Semisonic - Closing Time - Guitar Lesson

About Closing Time

At 92 BPM in G major, "Closing Time" by Semisonic sits in a comfortable mid-tempo pocket that rewards clean, relaxed playing over flashy technique. The song is built on a repeating chord progression that cycles through open and barre shapes, and keeping that progression feeling effortless is the real challenge: every transition needs to land right on the beat without rushing or dragging. The strumming pattern carries a lot of the song's momentum, so spend time locking in the rhythmic feel before worrying about anything else. E Standard tuning means nothing unusual to set up, and the Pop Rock feel calls for a balanced, not overly distorted tone. If the chord changes between the verse and chorus feel slippery at first, use the Practice Toolbar to loop just that section slowed down until the transitions become automatic. Once the rhythm is solid, focus on keeping your fretting hand relaxed through the full length of the song.

• The song runs at 92 BPM in G major, making it a good tempo for building clean chord-change habits without the pressure of a fast pace.
• E Standard tuning is used throughout, so no retuning is needed, and open G major chord voicings work well across the progression.
• The strumming pattern is the core skill to nail here: a consistent rhythmic feel over repeating chord shapes is what carries the whole performance.