Hey Ya! (Outkast) Guitar Lesson with TAB

In this guitar lesson, we look at strumming Hey YA!'s chords in several different keys, including as Obadiah Parker does it!

Hey Ya! | TAB

Let’s look at how to play Hey Ya! without a capo, as well as with a capo on frets 3 and 5, here’s the first half.

Notice how we turn it into a power chord when starting with a D chord. Overall, when playing with a capo on fret 5, we play fewer strings.

Here’s the 2nd half of Hey Ya! in TAB for three guitars.

Now, the D chord is in the 2/4 bar, and we make it a D5 again. The guitars with a capo are identical.

Using a single friend or loop pedal, decide which 2nd guitar feels best.

Next, place the capo on fret 7 and think in the key of C, you get these chords:

||: C | F | F | 2/4 G | 4/4 Am | Am :||

This is what Obediah Parker did for his chilled-out version. He’s moved it down to fret 4 and changed the key to E. This is his part:

As you can see, he’s added some extensions, perhaps you should write the chords like this:

||: C | (Fadd9) F | F | 2/4 G | 4/4 (Am7) Am | Am7 :||

The Fadd9 and first Am7 are very short so I’ve put them in brackets. To play along with the great Spoitfy recording, tune down to 432Hz.

Here’s a link to the Spotify version: Hey Ya – solo version Obadiah Parker.

You can learn to play Hey Ya! by Outkast using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.

| G | C | C | 2/4 D | 4/4 Em | Em |
My baby don’t mess around because she loves me so and this I know fo sho (uh)…

Hip-hop duo Outcast (Andre 3000 and Big Boi) is best known for their tunes Ms. Jackson and Hey Ya!

These two songs became two of the world’s most popular in the decade 2000-2010, Hey Ya! made it onto most cover bands’ repertoire.

This guitar lesson by Dan Lundholm featuring TAB covers Hey Ya! 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.