Hey There Delilah Guitar Lesson - Plain White Ts

Genre: acoustic rock

Difficulty level: beginner-intermediate

Guitar techniques you will learn:

• intermediate finger picking
• chords
• bar chords

Hey There Delilah is a wonderful love song with a great melody, that’s actually not as difficult as it may seem at first. If you are the singing type, once you learn the guitar melody, you’ll find that singing along to the song is easy, as the melody is repetitive. 

It involves finger picking, where you use your thumb to add a constant bass beat which sets the rhythm, fretting chords and picking double strings with your fingers. The guitar melody of the song is repetitive, as with most finger picking songs, so if you are at a stage where you are more-or-less comfortable with this technique and holding bar chords, you’ll find this song simple. Either way, practicing this song will give you a great finger picking exercise, while giving your fretting hand a workout as well thanks to the bar chords.

All in all, this video guitar lesson is great for beginner-intermediate guitarists, as it improves your finger picking technique, your sense of rhythm, and chords changes. Make sure to download and have your guitar tabs handy when you practice this song, as its easy to get lost in the different parts otherwise.

Song Details

Hey There Delilah was released by the Plain White Ts in their 2005 album, All That We Needed. Interestingly enough, the song didn’t become a success until mid-2007, 2 years after its initial debut. The song was written by lead singer-guitarist Tom Higginson, and is a love song inspired by a girl that he did not actually date.

Awards and chart rankings:

Hey There Delilah became a chart topping hit across the world in the year 2007. The below is a list of its most important achievements, as there are too many to list fully.

• Eurochart Hot 100 Singles: #1
• U.S. Billboard Hot 100: #1
• U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks: #1
•  U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks: #3
• Time - The 10 Best Songs of 2007: #7
• Nominated for a Grammy Award in 2008