Rescue Me TAB | Chorus Chords + Exercises
The chorus of Rescue Me mainly moves between just two chords: A and D. To create a solid guitar part, you need to be able to play these chords all over the neck.
Use the loop of the chorus below to practise each example as shown. You’ll also find dedicated TAB loops in the playlist above.
Example 1
The first A chord can be seen as an open A or a G–shaped A – the two shapes overlap when only this part of the chord is played.
The same goes for the D chord, which sits somewhere between an open D and a C shape.
🎯 Keep the number of strings to a minimum when building parts like this. Try isolating just two notes from the shape – it often sounds tighter than using three, as shown in the TAB.
Example 2
Here, the chord shapes are more defined:
- A = G shape
- D = C shape
The rhythm uses short, snappy stabs. Cut each chord off early by relaxing your fretting fingers to mute the strings.
Maintain a steady 16th-note pendulum motion with your strumming hand – this keeps everything in time and makes adding syncopation easier.
Remember: the rests are just as important as the notes. They’re what give the rhythm its groove.
Example 3
Now we move to more standard barre chord shapes:
- A = E shape
- D = A shape
This might end up being your go-to for most of the song.
Example 4
This one’s a bit more ambiguous.
- A could be a D shape, or is it the top of a C shape?
- D is a clear G shape.
Again, the overlap between shapes is intentional. Focus more on the sound and the feel than on defining the shape strictly.
Example 5
We finish with:
- A = C shape
- D = E shape
These voicings sound bright and powerful. They work especially well when you want to increase energy – for example, toward the end of the song.
🎯 When you’re confident with all five examples, try mixing shapes up as you loop the section, just like you’d do live.
Next time, we’ll take the same approach and apply it to the verse progression.
Rescue Me Guitar Lesson | Related Pages
Intermediate Electric Course
When playing Motown & Soul tunes, we must know all CAGED barre chords and pentatonic scales to build rhythm parts, incorporate licks and play solos.
Complete the Intermediate Electric Course and you will map out the fretboard, as well as gain an understanding of how to create a guitar part that works in a band.
Rescue Me | 8 Step-by-step guitar lessons
In this first series of lessons for the intermediate electric course, we learn how to play Rescue Me by Fontella Bass, at the same time as we learn the CAGED system.
Practice along with the band as we step-by-step work our way to playing the complete song with a live band.
Rescue Me | Chords + Lyrics
You can learn how to play Rescue Me by Fontella Bass using chords, lyrics, a chord chart, backing track, the original recording, and Spytunes video guitar lessons.
| A | D |
Rescue me, take me in your arms…
Five similar tunes | Chords + Lyrics
