Guitar Songs, Tabs & Lessons

LP

1 guitar song · Tabs, Lessons & Tone Guide Pop Rock

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Lost On You - Guitar Cover

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Band Overview

LP (Laura Pergolizzi) is an American singer-songwriter who emerged from the indie pop and Alternative Rock scene in the 2010s, gaining massive international recognition with the 2016 single "Lost On You." While LP is primarily known for her extraordinary vocal range (often compared to a rock-era falsetto powerhouse), her music carries serious weight for guitarists. LP herself is a skilled ukulele player who composes on stringed instruments, and her live and studio arrangements feature guitar work that blends Indie Rock jangle, folk-influenced fingerpicking, and atmospheric clean tones with tasteful overdrive moments. The guitar parts in LP's catalog are deceptively musical, requiring attention to dynamics, chord voicings, and rhythmic subtlety rather than sheer speed. For electric guitarists, LP's music is a masterclass in restrained, feel-driven playing. The guitar arrangements across her albums lean on arpeggiated clean tones, layered strumming with reverb-soaked textures, and occasional gritty power chord sections that build to emotional climaxes. Session and touring guitarists who have worked with LP (including players like Jared Manierka and others) tend to favor a tone-first, less-is-more approach. Think warm single-coil shimmer blending into crunchy rhythm tones when choruses explode. If you are a guitarist who wants to develop dynamic control, chord embellishments, and the ability to serve a song rather than shred over it, LP's music is perfect practice material. Difficulty-wise, LP's songs sit in the beginner-to-intermediate range for most guitarists. The chord shapes are often accessible (open chords, barre chords, some add9 and sus voicings), but nailing the feel, the rhythmic push-and-pull, and the subtle clean tone dynamics is where the real challenge lives. "Lost On You" in particular is a fantastic exercise in building intensity through strumming dynamics and arpeggiation. Overall, LP's catalog rewards guitarists who prioritize musicality, tone shaping, and emotional delivery over technical gymnastics.

What Makes LP Essential for Guitar Players

LP's music relies heavily on dynamic strumming, where the guitarist moves from whisper-quiet arpeggiated passages to full-bodied, open strumming during choruses. Learning to control your pick attack and volume with your right hand is essential here.
Clean tone with tasteful reverb and delay is the backbone of the LP guitar sound. Think of shimmery, ambient textures created by letting open strings ring within chord shapes, often using add9 and sus2 voicings to create that dreamy, atmospheric feel.
"Lost On You" features a driving rhythmic pattern that alternates between muted percussive strums and ringing chord stabs. Practicing the mute-strum technique (lightly lifting your fretting hand while maintaining the strumming pattern) is key to nailing this groove.
Many LP arrangements use layered guitar parts in the studio: one guitar handles a sparse, clean arpeggiated line while a second guitar enters with overdriven power chords or fuller voicings during the chorus. Learning to play both parts will sharpen your arrangement awareness.
LP's live performances often feature guitarists who use volume swells and subtle wah or filter effects to add expressive motion to sustained chords. If you want to replicate this, experiment with your guitar's volume knob during held chords or invest in a volume pedal for smooth swells.

Did You Know?

LP composes most of her songs on a ukulele rather than a guitar, which is why many of her chord progressions have a unique voicing quality that translates into interesting shapes when adapted to six-string guitar.

Before her solo career took off, LP wrote songs for major artists including Rihanna, Backstreet Boys, and Christina Aguilera. Her songwriting chops directly influence the hook-driven, singable guitar parts in her own music.

"Lost On You" was initially a moderate release but became a viral phenomenon across Europe, hitting number one in over 18 countries. The song's guitar arrangement is deceptively simple but was carefully crafted to build emotional tension across its nearly four-minute runtime.

LP's live band setups have featured guitarists running semi-hollow or hollow-body electrics for that warm, resonant clean tone that sits perfectly under her powerful vocals without competing for frequency space.

The guitar tone on "Lost On You" sits in a sweet spot between clean and slightly broken-up, a sound you can achieve by running a tube amp just on the edge of breakup or using a low-gain overdrive pedal with the drive dialed way back.

LP is known for her intense live performances where the band builds from near-silence to full-throttle dynamics within a single song, making her catalog excellent study material for guitarists learning how to use volume and intensity as musical tools.

