Hunter Hayes “I Want Crazy” guitar lesson

Posted a new video lesson this morning! This week I take a look at the new Hunter Hayes single “I Want Crazy.” There are other videos on YouTube (and elsewhere) covering the rhythm guitar, which is relatively straightforward. So, I decided to focus on the main theme, which initially appears the intro, then after the first chorus (1:13) and again in the outro (3:19). The theme is a challenging lick utilizing triplets, swung 8th notes, hammer-ons, pull-offs and slides. Throughout, the theme has a Celtic dance feel to it, and is fun to play (especially at or near album tempo)!

This is a good example of a phrase where metronome practice is invaluable. Learn each phrase, and be very conscious of choosing a specific picking pattern and fingerings (you don’t necessarily have to use my fingerings from the video, but pick a fingering and stay with it). Find a tempo, no matter how slow, that you can play each phrase in proper time with the metronome. With enough repetition, you’ll be able to gradually increase the tempo until you reach performance speed.

A PDF of the lesson (standard notation and tab) is available here.

2 thoughts on “Hunter Hayes “I Want Crazy” guitar lesson

  1. winsyko

    Thanks for PDF! I caught up with the beat already! The PDF and the video helps a lot! I wanna know will you cotinue to teach the rest of the song? I noticed in the middle of the song has another different solo

  2. Andrew

    Wow! This is in my opinion the best cover I’ve found on the internet. Well taught and well played. Thanks so much. It really takes the frustration out of finding an easy, well taught, and well played cover.

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