How to play: Fast Car by Tracy Chapman
In this lesson, you’ll learn how to play the fingerpicking intro to ‘Fast Car’ by Tracy Chapman. ‘Fast Car’ was released in 1988. However, this song has a timeless quality about it and it continues to be a popular tune for beginner/intermediate guitar players to learn.
‘Fast Car’ was covered by Jonas Blue in 2015, introducing new listeners to an amazing song. However, between you and me, this dance music version will never have the timeless quality of the original.
The fingerpicking in this song can either be done with your thumb and your first and second fingers or, with your thumb and your second and third fingers. In situations like this, I often prefer to use my second and third fingers, as this fingering allows my hand to stay in a more relaxed position. However, it’s down to personal preference so use whichever feels more comfortable.
Discover how to learn the notes in a way that not only develops your fretboard fluency but reinforces your overall musicianship.
A guitarist who has learned all the notes on the fretboard: Can more effectively learn scales and chords; Has a better understanding of keys, intervals, and scale degrees; Is able to more easily memorise songs; Has a greater capacity to understand music theory; Is more effectively able to develop their aural skills; Gets ‘lost’ far less frequently when they are improvising on the guitar.