With the Riptide Chords, You Can Play Thousands of Easy Songs on Guitar and Ukulele

By Austin

In Part 1 of this tutorial, you'll learn the Riptide chords – plus everything else needed to play Vance Joy’s mega hit.

Skip ahead to any section using the buttons below.

Tuning &
Signature

You'll need a capo.

Riptide
Chords

For guitar and ukulele.

F Barre
Chord

Tips and tricks for guitarists.

Strumming
Pattern

Beginner to advanced.

10-Second
Solo Riff

It's easier than you think.

Music
& Lyrics

Putting it all together.

But Part 2 is where the magic really happens.

You'll learn how to turn the Riptide chords into thousands of easy songs.

Already know the chords to Riptide? Jump straight to Part 2.

If you're a total newbie, be sure you know how to tune your instrument and read chord diagrams.

Here’s a primer for guitar.
Here’s one for the ukulele.

OK.

Let's dive in.

Part 1

How to Play “Riptide” by Vance Joy

Riptide was released in 2013 by Australian singer-songwriter, James Keogh (aka Vance Joy).

It became a viral sensation due to its catchy melody and rhythmic strumming.

And because the Riptide chords are pretty easy, it's a perfect song for beginners on the guitar and ukulele.

What Key Is Riptide In?

The studio recording is in the key of C# major. But most guitar and ukulele websites display the song in C major – with instructions to place a "capo" on the 1st fret.

You don’t necessarily need a capo. But using one lets you play in the original key (while fingering much simpler chords).

Never used a capo before? Here’s a great resource.

How to Use a Capo

What Are the Chords for Riptide?

With a capo on the 1st fret, the Riptide chords are unofficially Am, G, C and F (you might sometimes see Fmaj7 – and we’ll cover that in a bit).

On the ukulele, these 4 chords are very easy.

Ukulele Riptide Chords

And if you can play these, jump to the next section.

But on the guitar...

... those 4 chords are a different story.

Guitar Riptide Chords

If you can already play an F barre chord on the guitar, jump ahead to the next section.

But if you’re like most beginners, that F is a b#tch to play.

Here are some tips that can help.

F Barre Chord Tips (for Guitarists)

I've written a much longer article on how to play the F chord on guitar - specifically the barre version. It's a very in-depth resource. And it also introduces a clever practice technique that'll help make the learning process easier.

Below are 5 tips from that article.

1. Bony Part of the Finger

Use the bony side of your index finger to “barre” the chord.

If you use the fleshy part, you’ll have to press down much harder.

When playing the F barre chord, your thumb acts as a counterbalance – on the back of the guitar’s neck.

2. Move the Capo Higher Up

Play the entire song higher up on the fretboard.

The farther you are from the headstock, the easier it is to play barre chords.

The song won’t be in the right key. But the chord “shapes” will stay the same.

3. Use Thinner Guitar Strings

Using thinner guitar strings can make playing barre chords a little easier.

That’s because you don’t need to apply as much pressure with your index finger.

The National Guitar Academy has instructions on how to change strings.

4. Lower the Action

The “action” of your guitar describes how far the strings are from the neck. The higher the action, the more pressure you need to apply when playing.

With the right tools, adjusting the action is a DIY job.

But any guitar shop can do it for you too.

5. Practice on an Electric

If you have access to an electric guitar, practice on this instead.

Acoustic strings need more pressure than electric ones do.

Once you've locked down the F chord, switch back to acoustic playing.

If the F barre chord is still too hard, don’t give up just yet.

Below are 2 more options.

Option 1: Alternate Fingerings for F Major

There are many fingerings for F major – some that aren’t barred.

Below are 2 of them. They don’t have the same rich sound as the barre version. But they can get you over the hump.

Option 2: Try Fmaj7 Instead

Another solid option is Fmaj7.

It’s even easier to play. And it’s also more correct (if you listen to Vance's studio version).

Okay. Let’s talk about the strumming.

What Is the Riptide Strumming Pattern?

