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Pink Floyd - Hey You Pt.1 - Intro and Chords - Guitar Lesson

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Pink Floyd - Hey You Pt.1 - Intro and Chords guitar lesson video
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Pink Floyd Progressive Rock E minor
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About Hey You Pt.1 - Intro and Chords

Few Pink Floyd tracks reward close guitar study quite like "Hey You," and this intro section is a perfect place to start. The opening fingerpicked acoustic passage is deceptively quiet but technically demanding: you need clean string separation, controlled dynamics, and a right-hand pattern that stays consistent while the left hand shifts through the moody chord shapes that define the E minor tonality. Those chord voicings are not all straightforward open shapes, so take time to notice exactly which fingers Pink Floyd use in the recorded arrangement and how each voicing moves to the next. The slow, atmospheric feel means any hesitation between chord changes is immediately audible, so precision matters more than speed here. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the chord transition passages slowed down until the movement between shapes feels natural under your fingers. Getting the fingerpicking rhythm locked in before adding the chord shifts is the smartest order of attack.

  • The intro relies on fingerpicked acoustic guitar, so a clean, even right-hand technique is essential before worrying about the chord shapes.
  • All the harmony sits in E minor, giving the progression a dark, tense quality that comes through best with light, controlled picking dynamics.
  • The chord changes are slow and exposed, meaning any hesitation or buzzing rings out clearly, so isolate each transition and loop it slowed down.

How to Play Hey You Pt.1 - Intro and Chords

Key: E minor · Tempo: 74 BPM

"Hey You" is played in D Standard tuning at 74 bpm, and the intro fingerpicking pattern is the core challenge: the picking hand must maintain a steady, independent thumb bass while the fingers articulate the melody cleanly. The left hand needs to hold chord shapes firmly enough to let notes ring into each other, which is harder than it sounds at this slow tempo because any muting becomes immediately audible. Use the section loop to isolate the intro pattern and practice it at reduced speed before adding the chord transitions, since rushing that pattern is the most common mistake. The reward is developing the kind of controlled, singing sustain that defines this style of guitar playing.

Loop each section and focus on clean, even timing rather than speed, with the metronome at 74 BPM.

Fender Stratocaster
Guitar

Fender Stratocaster

Gilmour's 1969 Black Strat is his primary instrument, offering glassy neck pickup tones perfect for his singing bends and the warm, rounded character that defines Pink Floyd's melodic solos without harsh brightness.

Fender Telecaster
Guitar

Fender Telecaster

This workhorse guitar provided Gilmour with a brighter, more cutting tone for rhythm work and alternative textures, offering the snap and clarity needed for Pink Floyd's diverse sonic palette across studio and live performances.

Gibson Les Paul Standard
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Standard

Gilmour's 1955 Les Paul Goldtop, fitted with original P-90 pickups, delivers the thick, gritty midrange essential for iconic solos like Comfortably Numb's outro, providing tonal weight and sustain that Strats cannot match.

Gibson Les Paul Custom
Guitar

Gibson Les Paul Custom

Though less documented than the Goldtop, this model would offer similar thick, sustained tones with enhanced versatility through multiple pickup switching, supporting Gilmour's need for varied textures within complex Pink Floyd arrangements.

Fender Twin Reverb
Amp

Fender Twin Reverb

Gilmour used Twin Reverbs for their exceptional clean headroom and built-in reverb, creating spacious, shimmering textures that complement his delay-heavy effects chain and define Pink Floyd's atmospheric, three-dimensional soundscapes.

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah
Pedal

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah

The Cry Baby opens Gilmour's effects chain, allowing expressive vocal-like phrasing on solos, integral to Pink Floyd's emotional delivery and creating dynamic dynamic tonal sweeps that enhance the band's psychedelic and progressive character.

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