Fake Plastic Trees Guitar Lesson – Radiohead


"Fake Plastic Trees" was released in 1995 on Radiohead's second album The Bends.

Written by vocalist/guitarist  Thom Yorke, "Fake Plastic Trees" is a simple melancholic masterpiece performed primarily on acoustic guitar.

In this Fake Plastic Trees guitar lesson, I will demonstrate how to play the chords to this simple yet extremely effective Radiohead hit.

The main chord progression is based around an A major chord, occasionally altering it with a suspended chord.

Thom Yorke creates a descending bass line around the A major chord that create an interesting series of chords as a result.

We will just be using simple open position chords here so nothing will probably be too problematic for you. Pay close attention to the timing of the Asus4 chord. It usually signals a coming chord change.

The second chord progression starts with a very cool Bmin11 chord. I know it sounds like it would be hard to play, but it isn't. That entire chord progression is based around just that Bmin11 and the A major chord.

I think "Fake Plastic Trees" would be great for the beginning level guitarist, or simply anyone who is a fan of the song. The fact that there is no barre chords makes this song accessible to just about any player on a technical level.

So I hope you enjoy this Radiohead classic. It truly is one of my favorite songs on the 90's.

Carl...

If these free lessons help you, please donate to keep new ones coming daily. Thanks!! 🙂

Donate to GuitarLessons365
Other Amount:

Fake Plastic Trees Guitar Lesson - Radiohead

Leave a Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.