How to Play Maggie May on Acoustic Guitar

Learn how to play the song “Maggie May” by Rod Stewart on acoustic guitar.  This song was written by  Rod Stewart and Martin Quittenton. It was released in 1971 off the album Every Picture Tells a Story. In 1971 this song topped the charts in both the UK and US.  Check out Wikipedia for more information about this song. 

The original version of this song is somewhat complicated and involved, but marty has simplified it somewhat making it easier for beginners to tackle.

The guitar chords needed for this particular version of the song are A Major, D Major, E Minor, G Major and F#m.

I know what you are saying.  This was a really easy beginner campfire song, and the darn F#m barre chord had to ruin it.  At some point you are going to have to learn these more complicated chords, so please don’t let that scare you away.

The struming pattern: D D DU DU  (where D is down and U is up).

Watch the video tutorial below from Marty to learn the rest of this song.  Marty does a really good job at teaching this song including some tips on the barre chord as well as details about the strumming pattern and more.  Enjoy!

Video Lesson

As Performed by Rod Stewart