Riptide's strumming pattern is instantly recognizable. It’s got a rhythmic groove that keeps the song upbeat – even though the lyrics are a bit melancholy.

That strumming sequence is below. But if you’re a beginner, this pattern can be tricky. So I’ve included 2 easier versions as well.

The good news is that the Riptide strumming pattern basically repeats throughout the whole song.

There are a few parts that slow down. But if you can master the first bar, you're pretty much set.

Advanced Pattern

Watch video below - starting at 9:53.

Intermediate Pattern

Pattern starts at 1:13 in the next video.

Beginner Pattern

Strum pattern starts at 2:16 in the next video.

The studio version of Riptide has roughly 102 beats per minute (bpm).

That’s pretty fast.

And if you have trouble with this tempo, no worries. Here’s a practice tip that'll help you reach the speed you want.

Use a metronome and set the tempo very slow (e.g. 50 bpm).
If you can play the song with no mistakes, increase the speed to 60 bpm.
Keep working your way up – setting faster and faster tempos.

There are even apps that can automate this process (both for iOS and Android).

You can program these metronomes to speed up over time. So start super slow. And as the minutes go by, the tempo gradually gets faster and faster.

Ok.

We're almost done.

There's only one more section we need to cover. The 10-second riff in the middle of the song.

How to Play the Riptide Solo

In the second half of the song (right before the bridge) is a short riff.

It’s 100% optional. But it's pretty easy. And if you wanna play the entire tune from start to finish, learning this solo is worth it.

Below are tabs and video tutorials - for both guitar and ukulele.

If you've never seen a tab before, read this.

On the Guitar

Guitar Riff Tab

Guitar Riff Video

On the Ukulele

Ukulele Riff Tab

Ukulele Riff Video

Finally.

We have everything we need now.

Let’s see the Riptide chords in action.

Riptide by Vance Joy: Music & Lyrics

(Intro)

Am G C x 2

(Verse)

Am G C

I was scared of dentists and the dark.

Am G C

I was scared of pretty girls and starting conversations.

Am G C

Oh, all my friends are turning green.

Am G C

You're the magician's assistant in their dreams.

(Pre-Chorus)

Am G C

Ooh. Ooh. Ooh.

Am G C

Ooh. Ooh. And they come unstuck.

(Chorus)

Am G C

Lady, running down to the riptide, taken away

Am G C

To the dark side, I wanna be your left hand man.

Am G C

I love you when you're singing that song. And I got a lump

Am G C

In my throat, 'cause you're gonna sing the words wrong.

(Verse)

Am G C

There's this movie that I think you'll like.

Am G C

This guy decides to quit his job and heads to New York City.

Am G C

This cowboy's running from himself.

Am G C

And she's been living on the highest shelf.

(Pre-Chorus)

Am G C

Ooh. Ooh. Ooh.

Am G C

Ooh. Ooh. And they come unstuck.

(Chorus)

Am G C

Lady, running down to the riptide, taken away

Am G C

To the dark side, I wanna be your left hand man.

Am G C

I love you when you're singing that song. And I got a lump

Am G C

In my throat, 'cause you're gonna sing the words wrong.

(Solo)

(Bridge)

Am G

I just wanna, I just wanna know,

C F (or Fmaj7)

If you're gonna, if you're gonna stay.

Am G

I just gotta, I just gotta know,

C F (or Fmaj7)

I can't have it, I can't have it any other way.

(Pre-Chorus)

Am G C

I swear she's destined for the screen.

Am G C

Closest thing to Michelle Pfeiffer that you've ever seen (oh).

(Chorus) x 3

Am G C

Lady, running down to the riptide, taken away

Am G C

To the dark side, I wanna be your left hand man.

Am G C

I love you when you're singing that song. And I got a lump

Am G C

In my throat, 'cause you're gonna sing the words wrong.

If you can play along with the video below:

At the right speed.
Using a capo.
With no mistakes.

Then...

You're ready for Part 2 – the real meat of this article.

On to Part 2.

