Crowded House - Don't Dream It's Over - Guitar Lesson

About Don't Dream It's Over

Neil Finn's writing for Crowded House sits right at the heart of Pop Rock, and "Don't Dream It's Over" is a perfect example of how much weight a clean, well-voiced chord progression can carry. The song moves through E major with a handful of carefully chosen inversions and passing chords, so your fretting hand needs to be precise rather than fast. At 120 BPM the feel is steady and unhurried, which means any sloppiness in your chord transitions becomes obvious. Focus early on getting smooth, quiet changes between the main chords before you worry about dynamics. The signature guitar texture here is open and ringing in E Standard, so let the notes sustain and avoid muting accidentally with your palm. There is a recurring arpeggio-style figure that rewards close attention: use the Practice Toolbar to loop it slowed down until the fingering feels automatic, then bring it up to tempo.

• The song is in E major with E Standard tuning, so open strings ring naturally and support the wide, sustained chord voicings throughout.
• A recurring arpeggio figure is the trickiest part for most players: looping it slowed down in the Practice Toolbar will help lock in the picking pattern.
• At 120 BPM the tempo is moderate, but clean chord transitions matter a lot because the arrangement leaves little to hide behind.