Essential Albums for Guitarists

Lost on You 2016

This is the essential LP album for guitarists. The title track "Lost On You" is a must-learn for dynamic strumming and clean-to-driven tone transitions. Tracks like "Muddy Waters" and "Strange" offer great practice in arpeggiated verses with explosive choruses, teaching you how to serve a song's emotional arc with your guitar.

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Heart to Mouth 2018

"Heart to Mouth" pushes into slightly grittier territory with tracks like "Recovery" and "Girls Go Wild" featuring more prominent overdriven guitar tones and syncopated rhythm parts. It is a great album to practice blending clean arpeggios with crunchier power chord sections and improving your rhythmic precision.

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Churches 2021

LP's most sonically diverse album features layered guitar textures across tracks like "Angels" and "One Last Time." Guitarists will benefit from studying how multiple guitar parts interlock: ambient swells, palm-muted rhythms, and melodic fills all coexisting in well-arranged spaces. Great for developing your ear for arrangement.

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Tone & Gear

Guitar

LP's touring guitarists have been spotted using semi-hollow and hollow-body guitars such as the Gretsch Electromatic series and Epiphone Casino, which provide that warm, airy clean tone that defines the LP sound. For a more modern alternative, a Fender Telecaster or Stratocaster in the neck pickup position gets you into similar territory. The key is a guitar with enough clarity for arpeggiated passages but warmth for full chord work.

Amp

The LP guitar tone lives in clean-to-edge-of-breakup territory. A Fender Deluxe Reverb or Vox AC30 set with the gain low and the volume pushing just enough for natural tube warmth is ideal. You want the amp to stay clean when you play softly but start to push into light grit when you dig in with your pick. Keep the treble moderate and the reverb at about 3 to 4 for that atmospheric shimmer.

Pickups

The tones in LP's music favor lower-output pickups that preserve dynamics and clarity. Single-coils (like Fender vintage-spec pickups around 6k output) or P-90s work beautifully for the jangly clean tones. If you are using humbuckers, opt for PAF-style or lower-output models (around 7-8k) and favor the neck pickup for warmth during verses, switching to the bridge for the grittier chorus sections.

Effects & Chain

Keep it minimal and tasteful. A good reverb pedal (like a Boss RV-6 or Strymon Flint) is essential for the atmospheric wash. Add a subtle analog delay (like a Boss DM-2W or MXR Carbon Copy) set to short slapback or moderate repeats. A low-gain overdrive such as a Fulltone OCD or EHX Soul Food with the drive nearly off gives you that edge-of-breakup push for choruses. Some live setups include a subtle chorus effect for wider clean tones. Signal chain: guitar into overdrive, then chorus, delay, reverb, and into the amp's clean channel.

Recommended Gear

Guitar

Fender Stratocaster

LP uses the Stratocaster's neck pickup for warm, dynamic arpeggios that cut through with clarity during clean passages. The single-coil output preserves the delicate dynamics essential to LP's fingerpicking style.

Guitar

Fender Telecaster

The Telecaster's bright single-coils deliver the jangly, articulate tone LP needs for rhythmic chord work while maintaining enough warmth for full-bodied verse sections. Its snap and clarity support both intricate arrangements and heavy strumming.

Amp

Fender Deluxe Reverb

This amp's low-gain, tube-driven character keeps LP's tone clean during soft passages while naturally pushing into light grit when attacked harder. Its built-in reverb adds the atmospheric shimmer that defines the LP sound.

Amp

Vox AC30

The AC30's chime and breakup character perfectly capture LP's edge-of-breakup aesthetic without sacrificing clarity. Its touch-sensitive tubes respond beautifully to dynamics, letting soft playing stay pristine and harder hits add natural grit.

Pedal

MXR Carbon Copy Analog Delay

This analog delay provides LP's signature slapback and moderate repeats with warm, organic tone that integrates seamlessly into the atmospheric mix. It adds rhythmic depth without muddying the pristine clarity of arpeggiated passages.

How to Practice LP on GuitarZone

Every LP song page on GuitarZone includes a built-in Practice Toolbar. No app to download, no account needed. Open any song, then use the toolbar to slow the video to 0.5× speed, set an A/B loop around the exact riff you're working on, and jump between song sections instantly.

The toolbar appears automatically on every guitar tab, lesson, and cover page. Pick a song below, hit play, and start practicing at your own pace.

Practice Lost On You - Guitar Cover