Video lesson
Get the sheet music(3 pages)
- A properly licensed, print-friendly arrangement is available for individual purchase at Musicnotes.com
- This sheet music was designed & hand-crafted by me (David Potsiadlo) with care, providing you with everything needed to both learn and play this song.
- On the fence? Here's a video guide I made showing the purchase & print process.
Patreon supporters: click here to get the 50% off discount code on this purchase
Editor’s notes
Hey friends! Here’s a new guitar lesson teaching you how to play the rock anthem Don’t Look Back in Anger by Oasis, one of my favorite songs from the 1990s. I’ll be in standard tuning, Key of C – showing you the most straightforward way to play this song on an acoustic guitar. This song uses only a handful of chords, and makes heavy use of a walk-down chord progression in both the verse and chorus sections. As always, I’ll teach you all the chord shapes needed, talk about strumming, and finish things off with a playthrough of each section. This is one of my favorite songs to sing & strum… I hope you enjoy!
Video timestamps:
- 0:00 Lesson Overview
- 1:25 Quick Tuning Note
- 2:03 Chord Shape Basics
- 4:52 Verse Chords & Strumming
- 10:04 Pre-Chorus
- 11:06 Chorus
- 12:12 Misc Tips: Intro “F” Fun
- 13:44 Misc Tips: E/G# Chord
- 17:50 Full Play-Along Cover
A quick note about tuning
The Oasis version of this song is played with all instruments tuned sharp (i.e. higher in pitch) – which means if you are tuned normally, it will sound “off” if you try to play along with them using the chords I show you. This is happening because Oasis is tuned so that A4=451hz, as opposed to “pitch standard” of A4=440hz (which is the way we typically tune our guitars).
If you want to play along with their actual recording, you’ll need to retune your guitar using A4=451hz as your reference. Here’s a video I made showing how to do this:
Alternatively, you could watch this YouTube video where someone slowed down the Oasis recording so that it’s effectively in “pitch standard” of A4=440hz.
All this said, my lesson is in standard tuning (A4=440hz, like a guitar is normally tuned).
Rick Beato’s “What Makes This Song Great” video
Here’s a video by the amazing Rick Beato, where he does a deep dive into this song as part of his “What Makes This Song Great” YouTube series. Hearing him dissect what is happening musically is great, as always. Check it out!
Instructional Lessons to Help Learn This Song
Key of C Cheat Sheet (Lesson #388)
F Chord Cheat Sheet (Lesson #392)
Get my lessons in your inbox!
Every couple weeks I send out an email newsletter with links to whatever new lessons I've made. Sign up here and stay in the loop!
Enjoy my lessons? Buy me a beer!
If this and my other lessons have proven helpful to you, please consider making a one-time donation to my tip jar. Contributions of any amount help make this project possible (including the many, many hours I put into it).
You can also support me on Patreon. For only $3/month you'll get access to a print-friendly PDF of my notes for each new lesson (view free sample).
Thanks!
Subscribe to my YouTube channel
Be sure to never miss a lesson by subscribing on YouTube. I put out 2-3 new videos every week. These include full song lessons, as well as covers, practice tips, behind-the-scenes updates. Thanks!
Recent video lessons:
📝 My "song" PDFs are now individually purcasheable! I've arranged a licensing agreement with Musicnotes, a service that lets you buy sheet music. Patreon suppoters get 50% off each purchase. Get the latest info here » (last updated July 1, 2021)
November 24, 2021
Combining Strumming with Walk-downs (Key of C)
In this video I answer a patron question about how to add a walking bassline to a fully strummed chord (in the Key of C).
October 14, 2021
How to Tune Half-Step Down (E-Flat Tuning)
A quick guide to tuning all your strings down 1/2 step (E-flat tuning), which is a very common alternate tuning used in many songs.
October 2, 2021
F Chord Cheat Sheet! 7 Easier Ways to Play It
A quick inventory of 8 different ways to play the dreaded F chord, 7 of which are easier than the dreaded six-string barred version.
September 28, 2021
Beginner Riffs with Major 7th Arpeggios
A quick exercise where I share over 10 riffs based on a single arpeggio shape, using major 7th chord tones. Backing track included!
September 19, 2021
Key of C Major Cheat Sheet!
A deep dive into everything you need to know when playing in the Key of C: notes, chords, fretboard map, tips & tricks, easier ways to play the F chord, and plenty more.
September 12, 2021
Major Scale Positions & CAGED Chord Shapes
A deep-dive into the common positions of the major scale, and how they each relate to the CAGED chord shapes... which makes it all easier to understand!
Browse my all lessons
By lesson type
By song decade
By musical genre
By guitar technique
By musical key
By popular artist
- Johnny Cash
- Tyler Childers
- Tom Petty
- Neil Young
- Nirvana
- Lynyrd Skynyrd
- Willie Nelson
- John Denver
- Guns N' Roses