America - A Horse with No Name - Guitar Lesson

America

1971 4:12

Listen on Spotify

About A Horse with No Name

Open Em tuning is the first thing to sort out before you play a single note of this song. With the guitar tuned to an open E minor chord, the two-chord figure that drives the whole track becomes a matter of knowing two simple shapes and letting the open strings ring freely underneath. That deceptively easy look hides a real rhythmic challenge: the strum pattern is loose and behind-the-beat in a way that trips up players who try to lock it in too rigidly. The feel has to breathe. At 104 BPM in E minor, there is plenty of space, but keeping that laid-back groove consistent across a full take is harder than it sounds. America built their early sound on exactly this kind of understated Folk Rock fingerpicking and strumming, so learning the song well rewards careful listening to the original. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the verse figure slowed down until the rhythm sits naturally in your hand before bringing it back up to tempo.

• The song uses Open Em tuning, which lets open strings ring across both chords and gives the part its characteristic droning, desert-like tone.
• The entire track is built on just two chord shapes, but nailing the relaxed, slightly behind-the-beat strum pattern is the real technical hurdle.
• Practising the recurring two-chord vamp with a light touch and minimal left-hand pressure will help you capture the airy, open sound of the recording.