How to Play Plush Chords by Stone Temple Pilots on Guitar
“Plush” is a grunge rock song by Stone Temple Pilots, released in 1992 as part of their debut album Core. The song won a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance in 1994 and became one of the band’s most popular and successful songs. The song features a distinctive guitar riff, a powerful vocal performance by Scott Weiland, and lyrics that are inspired by a newspaper article about a girl who was found dead in the woods.
If you want to learn how to play “Plush” on guitar, you will need to know some basic chords, strumming patterns, and techniques. In this article, we will show you how to play the song in the key of G, using the chords G, D/F#, F, C, EbM7/G, FM7/A, Em7, A, and D. We will also provide some tips and tricks to make your playing sound more authentic and expressive.
Chords
[Intro] 2x d|-3--3-----3---------------3--3-----3------3-3-3--| A|-3--3-----2---------------1--1-----0------0-1-2--| F|-0--0-----3---------------2--2-----0------0-0-0--| C|-------------------------------------------------| G|-------------------------------------------------| D|-------------------------------------------------| DeLeo slides up to the 3 on the A (B) string half way through the first strum of the 2nd play through. Don't play the last three chords on the second time through. Just hold the F note with open A and F strings. [Verse] G D/F# F C And I feel that time's a wasted go EbM7/G FM7/A So where ya going to G D/F# F C tomorrow? And I see that these are lies to come EbM7/G FM7/A D Would you even care? [Pre-chorus] D Cadd2 G Cadd2 D Cadd2 G Cadd2 And I feel it D Cadd2 G Cadd2 D Cadd2 G Cadd2 And I feel it [Chorus] EbM7/G FM7/A Where ya going for tomorrow? EbM7/G FM7/A Where ya going with that mask I found? EbM7/G FM7/A And I feel, and I feel, when the dogs begin to smell her EbM7/G FM7/A Will she smell alone? [Intro] 2x [Verse] G D/F# F C And I feel, so much depends on the weather EbM7/G FM7/A So is it raining in your G D/F# F C bedroom? And I see, that these are the eyes of disarray EbM7/G FM7/A D Would you even care? [Pre-chorus] D Cadd2 G Cadd2 D Cadd2 G Cadd2 And I feel it D Cadd2 G Cadd2 D Cadd2 G Cadd2 And I feel it [Chorus] EbM7/G FM7/A Where ya going for tomorrow? EbM7/G FM7/A Where ya going with that mask I found? EbM7/G FM7/A And I feel, and I feel, when the dogs begin to smell her EbM7/G FM7/A Will she smell alone? [Elision] G5 F5 C3/E When the dogs do find her Eb5 D5 ----- When you play the Eb5 quickly slide up from a D5 Got time, time, to wait for G5 F5 C3/E Eb5 D5 tomorrow, to find it, to find it, to find it G5 F5 C3/E When the dogs do find her Eb5 D5 Got time, time, to wait for G5 F5 C3/E Eb5 D5 tomorrow, to find it, to find it, to find it
The Strumming Pattern
The strumming pattern for this song is fairly simple and consistent throughout. You can use a down-down-up-up-down-up pattern for each chord. To make it sound more natural and rhythmic, you can also accent some strums by hitting them harder or softer than others. For example, you can accent the first down strum of each chord to emphasize the beat.
You can also add some hammer-ons and pull-offs to make your playing more dynamic and expressive. A hammer-on is when you pluck a string and then quickly press down another finger on a higher fret without plucking again. A pull-off is when you pluck a string and then quickly release a finger from a lower fret without plucking again. For example, you can hammer-on your index finger on the first fret of the second string when playing G, or pull-off your ring finger from the third fret of the second string when playing D.
The Song Structure
The song structure for “Plush” is as follows:
- Intro: G D/F# F C EbM7/G FM7/A (x2)
- Verse 1: G D/F# F C EbM7/G FM7/A (x4)
- Pre-chorus: D Cadd2 G Cadd2 (x4)
- Chorus: EbM7/G FM7/A (x4)
- Intro: G D/F# F C EbM7/G FM7/A (x2)
- Verse 2: G D/F# F C EbM7/G FM7/A (x4)
- Pre-chorus: D Cadd2 G Cadd2 (x4)
- Chorus: EbM7/G FM7/A (x4)
- Bridge: G5 F5 C3/E Eb5 D5 (x4)
- Chorus: EbM7/G FM7/A (x8)
- Outro: G D/F# F C EbM7/G FM7/A (repeat until fade)
You can follow along with these chords while listening to the original song or using a backing track. You can also sing along with the lyrics or improvise your own melody.
Conclusion
“Plush” is a great song to learn and play on guitar. It has a simple but catchy chord progression, a memorable riff, and a powerful vocal performance. It also has lyrics that are inspired by a real-life story that can be interpreted in different ways. Whether you are a beginner or an advanced player, you can have fun with this song and make it your own. You can also use it as an inspiration to write your own songs or explore other genres of music.
We hope this article helped you learn how to play “Plush” by Stone Temple Pilots on guitar. If you enjoyed this article, you might also like our other articles on how to play guitar, such as How to Play “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana or How to Play “Wonderwall” by Oasis. You can also check out our website for more guitar lessons, tabs, and resources. Happy playing!
