Elton John Acoustic Guitar Pack

Lessons

• Lesson 1: Tiny Dancer

  Tiny Dancer was the opening cut on Elton John’s 1971 album Madman Across The Water. Of course, it is piano driven, but Neil has adapted it for acoustic guitar. The intro and verse are tabbed out showing his arpeggio picking that hints at the piano arrangement, then there are just chords strummed with the fingers in the pre-chorus, the chorus and an instrumental bridge.
  Typical of Elton’s style, there are lots of chord inversions not commonly used by guitar players, but most of them are not difficult. This lesson might be considered advanced-intermediate.

• Lesson 2: Your Song - Guitar Lesson

  Your Song is one of the songs that put the songwriting team of Elton John and Bernie Taupin on the musical map that was evolving in 1970. Elton’s brilliant music and piano arrangements translate pretty well to the guitar, as do most well written compositions. In this lesson we look at how to imitate the piano sound with fingerpicking patterns and chord inversions.

• Lesson 3: Madman Across The Water - Guitar Lesson Elton John

  Madman Across The Water was written by Elton John and his main lyricist, Bernie Taupin and was the title song from his 1971 album. It is one of his few songs that features acoustic guitar. The lesson goes over the basic riff and strumming accompaniment. Neil also improvises a chord solo arrangement of the tune which is not covered in the lesson but tab is included.

• Lesson 4: Daniel - Guitar Lesson

  Daniel is a great acoustic guitar song by Elton John. The original included a guitar strumming along with Elton’s piano, and some nice keyboard fills and a solo as well. This lesson looks at the chord progression in the original key of C and adds the fills and solo to create a very complete guitar part. The song is from Elton’s 1973 album Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only The Piano Player.

• Lesson 5: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Elton John - Guitar Lesson

  In 1973 Elton John and lyricist collaborated on the double album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. The song was obviously done on piano but the choice of chords and the progression are fascinating and compelling.
  
  This lesson takes more of a Campfire approach but goes into transcribing the intro for guitar, as well as challenging the student to do a little harmonic analysis to determine what keys are used and the relationships of the chords. It uses a lot of different chords, many barres, and includes one very quick change. There is also a bonus segment where I explore the possibilities of doing an instrumental arrangement.

• Lesson 6: Can You Feel The Love Tonight?

  'Can You Feel The Love Tonight?' is a song from Disney's 1994 film 'The Lion King', composed by artist Elton John with lyrics by Tim Rice. It earned the duo the Academy Award for Best Original Song. 

  This lesson teaches a fingerstyle arrangement in the key of G, where the guitar is capoed on the 3rd fret. 

  It breaks down several examples for the fingerpicking, and a few strumming suggestions for the ones who prefer to do that.  We take a look at the chords, including some inversions and their fingerings, as well as how to incorporate the melody in the intro. 

  Keep in mind, one should be comfortable fingerpicking in general. It should also come out a little different each time.

   

• Lesson 7: Love Song - Acoustic Guitar Lesson

  Love Song is one of the rare tunes to appear on an Elton John album that he did not write. The songwriter was Lesley Duncan, who was known a bit in England but never achieved worldwide recognition. She did play the guitar part and sing harmony on Elton's 1970 album Tumbleweed Connection.

  The guitar part is very basic fingerpicking and uses only two chords with some embellishments. Nancy and Ann Wilson, of Heart also are known to perform the song live and this lesson also covers Nancy's version of the song, which has a bit more variety in the chords and picking.

• Lesson 8: Bennie And The Jets

  In this acoustic guitar lesson, you’ll learn how to play Bennie and the Jets by Elton John — a piano-driven classic reimagined for guitar. We’ll break down the song’s signature rhythm, chord progression, and strumming patterns that capture the groove and soul of the original. You’ll learn how to mimic the syncopated piano stabs using muted strums and dynamics on acoustic guitar, along with simplified voicings of the main chords to suit a singer-songwriter style.

  Perfect for intermediate players, this lesson will help you build confidence in rhythm, dynamics, and arranging piano songs for acoustic guitar. Whether you're performing solo or jamming with friends, this version of Bennie and the Jets brings new life to a timeless hit.

• Lesson 9: Rocket Man

  An acoustic strumming arrangement of Elton John's Rocket Man, first released in 1972 on his album Honky Chateau.

  In this acoustic guitar lesson, you'll learn how to play Rocket Man by Elton John — a spacey, emotional ballad that combines rich harmony with a laid-back groove. Originally piano-driven, this arrangement translates the song’s essential elements to acoustic guitar, capturing its melodic flow and atmospheric feel.

  We’ll walk through the chord progression, strumming patterns, and rhythmic nuances that give Rocket Man its distinctive character. You'll learn how to support the vocal melody with tasteful voicings and dynamics, making the song feel full and expressive even in a stripped-down solo or duo setting.

  Perfect for intermediate players, this lesson helps you build confidence in chord transitions, timing, and emotional delivery — bringing one of Elton John’s most iconic songs to life on acoustic guitar. A must-have for any singer-songwriter or classic rock enthusiast.

• Lesson 10: Crocodile Rock

  Elton John’s 1972 album, Don’t Shoot Me I’m Only The Piano Player included his retro nod to the 1950s, Crocodile Rock. Originally driven by piano and synth, the arrangement adapts the infectious rhythm, catchy chord progressions, and melodic hooks for acoustic guitar, making it a fun and lively addition to any setlist.

  We start with The Campfire Version, great for beginners, with a basic strumming pattern and easy chords in the key of G. That is followed with sections on embellishing each part – The Intro, The Verse, The Chorus, and even The 50s Lick, originally done on electric guitar way up the neck.

  There are some complex syncopations that will prove challenging to intermediate students but will be a lot of fun to tackle. This lesson is a great way to build rhythmic confidence and have fun with one of Elton John’s most playful and crowd-pleasing tunes. Crocodile Rock brings nostalgic joy to any acoustic performance.

• Lesson 11: I'm Still Standing

  Elton John had a bit of a comeback in 1983 with I'm Still Standing from the album Too Low For Zero. It had been many years since every song on one of his albums was written with Bernie Taupin, and his old band was back on board. This catchy tune featured unusual harmonization, chord inversions, and even mode changes.

  This lesson mostly covers strumming through the chords with a driving rhythm pattern, and includes a very quick and challenging chord change.

• Lesson 12: Empty Garden

  Empty Garden is Elton John and Bernie Taupin's tribute to John Lennon, released in 1982 on his Jump Up! album. Elton has played it in various keys over the years and we take advantage of that by looking at the progression by chord number instead of specific names, at first at least.

  This starts out as an ear training exercise for the student to try to identify the chords after getting oriented in each key by hearing the sequence I-IV-I-V-I. We go through three different keys in Part 2. All is revealed in Part 3 and even a beginning student should be able to strum through the progression.

  We add a few of Elton's more piano-friendly embellishments and specific details in Part 4 for those who want to add polish it up a bit.