Uploaded November 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Tracy Chapman’s ‘Fast Car’ is one of the best-loved acoustic guitar songs in the world, having topped international charts on its release in 1988 and been covered by artists including Luke Combs and Jonas Blue over the years. The song is based around a beautifully simple two-bar phrase – master it and you can play 90% of the song.
In this short video tutorial, Elixir Strings artist Mandy Rowden breaks down the Fast Car riff into its constituent phrases, making it easy to follow along. It’s a great song to learn not simply because it’s so well known, but because it combines a variety of useful techniques including hammer-ons and combinations of open and fretted strings, which sound more complicated than they are!
Explaining why she’s a fan of Elixir Strings on her acoustic guitars, Mandy says, “You can’t top Elixir® Strings for tone and playability and the endurance can’t be beat!”
Mandy uses Elixir Strings Acoustic Phosphor Bronze with NANOWEB Coating 12-53
Check out our products: elixirstrings.com/products
Check out Elixir Strings: elixirstrings.com/products
Keep current. Subscribe to our YouTube channel: youtube.com/user/ElixirStringsMedia?sub_confirmation=1
Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/elixir_strings
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Follow Mandy on Instagram: instagram.com/mandyrowden
Follow Mandy on YouTube at @mandyrowden
Tracy Chapman’s ‘Fast Car’ is one of the best-loved acoustic guitar songs in the world, having topped international charts on its release in 1988 and been covered by artists including Luke Combs and Jonas Blue over the years. The song is based around a beautifully simple two-bar phrase – master it and you can play 90% of the song.
In this short video tutorial, Elixir Strings artist Mandy Rowden breaks down the Fast Car riff into its constituent phrases, making it easy to follow along. It’s a great song to learn not simply because it’s so well known, but because it combines a variety of useful techniques including hammer-ons and combinations of open and fretted strings, which sound more complicated than they are!
Explaining why she’s a fan of Elixir Strings on her acoustic guitars, Mandy says, “You can’t top Elixir® Strings for tone and playability and the endurance can’t be beat!”
Mandy uses Elixir Strings Acoustic Phosphor Bronze with NANOWEB Coating 12-53
Check out our products: elixirstrings.com/products
Check out Elixir Strings: elixirstrings.com/products
Keep current. Subscribe to our YouTube channel: youtube.com/user/ElixirStringsMedia?sub_confirmation=1
Follow us on Instagram: instagram.com/elixir_strings
Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/elixirstrings
Follow Mandy on Instagram: instagram.com/mandyrowden
Follow Mandy on YouTube at @mandyrowden
