You know that feeling when a song sounds way easier than it actually is? That’s "City of Stars." It’s basically the poster child for deceptive simplicity. You hear Ryan Gosling whistling, that lonely piano melody kicks in, and you think, "Yeah, I can definitely play that on my acoustic by tonight." Then you actually look up the city of stars guitar tabs and realize the fingerpicking pattern is a total brain-melter. It’s not just a few open chords. It’s a jazz-inflected, melancholic masterpiece that requires some serious thumb-and-finger independence.
Honestly, the reason this song stays stuck in everyone’s head years after La La Land swept the Oscars isn't just the catchy melody. It's the tension. Justin Hurwitz, the composer, wrote it in a way that feels like it’s constantly searching for a resolution that never quite arrives. If you’re trying to translate that to six strings, you can’t just strum G and C. You have to capture the breathiness. The hesitation.
Let's get into what makes this track tick and why your hands might feel like they’re tied in knots the first time you try to play it.
The Chord Voicings That Actually Matter
Most people start by looking for a basic chord sheet. Big mistake. If you just play a standard Gm and C7, you’re going to lose all that "Old Hollywood" magic. The real soul of the song lives in the specific voicings. You’re looking for those minor 7ths and those specific bass walks.
For example, when you see a city of stars guitar tab that lists an Em or an A7, look closer at the tabs that suggest the 5th or 7th fret. Playing it up the neck gives it that muted, jazzy warmth. If you play it all in open positions, it sounds like a campfire song. It shouldn't sound like a campfire song. It should sound like a smoky jazz club in Los Angeles at 2 AM.
Specifically, pay attention to the transition between the Gm and the C7. In the movie, the piano hits these specific descending bass notes. On guitar, you’ve got to mimic that by using your thumb to wrap around the neck or by being very intentional with your ring finger. If you miss those moving bass lines, the song just feels flat. It loses its "strut."
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The "Whistle" Melody on Strings
Can we talk about the whistling? It’s iconic. Most tabs will try to bake the whistle melody into the chords. This is where things get tricky. You’re essentially trying to play two parts at once—the rhythmic backing and the lead melody.
- Start with the bass note.
- Use your index and middle fingers to pluck the higher strings.
- Try to let the "melody" notes ring out longer than the accompaniment.
It takes a lot of practice to make it sound fluid. If you’re a beginner, honestly, skip the integrated melody at first. Just focus on the thumb-thumping rhythm. Once you have the "pulse" of the song down, then you can start layering in those high-pitched "whistle" notes on the B and high E strings.
Why Timing is Your Biggest Enemy Here
"City of Stars" isn't a straight 4/4 beat. It’s got this swung, almost lazy feel to it. If you play it perfectly on the beat like a metronome, it sounds robotic and weird. You have to "swing" it.
I’ve seen so many people pull up city of stars guitar tabs and play them with a stiff, classical technique. Don't do that. It needs to breathe. Think about how Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone sing it—they’re slightly behind the beat, almost like they’re discovering the words as they go. Your guitar playing needs to reflect that.
The syncopation is everything. There’s a specific "hop" in the rhythm during the chorus. If you aren't feeling that slight delay on the second beat, you aren't playing "City of Stars." You’re just playing a sequence of chords that happen to be in the same key.
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Common Mistakes Beginners Make
- Death Grip: People squeeze the neck too hard on those barre chords. The Gm7 doesn't need a vice grip; it needs a light touch.
- Ignoring the Dynamics: This song starts quiet. Like, "whisper-quiet." If you start at volume 10, you have nowhere to go when the bridge hits.
- Skipping the F#: In the key of Gm, that F# (the major 7th in the D7 chord) is what gives it that "yearning" feeling. Don't just play a regular D. You need that tension.
Fingerstyle vs. Flatpicking
Should you use a pick? Probably not. I mean, you can, but it’s going to sound too sharp. This song was born for fingerstyle. Using the pads of your fingers gives you that soft, muted attack that fits the mood. If you must use a pick, use a very thin one, or better yet, use your fingernails to get a bit of "click" without the harshness of plastic on metal.
Most of the high-quality city of stars guitar tabs you'll find online (the ones on Ultimate Guitar or Songsterr that have 5-star ratings) are written specifically for fingerstyle. They’ll show you a P-I-M-A pattern (Pulgar, Indice, Medio, Anular). If those letters look like gibberish, it just means: Thumb, Index, Middle, Ring.
The thumb handles the E, A, and D strings. Your other fingers handle the G, B, and E. Keep your hand relaxed. Imagine you’re holding a small orange. That’s the shape your hand should be in.
The Bridge: The Moment of Truth
When the song shifts to the "A look in somebody's eyes..." part, the energy changes. It’s no longer just a lonely guy at a piano. It becomes a duet. It gets bigger.
In terms of the city of stars guitar tabs, this is usually where the strumming picks up. But "strumming" is a loose term here. It’s more of a rhythmic rake. You want to emphasize the backbeat. If you look at the chord progression here (F, G, C...), it’s much more standard, but the rhythm is what keeps it from feeling like a generic pop song.
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Technical Breakdown of the Key
The song is primarily in G Minor. This is a "moody" key. On guitar, G Minor can be a bit of a pain because it relies heavily on barre chords at the 3rd fret.
- Gm: Bar the 3rd fret.
- C7: The "engine" of the song.
- Fmaj7: Gives it that "dreamy" quality.
- D7: The "turnaround" that brings you back home.
If your hand gets tired, you can technically use a capo on the 3rd fret and play in E Minor shapes. It makes the song much easier to play for long periods, but you lose some of those deep, low-end bass notes that make the original recording so rich.
Actionable Steps for Mastering the Song
If you're ready to actually sit down and learn this, don't just mindlessly scroll through a tab. Do this instead:
- Listen to the soundtrack version five times. Don't look at your guitar. Just listen to the bass line. Hum it. If you can't hum the bass line, you won't be able to play it.
- Isolate the Gm to C7 transition. This is the "hook." Practice moving between these two chords until it’s seamless. No buzzing. No muted strings.
- Slow it down. Use a tool like YouTube's playback speed or a dedicated slow-downer app. Try playing the city of stars guitar tabs at 75% speed. If you can't play it perfectly at 75%, you have no business trying it at 100%.
- Record yourself. This is the "ouch" moment. You’ll think you sound like Ryan Gosling, but the recording might tell a different story. Listen for where your rhythm falters. Are you rushing the chorus? Most people do.
- Focus on the "And" counts. The syncopation usually happens on the "and" (the upbeat). 1 and 2 and 3 and 4.
"City of Stars" isn't a song you master in twenty minutes. It’s a piece of music that requires "feel." You have to care about the notes you don't play just as much as the ones you do. Keep the touch light, keep the rhythm swinging, and don't be afraid of the silence between the notes. That's where the stars actually are.