New song: Happier for guitar, piano, and singing

“Happier”, made famous by Marshmello and Bastille, was released in 2018 and is currently in the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100. Great for vocals and keyboards, but fun to play on guitar too! “Happier” is available in Yousician for Guitar, Piano, and Singing.

Happier for Guitar
by: James Neilson, Music Education Designer for Guitar

Let’s play this catchy pop tune, with memorable hooks and a great groove. Notice the changing dynamics (loudness vs softness) throughout the song, as it builds from quiet sections with just a couple of instruments, up to the chorus with big drums beats and synths. This contrast keeps the song moving along like it’s going on a journey.

In the basic riff exercise (level 1) you’ll play along with the low synth, which is a great basic way to connect with the song. It’s all in the first 3 frets – try to use one finger per fret as shown.

The main melody exercise (level 4) lets you play a slightly simplified version of the vocal melody and the catchy synth line in the chorus. There are some quick 8th-notes in there, so use down-up picking if needed.

With the cowboy chords exercise (level 5) you’ll play the chords of the song, using nice familiar cowboy shapes. Look out for some tricky syncopated bits starting on up-strums, and some quick chord changes – start slow if needed. It’s designed to use a capo on fret 5, but if you don’t have one just hit ‘transpose’ and you can play along without one.

In the full melody exercise (level 7) you’ll play the extremely catchy vocal melody and synth line – it’ll be stuck in your head all day! Look out for the quick 16th notes, syncopated (off-beat) rhythms, and the triplet lines in the verses – focus carefully on your timing.

Happier for Piano
by: Sunny Choi, Music Education Designer for Piano

Follow the rising and falling melody with the melody exercise (level 4). Catch all the melody notes as they rise and fall. The range of notes is not very large in this song, but the journey from start to finish feels fun and satisfying\!

With the chords exercise (level 5), familiarize yourself with the chord progression.
Chord progression acts as the backbone of the music. Becoming familiar with the chords will help you guide with becoming more comfortable with the changing hand position also.

Can you catch all the notes on the accompaniment exercise (level 9)?

“Happier” is a fun song that includes a variety of rhythmic patterns in each section. There are lots of ways to decorate the chords despite the repetition.