Let's see what you can really do with the chords to Riptide.

Part 2

Taking It Beyond the Riptide Chords

Before getting started, I wanna give you a little taste.

Here goes.

If you know the chords to Riptide, you can play all 47 of the songs in the Axis of Awesome video below:

The order of the chords is C, G, Am, and F (on a loop).
You’ll need a capo on the 2^nd fret to play in the same key.

Not bad.

You just turned 1 song into 47 – without learning any new chords.

And that's just scratching the surface.

There are literally thousands of tunes that use the Riptide chords – Am, G, C, and F.

And with the Chord Genome Project's free search engine, finding them is both fast and easy.

Just type in the chords you know. And seconds later – Voila!

You have a clickable list of songs from around the Web.

... All of which use your exact chords.

Try it yourself (below).

But definitely come back.

You'll learn how to turn those 1,000 songs into 4,500.

How to Search Songs by Chords

Click on the orange button below and do a search of the Riptide chords – Am, G, C, and F:

Search for Songs

Welcome back.

Hopefully, you got some solid hits.

And because you know the chords already, those songs are all easy wins.

But we can make this list even larger.

Turning the Riptide Chords into Thousands of Easy Songs

You already know that you can play any 4-chord song that uses…

We started Part 2 by searching those exact chords. And we got 1,000+ hits.

But if you put a capo on the 1^st fret, you can play Riptide – plus any other song that uses…

So if you do a search of those 4 chords, you’ll find even more music.

And if you put a capo on the 2^nd fret, you can play all 47 songs in the Axis of Awesome video – plus any other tunes that use…

Search those 4 chords, and you’ll find more songs... all of which are playable with Am, G, C, and F.

See a pattern here?

Moving the capo higher and higher unlocks more music at each stage:

The key signature changes each time.

But......

The basic chord shapes stay the same.

So do separate searches for all of the chord combos below.

And you’ll end up with more than 4,500 songs…

All of which are playable with our original Riptide chords (Am, G, C, and F).

Stand back for a second. And think about what you've just done.

You learned the chords for 1 song.

But you unlocked 4,500+ new tunes in the process.

That's a PHENOMENAL return on investment.

Each songs has a different melody, tempo, and strumming pattern. And it'll take time to clean them up.

But they're all playable with the same 4 chords.

Try it out now.

Search Songs

And if you know anyone who:

Is struggling on the guitar or ukulele...
Or really likes the song, Riptide...

Consider sharing this article with them.

Thanks for reading.

And happy strumming.

What Songs Can I Play
with the Chords I Know?

To find out, use the Search tool below.

Posted in Blog

Find the Perfect Song to Play

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Table of Contents

How to Play “Riptide” by Vance Joy

What Key Is Riptide In?

How to Use a Capo

What Are the Chords for Riptide?

Ukulele Riptide Chords

Guitar Riptide Chords

F Barre Chord Tips (for Guitarists)

1. Bony Part of the Finger

2. Move the Capo Higher Up

3. Use Thinner Guitar Strings

4. Lower the Action

5. Practice on an Electric

Option 1: Alternate Fingerings for F Major

Option 2: Try Fmaj7 Instead

What Is the Riptide Strumming Pattern?

Advanced Pattern

Intermediate Pattern

Beginner Pattern

How to Play the Riptide Solo

On the Guitar

Guitar Riff Tab

Guitar Riff Video

On the Ukulele

Ukulele Riff Tab

Ukulele Riff Video

Riptide by Vance Joy: Music & Lyrics

Taking It Beyond the Riptide Chords

How to Search Songs by Chords

Turning the Riptide Chords into Thousands of Easy Songs

What Songs Can I Playwith the Chords I Know?

To find out, use the Search tool below.

Guitar

Ukulele

Banjo

Mandolin

Other

Don't Know Any Chords (or Songs) Yet?

Let's fix that.

First - choose your instrument.

Guitar

Ukulele

Banjo

Mandolin

Other

What Songs Can I Play
with the Chords I Know?