Phil Collins - Against All Odds - Guitar Lesson

The Singles (Expanded)

2016 3:26

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About Against All Odds

Few songs test a guitarist's ability to serve a melody the way this slow-burning power ballad does. Written for a 1984 film soundtrack, it sits in Ab major at a relaxed 104 BPM in standard tuning, which means every chord shape is clean and accessible, but the real work is in your touch. The challenge here is not speed or complexity: it is restraint, dynamics, and letting the chord voicings breathe underneath the vocal line. Fingerpicking or a very light pick attack suits the intro and verses far better than strumming hard, and keeping your fretting hand relaxed is key to avoiding tightness in those sustained chords. Phil Collins built this song around emotional weight rather than flash, and that demands the same from your playing. If the chord transitions into the chorus feel rushed, use the Practice Toolbar to loop that section slowed down until the movement becomes automatic. It is also a great song for working on clean Pop Rock voicings with minimal fuss.

• The song sits in Ab major in standard tuning, so no retuning is needed, but barre chord transitions require smooth, relaxed fretting to keep the tone clean.
• At 104 BPM, the tempo is slow enough to focus on dynamics, making it ideal practice for controlling pick attack and sustain through each chord change.
• A fingerpicking or light pick approach on the intro and verses captures the delicate feel of the original arrangement far better than strumming.