Pharrell Williams – Happy (Tab)
To counteract yesterday’s gloomfest I decided to do a version of the most cheerful song of the summer. Plus I was feeling like a room without a roof so this is the smiliest I have looked in any video ever.
Technique Notes
For the most part I’m playing the verses and the middle picking and the chorus with strums.
In the chorus I’m using a triplet technique (although I’m not actually playing triplets) by strumming down with my index finger, then flicking my index finger up, then my middle finger up. But that’s very much optional. You can strum it however seems appropriate to you.
In the middle section I’m recreating the soul-claps by playing muted notes on the g-string.
Variations
In the tab I’ve just indicated to repeat the verse twice. Which you can certainly get away with. For my version I’ve done a few variations in the timing. The only big difference is the “No offence to you…” bit. There I play this:
Making it Easier
This one is a bit tricky. So a couple of pointers for making it easier.
You can drop the harmony in the riff and just play it like this:
The muted notes in the middle section are very tricky. So you can just drop those in that section and play it with just the sparse melody.
You are a wonderful human being with a lovely smile