“Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis Presley is a timeless classic, and great news for beginner guitarists – it’s also quite approachable to play! While the song does include a bar chord, don’t let that scare you off. We’ll show you a simplified version to get you started, and explore an easy strumming pattern perfect for beginners. For those looking to add a bit more flair, we’ll also touch upon a beautiful fingerpicking pattern.
Chords You’ll Need to Play “Can’t Help Falling in Love”
To play “Can’t Help Falling in Love” on guitar, you’ll need to learn a few essential chords. If you want to play along with the original Elvis recording, tuning your guitar with a capo on the 2nd fret will match the key. However, for this lesson, we’ll learn the chords in standard tuning without a capo.
The song begins with a fundamental C major chord. This is often one of the first chords guitarists learn, making it a friendly starting point.
Next, we encounter a G major chord. There are various ways to play a G chord, but for smoother transitions from the C chord, we’ll use a three-finger G. This version simplifies the change from C and utilizes your pinky finger.
G chord with pinky finger for Can't Help Falling in Love guitar
Following the G chord, you’ll use an A minor (Am) chord, and then an E minor (Em) chord. Interestingly, these two chords share the same basic finger shape. For the Em chord, simply move the A minor shape down one string set.
E minor chord diagram for guitar players learning Can't Help Falling in Love
Now, we arrive at the F major chord. The standard F major is a bar chord, which can be challenging for beginners. If bar chords are new to you, don’t worry! We have an alternate F chord you can use. This simplified F omits the barre, making it easier to play while still capturing the essence of the chord. With this version, you avoid playing the first and sixth strings. You can gently mute the first string with the edge of your index finger. It takes a little practice to find the right pressure to mute only the first string, so experiment to get a clean sound.
The full F bar chord looks like this. Don’t feel pressured to master the bar chord right away; the alternate F is perfectly suitable for learning “Can’t Help Falling in Love”.
Full F bar chord diagram for guitar lesson on Can't Help Falling in Love
The B7 chord can be a bit more complex as it uses all four fingers while keeping the second string open. Here’s a helpful way to approach it: practice forming the B7 shape, then release your fingers. Repeat this several times. This repetition helps build muscle memory and makes forming the chord smoother over time.
In contrast, the A7 chord is considerably easier. Many guitarists play A7 using their second and third fingers, placed on the second and fourth strings respectively. Alternatively, you can use your first and second fingers. The key is to ensure the first, third, and fifth strings ring open and clear.
A7 chord diagram for guitar tutorial for Can't Help Falling in Love
The final chord in this song is the D minor (Dm) chord. A common fingering for Dm uses your fourth finger on the second string, but you can also use your third finger if that feels more comfortable. Your first finger frets the first string, and your second finger frets the third string.
Verse Chord Progression for “Can’t Help Falling in Love”
Now that you’re familiar with the chords, here’s the chord progression for the verse of “Can’t Help Falling in Love”:
C – Em – Am – Am
F – C – G – G
F – G – Am – F
C – G – C – C
At this stage, a great practice tip is to simply focus on smoothly transitioning between these chords. If changing chords is still challenging, dedicate practice time just to that. You can start by practicing chord changes without strumming. Simply fret each chord, ensure it rings clearly, and then move to the next chord in the progression. This can be a productive practice session in itself.
Once you feel comfortable with the chord changes, you can introduce a simple strumming pattern. A basic down-down-up-down strum can work beautifully with this song and is easy for beginners to grasp.
Bridge Chord Progression
“Can’t Help Falling in Love” has a straightforward song structure, primarily using verses and bridges. Once you’ve mastered the verse and bridge sections, you’ve essentially learned the entire song’s chord structure!
Here is the chord progression for the bridge:
Em – B7 – Em – B7
Em – B7 – Em – A7
Dm – G
Bonus Fingerpicking Pattern
For those ready to explore beyond strumming, “Can’t Help Falling in Love” sounds beautiful with a fingerpicking pattern. A gentle and melodic fingerpicking style can add depth and emotion to your performance of the song. Experiment with patterns that emphasize the bass notes on the downbeats and arpeggiate the chords. This bonus technique adds a lovely dimension to playing this classic tune.
