorial provides a good introduction and explanation to the use of a capo and string tuning by ear as well as being in an unconventional time signature! A classic in every sense and a great one to learn. (This tutorial requires a capo).

Tutorial Type: Lite
Tutorial Duration: 04:46 mins