How to play I Love You, Goodbye by Midland
What is the number one thing you need to learn how to play I Love You, Goodbye by Midland? Kick-ass, quacky, Stratocaster tone!
Ok, the truth is you just need a guitar, but I love the Strat tone on this one. Even though I’m a die-hard Tele fan, this song features “Stratocaster – done right!” Between the double stops, single-note licks, and doubled bass lines, this song is a blast to learn. If you’re a fan of Midland’s ballads, this is probably on your list of “great Midland songs!”
Below you’ll find the tablatures for the electric guitar and acoustic guitar; plus you’ll get chord diagrams to help you strum along. If you need to see a demonstration, fear not! I’ve got a YouTube video covering all of the licks! And if you need to have the tablatures, you can download a copy by becoming a Patreon supporter https://www.patreon.com/smellytele, or you can purchase a copy at SMP Press (https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/22199403)!
Gear Corner
Like this post’s intro says, learning how to play I Love You, Goodbye will require a Stratocaster to match the tone on the record. You could use a Stratocaster copy or S-style guitar by another manufacturer as long as you have that quacky 2nd position where the bridge and middle pickups are activated. Using the bridge or middle pickup (depending on how your strat is wired) will be too much power, so be sure to roll your tone knob back from 100%! Otherwise, the full power of both pickups will result in a tone that is too glassy, sparkly, and spanky. The more mellow tone of the Start’s 2nd position is what you’re going for here.
For amplification, I recommend using a Fender Deluxe Reverb. It’s a warm and full sound that still gives you some bright high end to help the licks stand out a bit from the band If you have one of the Line 6 Pods, you can dial in the Blackface Luxe amplifier which models the Deluxe Reverb digitally. I think any of the reverb series amps would give you an authentic sound, so feel free to experiment and play around.
For the acoustic guitar, I see the Midland boys playing a number of different acoustics in their live videos. In the lesson video, I use my Martin Custom D Classic with an LR Baggs Anthem pickup. Based on the many acoustics Midland uses, I think anything with steel strings on it will get you there.
Guitar Chords
For today’s lesson, we will only need four chords! When learning how to play I Love You, Goodbye by Midland, you’ll see these chords used in several different progressions. This song is a great example of how four chords can be mixed up, turned around, and they all sound good! If you’re a budding singer-songwriter, this will be an interesting study for you!
Nashville Numbers
Now that we have the chords down, let’s dive into the Nashville numbers for I Love You, Goodbye! What’s great about a 4 chord song? The Nashville numbers are simple. Even better, it highlights a very common progression that you will be able to recognize in other songs!
Since we’re in the key of E, the E chord is going to be the I (1) chord. When playing the verses, the chords switch between A and E, or the IV and I (4 and 1) chords. How do we know A is the 4 chord? We start with the song’s key (E), and we assign each note in the major scale a number in ascending order. Starting with E or the 1st note, we then move to an F# or the 2nd note. The third note is an Ab, and the fourth note is A. Ta-da! The 4 chord!
At the end of the verses, you’ll hear a descending chord movement going from Dbm to B, A, E, and back to B. The Dbm & B chords are the VI & V (6 and 5) chords. To find the V chord, you do just what we did before by putting a number to each note in the E major scale. We’ve already counted to the fourth note, which is A, and if we continue the fifth note is B and the sixth is Db. Therefore the V (5) chord is B and the VI (6) chord is a Dbm minor. (Note, typically when in a major key, the 6 chord will be a minor chord.)
Why Do I Keep Revisiting the Nashville Numbers?
If you’re planning on meeting up with some friends, the Nashville numbers give you a great way to communicate the song structures to each other. If you and your mates can write down the numbers for each tune, it gives you the flexibility to change the key.
Why would you change the key? As a guitar player, you normally do not request a key change, but if you sing, you may request key changes on the fly! Have you ever tried to sing a song on the radio and found it’s way too high or way too low? Well, if you understand the numbers, you can change the key higher or lower and instantly change the chords! The better your musical foundation and understanding, the better your ability to play with others!
Lead Guitar Licks
Yes, yes. I hear some of you saying, “Come on, man! Get to the licks!” Without further adieu, grab your Strat (or any guitar with a warm neck pickup) and get ready to learn how to play I Love You, Goodbye’s electric guitar licks.
Intro
The song opens up with a simple lick on the Strat, and then the band kicks in with the bass, drums, and some acoustic guitar. This lick is something the intermediate player can pick up quickly, and it just sounds cool!
After a few bars of the band playing, the Strat is going to come back with a tasty lick on the lower strings. Making use of a couple of slides, this is also something the beginner to intermediate player can play easily.
Verses
The verses use the same low lick we just learned. After you play this a couple of times, you’ll simply strum the chords in the pre-chorus. If you’re a lead guitarist, you can sit back and take it easy! No blistering speed here.
Chorus
And it’s a beautiful chorus. The music is uplifting and the words are heartbreaking. Lead guitar-wise? You can continue relaxing. Just strum a few simple chords, and you’ve got the jist.
As the chorus ends, you will play an awesome descending lick.
Verse 2
Then you’re into Verse 2. It’s exactly the same as Verse 1, except we add one riff under the lyrics “Our eyes might meet, and we’ll smile…” Check it out!
You’ll notice at Measure 79 that there’s new lick! It’s a neat little walk-up in B leading into the chorus.
Chorus 2
Chorus 2 is exactly the same as Chorus 1. Instead of rehashing the same simple chords, I’m going to jump straight to the Solo!
Guitar Solo!
Simplicity is the theme in this song, and the theme continues in the guitar solo. We’re going to copy the lick we learned after Chorus 1 note for note, then we’re going to repeat it and switch up the ending a little.
After the solo, we have a brief pre-chorus with an easy country bend lick.
Then you’ll play Chorus 3. It’s just about the same as Chorus 1 and 2, but has a small walk down using the Dbm, B, to A progression in the middle. It’s easy, and you can pick this up in the lesson video.
Outro!
The final licks of the song echo what we’ve already covered, so these licks should look very familiar by now!
That’s IT!
Now you know how to play I Love You, Goodbye!! If you’re looking for more country electric guitar riffs, check out our lesson for Tennessee Whiskey (smellytele.com)! The main riff is based on R&B and country-style licks that a beginner can pick up; additionally, we cover the guitar solo and fills!
Or if you’re an avid Midland fan, check out our lesson on Runnin’ Wild (smellytele.com) or Put The Hurt On Me (smellytele.com)!
Remember, if you would like to support this webpage, please become a patron on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/smellytele! A perk of being a patron? You’ll be able to download the tabs so you can follow along with the video lessons & our lesson posts!
Also, go and check out some of our other electric guitar lessons! We have lessons for All Night, Brothers Osborne (smellytele.com) and Only Daddy That’ll Walk The Line (smellytele.com)
And if you liked the guitar we used in today’s video, check out our full review of the Martin Custom D Classic Rosewood (smellytele.com). A review of the Fender American Elite Stratocaster is coming soon!
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