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The Wonderwall Trick

Four chords, and two notes that never move. Wonderwall (Oasis, 1995) is played with a capo on the 2nd fret and four shapes, Em7 – G – Dsus4 – A7sus4, and the ring and little fingers stay on the 3rd fret of the two highest strings for every chord: the same two top notes (D and G in shape names, E and A as you hear them with the capo) ring all the way through. See why that glues the loop together on the circle: common tones like a mini drone, chords moving under a fixed ceiling, and sus chords whose fourths are exactly those two notes, open and unresolved, so the loop floats. Then play the trick on the piano, holding D and G in the right hand while the left hand changes underneath, and build your own pair.

In this lesson you'll

  • Play the four Wonderwall shapes (capo 2: Em7 022033, G 320033, Dsus4 xx0233, A7sus4 x02233) and see that the ring and little fingers stay on the 3rd fret of the two highest strings, so the top notes D and G (heard as E and A with the capo) never move.
  • Explain why it glues together: common tones (D and G are in all four chords, a mini drone), only the lower notes change under a fixed ceiling, and the sus chords replace the third with the fourth (D F# A → D G A, A C# E G → A D E G), so they sound open and unresolved (lessons 15 and 93).
  • Use the trick on the piano: hold D5 + G5 in the right hand while the left hand plays Em7, G, Dsus4 and A7sus4 underneath, then pick your own two notes and find four chords that contain both (e.g. G + C: C, Am7, Fadd9, Gsus4).

Music in this lesson

  • WonderwallOasis · 1995 · capo 2, shapes Em7 – G – Dsus4 – A7sus4 (chord shapes only, generic strum; no melody)
  • Hotel CaliforniaEagles · 1976 · in B minor (recap of lesson 96; chords only)

Remember

Wonderwall (Oasis, 1995): capo 2, shapes Em7 – G – Dsus4 – A7sus4; two fingers stay on the 3rd fret of the two highest strings, so the same two top notes ring through every chord.

Common tones glue chords together: D and G sit in all four chords, like a mini drone, and only the lower notes move, so the chords seem to shift under a fixed ceiling.

Sus chords swap the third for the fourth; in Dsus4 and A7sus4 the fourths are the two top notes themselves, so the loop sounds open, unresolved and floating, and open strings plus fixed fingers make it easy and ringing.