Don’t Look Back Into The Sun (The Libertines) Guitar Lesson with TAB

Don’t Look Back Into The Sun Guitar Lesson + TAB

In this guitar lesson, we use TAB to investigate how to incorporate the intro melody with strumming. There's also a great CAGED exercise hidden in this tune!

Don’t Look Back Into The Sun | TAB

Let’s assume you want to play this indie rock punk-pop classic on one acoustic guitar, get a rhythmic exercise, and incorporate that riff into the strumming!

Here’s the first part of the intro, it is slightly modified. I have taken the basic rhythm and applied it to all chords, the x’s are mutes so keep your strumming hand’s pendulum movement constant.

Don't Look Back Into The Sun TAB, intro 1st half.

This is a great exercise and introduction to the CAGED system. These are the CAGED shapes:

The first G is a D-shape
The D is an A-shape
The Em is an Am-shape
The C is an A-shape
The last G is an E-shape
The last D is an open position D without the low D string

Practice very slowly before you play along with the original. As you do, you’ll notice how there is rhythmic variation in there, they mainly add a 16th-note triplet.

But before you get to that, make sure you can hear this rhythm called a 3 – 3 – 2, count 123, 123, 12 when it’s 8th notes.

Another great tune for this type of rhythm is Ting Ting’s That’s Not My Name.

To learn how to play the 16th note triplet better, check That’s Entertainment, once you can play that, and the TAB above, combine it!

Here’s the next section of the intro, strumming with the melody incorporated gives up crazy chord names!

Don't Look Back Into The Sun TAB, intro with melody.

The names are there because the melody hits these intervals:

Gadd4 is a G chord with a 3rd and a sus4
D13omi3 is a D chord without a 3rd, but with a 6 and b7
Em7b6 is an Em with a 5th, b6, and b7
D5/A is a D power chord with the 5th in the bass

Here’s the verse, it may look simple but there is loads of detail here as well.

Don't Look Back Into The Sun TAB, verse.

The first G chord is a triad, and the second is a power chord, without that open B string.

D5/A is a way to fatten up a D chord without a 3rd.

Between all chords we use open strings to switch to the next, or in some cases, hold it into the next chord, maintaining some notes.

Here’s the bridge, now the rhythm changes.

Don't Look Back Into The Sun TAB, bridge.

That C chord is kind of a similar thing to what happened rhythmically in the intro, but twice as long. it’s not half-time, but almost.

Practice all TAB examples slowly at first, and then along with the original recording.

Should you play this as the only instrument, maybe do it slightly slower than the original band version!

Don’t Look Back Into The Sun TAB | Related Pages

Don’t Look Back Into The Sun | Chords + Lyrics

Don't Look Back Into The Sun chords lesson.

You can learn how to play Don’t Look Back Into The Sun by The Libertines using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.

| G | D | Em | D |
Don’t look back into the sun, now you know that the time is come…

Five similar tunes | Chords + Lyrics

When you can play the TAB for Don’t Look Back Into The Sun, try these five tunes from the songbook.

The Libertines tunes

The Libertines wrote Don’t Look Back Into The Sun.

Peter Doherty and Carl Barât formed The Libertines whilst at University in London during the late 90s.

In between partying, arguing, and general shenanigans, they managed to write the hit Don’t Look Back Into The Sun.

The Libertines on the web

About me | Dan Lundholm

Dan Lundholm wrote this guitar lesson and TAB for Don’t Look Back Into The Sun.

This guitar lesson by Dan Lundholm features TAB and covers Don’t Look Back Into The Sun Discover more about him and how you can learn guitar with Spytunes.

Most importantly, find out why you should learn guitar through playing tunes, not practising scales, and studying theory in isolation.