Practice Studio

DNCE - Cake By The Ocean - Guitar Cover

Sections · Loop · Speed · Metronome

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Speed Control

Speed
100%

Tools

BPM
Key G major
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Amp Settings

Classic Rock

Gain6
Bass6
Mid7
Treble6
Presence5
Master7
AI tone preset

AI-selected preset based on genre and era — adjust the knobs to taste.

Roll back the gain slightly and pick near the neck for a warmer, more open crunch.

DNCE album cover
DNCE
2016 3:39
DNCE Pop Rock 2016 G major
Capo Advisor 0 G major · Original key

About Cake By The Ocean


At 103 BPM in G major, "Cake By The Ocean" sits in a comfortable mid-tempo groove that feels deceptively easy until you try to lock in with the rhythm section. The guitar work here lives in the funk-pop pocket, meaning tight, clipped strumming and well-placed muted hits matter far more than any flashy lead playing. Staying on E Standard tuning, you can keep chord shapes familiar, but the real challenge is keeping your right hand disciplined so the rhythmic feel stays crisp rather than sloppy. Pay close attention to where the accents fall against the bass and drums, because drifting even slightly off the beat kills the groove. If the strumming pattern is giving you trouble, use the Practice Toolbar to loop a short section slowed down until the feel clicks naturally. DNCE bring a loose, party-band energy to Pop Rock, and matching that looseness without losing precision is the real skill this song builds.

  • The rhythm guitar part relies on funk-influenced muted strumming, so practise keeping your fretting hand lightly damping strings between chord hits.
  • At 103 BPM the tempo is moderate, but maintaining a consistent, locked-in groove across the full song length is the main stamina challenge.
  • E Standard tuning means no retuning required, and the G major key keeps open chord voicings and barre chord options comfortably accessible.

How to Play Cake By The Ocean

Tuning: E Standard · Key: G major · Tempo: 103 BPM

Use the section loop to isolate a passage, drop the speed below 100%, and set the metronome to 103 BPM to build it up to tempo.

Fender Stratocaster
Guitar

Fender Stratocaster

JinJoo Lee's primary choice for DNCE's crisp funk strumming, the Stratocaster's bright single-coil tone delivers the snappy attack needed for muted ghost strokes and punchy chord stabs that define their sound.

Fender Jazzmaster
Guitar

Fender Jazzmaster

This white offset guitar provides JinJoo with a warmer, rounder clean tone with enhanced midrange body, offering tonal variety while maintaining the clean aesthetic essential to DNCE's funk-pop grooves.

Fender Twin Reverb
Amp

Fender Twin Reverb

The Twin Reverb's massive headroom and natural sparkle let JinJoo keep her gain low for dynamic 16th-note strumming while built-in spring reverb adds subtle width without sacrificing the tight funk pocket.

Fender Deluxe Reverb
Amp

Fender Deluxe Reverb

This amp delivers the clean-to-edge-of-breakup settings JinJoo needs, with enough headroom to keep muted scratches articulate and spring reverb that fills out DNCE's minimal effects approach perfectly.

Play with Backing Track

Play with Backing Track

Solo (Backing Track)

Solo (Backing Track)