Play Wonderwall by Oasis

"Wonderwall" is a genuine rite of passage for beginner and intermediate guitarists — it's instantly recognizable, uses a capo, and introduces "sus" (suspended) chords that sound slightly more sophisticated than plain major or minor shapes. Because the chord shapes stay the same throughout most of the song, it's really a strumming and chord-quality workout more than a chord-memorization one.

What you'll need

• A capo, clipped to the 2nd fret (see "Using a Capo to Play More Songs" if you're new to capos)
• Comfort with G and basic open chord shapes

Steps

1. Clip your capo onto the 2nd fret. All the chord shapes below are described relative to the capo, exactly as if it were the guitar's nut — so "open" strings mean open relative to the capo, not the actual nut.

2. Learn Em7. Middle finger on the 2nd fret of the A string, ring finger on the 2nd fret of the D string (this is your familiar Em shape) — but for Em7 you leave the G string open rather than adding any extra finger, giving a slightly more open, jangly sound than a plain Em.

3. Learn Dsus4. Start from a D shape (index on G string, middle on high E string) but replace the usual ring-finger note with your pinky on the 3rd fret of the high E string instead of the 2nd. Strum only the top four strings (D, G, B, high E), just like a regular D chord.

4. Learn A7sus4. Place only your middle finger on the 2nd fret of the G string; every other string in the chord is played open. Strum the bottom five strings, leaving the high E string out.

5. Practice the verse progression: Em7 - G - Dsus4 - A7sus4. G, in this context, uses the standard shape you already know. Cycle through these four chords repeatedly, aiming for one chord per measure, until the sequence feels automatic.

6. Use a consistent, driving strum pattern. The song is well known for a fairly busy, syncopated strumming pattern with frequent down-up motion — start with a simple down-down-up-up-down-up pattern per chord and only add complexity once the chord changes themselves are solid.

7. Notice the pre-chorus and chorus reorder the same chords. Rather than introducing brand-new shapes, the pre-chorus and chorus mostly rearrange Dsus4 and A7sus4 in a different order relative to Em7 and G — meaning once your four shapes are comfortable, learning the rest of the song's structure is mainly about listening closely to when each chord change happens.