Ain't No Sunshine Guitar Lesson

Learn how to play Ain't No Sunshine by Bill Withers!

In order to understand music, improvise and communicate it with other musicians we can't just think of chords like Am and Dm.

Instead, we first learn what key the song is in, then name the chords in relation to that key as a number.

By doing it this way we get to the core of what the chords mean, what they sound like, not just what their name is.

'Ain't No Sunshine' could be seen as a variation on the minor blues: VI - II - VI - III - II - VI.
The verse chords used are: VI - III - V - VI, the "turnaround" use: III - II - VI, just like a minor blues.

Small variations and tricks like this is what took Blues into Soul music and ultimately paved the way for singer songwriters.
If you can understand chord movement like this, you can start to speak the language of music.

Ain't No Sunshine Chords

Am7 might sound like a complicated chord to play, but all you do is remove your ring finger and let the open G string ring.

Notice how the Am7 chord finds another b7 on the top string in the video lesson.

If you know your intervals you can manipulate any chord like this.

Dm7 is build in just the same way as Am7, simply replace the root with a b7.

The root is found on the second string in a normal Dm shape, for Dm7 you move this down two frets and replace it with a b7, we now have a Dm7 chord.

Take some time to compare Am7 to Am and Dm7 to Dm, describe the sound to yourself.

Guitar Conspiracy e Book

Am7, Am shape

Dm7, Dm shape

Em, Em shape

G, G shape