A step-by-step YouTube guitar lesson by Lauren Bateman teaching how to play John Mellencamp’s “Pink Houses.” The video covers the main chords (G, C, D, and occasional F with Fmaj7 alternatives), a recurring intro lick that uses a lifted finger/open-string hammer-on, detailed timing/counting for the intro and measures, suggested strumming patterns for verses and an alternate straight-eighth pattern for the chorus, and a full play-through with lyrics and practice/advice emphasizing capturing the song’s essence over perfection.
Chapters
In this guitar lesson, we're going to be going over John Mellencamp's Pink Houses. That is a really, really cool intro that I can't wait to show you. Step by step, let's get into it.
Now. Let's talk about the chords we're going to be using for the song. We got a G chord, we got a C chord, we got a D chord and I'm so, so sorry a couple times in the verses we do have an F chord. But if you are not great with bar chords, you can always use the F major 7, the 4 fingered version or the 3 finger version. It'll work perfectly fine. So let's really cool intro that we're going to be playing. Let's see how it sounds first is going to sound like this.
So this intro plays through and it comes back in throughout the song. So it's pretty important to get. I'm going to show you a framework. Now. I don't always play it consistently this way. Whenever I teach songs I always tell people like it's not really about perfection, it's about getting the essence of the song. So because most people, if you play songs for friends, they're not going to be like, you played that wrong. Only a real jerk would tell you that. So what we're going to do is show you the essence of what we're doing here. So we got a G chord, okay. And we're playing this bass note, the top string of the G chord, okay. And then we're lifting up our first finger which is on this B note. And we're hitting the open string and then hammering down so it's.
Okay. And then we're hitting an open G string.
I hit the open D string before, but it's the open G string. Okay.
That'S the first part.
And then we're strumming the G chord. Alright? So all together it's going to be.
Okay. So what's the timing on this? Because timing is very important. This first note is a pickup. So it doesn't really. It doesn't start on one, it starts on and after four it's a little pickup. Once we get through the next part of the intro, you'll see it turns into a round. So this is going to be and 1E and 2 and 1E and 2.
Okay. And then what I like to do is, is I like to strum another down on the and after two. So it's going to be and 1E and 2 and 3, 4. Okay, that's your first measure. A 1E and 2 and 3,4. Okay, now we get into a second measure, and what we're doing is switching to a C major chord. And we're going to do one, two, and then on the up strum, we're going to switch to a G chord. Okay? So again, the second measures, just 1, 2, and then up strum is the G chord. We're kind of hopping the rhythm. We're changing on an up strum versus a down strum. So if you put this all together, it's going to sound like this.
So you can see, you can spice it up as much as you want, you can add to it, you can take away from it. And I think the important part, what I really want you guys to get out of this, it doesn't always have to be perfect. If you miss that hammer on. Sometimes I miss the hammer on. Or sometimes I mute the string by accident. Even if you just went.
If you just hit that bass note and strum the G again, gives you the essence of the song.
That time I just. I just kept playing that bass note.
So just goes. You could play it exactly like the song if you want to.
Or you can simplify it.
And that's what I really love to emphasize on this channel, guys. Again, it does not have to be perfect as long as you capture the essence of the song and you're having fun with it. That's really the key. So let's hop into these verses. Now we have a lot of G chord. It's mostly G, which is great. Again, that F chord pops in a couple times. We're going to talk about that. So strumming pattern that we could use. You could just use a simple down, down, up, up, down, up.
Works great for the song. Now, the first time we come across the F chord. So we're going to play six measures of a G chord. Okay, we hang on on that G chord. Nice and easy. When we get to our first F chord, it's going to be like the intro. We're hopping the measure. So I would do one, two, and. Okay, down, down, up, up, down, up. So I take that strumming pattern 1, 2, and. And 4. And. And it would be 1, 1, 2. Then the up strum is going to go to the C and. And four. And. Okay.
Okay. So we're going to be changing on the up strum. And then the second time we come across the F, he changes it. It's a full measure.
And then it's a C for full measure. So the first time we come across the F And the C, they split a measure and then the next time we come across the F and the C, they're full measures. Alright, so let me just play through this verse so that you guys get a feel for it. Okay, we're going to take it for the top. 1, 2, 1, 2. Ready?
There's a black man with a black cat Living in a black neighborhood. He's got an. An estate running through his front yard.
You know, he thinks he's got it.
So co.
Well, there's a woman in the kitchen.
Cleaning up the evening slop. It looks at her and says, hey.
Darling, I can remember you could stop a clock.
Now we got Ain't that America. The chorus part that comes in. And I'm gonna give you an option to change the strumming pattern here. Now you could easily keep the same strumming pattern for the entire song. That's totally fine. But something that I like to do to differentiate verses from choruses is to sometimes change up the strumming pattern. So if this is something you're not familiar with, it's a great skill to practice. So what I would recommend is maybe going to a straight eighth note pattern. 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and all. Up, down, up, down, up down, up down, up down, up down, up, down, up 1 and 2 and 3 and 4.
And all I'm doing, all I'm doing there. You probably heard a little bit of a different. I'm accenting, I'm just strumming a little bit harder on 2 and 4. Gives it a little bit more of a drum feel.
Well, ain't that America? You and me, baby, ain't that America something to see? Baby, ain't that America? Home of the free end little thing else is for you and me.
So you can see how it adds a little bit of dynamic. And then you go from this pattern right back into the intro. It sounds really, really cool. And you notice on the chorus we had no F chord. Okay. Kept it nice and simple. Let's go through that chorus one more time. Okay. With that strumming pattern if you guys want to give it a try. So we got 1, 2, 1, 2.
Ain't that America.
Baby? Eight out of.
The free.
Little big.
Houses for you and me.
Ready, Back to intro.
And you see again, went to that intro, played whatever the hell I wanted, you know, as long as you get the essence of the song. So what we're going to do now is I'm going to take it from that intro. We're going to play through the verse and the chorus. If I'm going too fast on this, feel free. Use that settings cog down there. Slow things down if you have to to play along with me. Ready? One, two, one, two. Ready?
Well, there's a black man with a black ha.
Living in a black neighborhood he's got an an estate running through his front yard he know he thinks he's got it so good.
And there's.
A woman in the kitchen.
Cleaning up the evening slop and he looks at her and says hey darling I remember when you could stop a co.
That America, you and me, baby that America something to see, baby that America home of free.
Little big houses for you and me.
If you're looking for a great way to develop your strumming, then I highly recommend you go check out that video over there. We're going to take one simple rhythm, and we're going to turn into six or seven different strumming patterns by making small tweaks. It's super cool. Go check out that video right over there.
