Evermore High tutorial: How to Play 'Evermore' by Taylor Swift on Guitar (Full Song Breakdown)

An Evermore High tutorial might sound like an unusual thing to search for, but for thousands of guitarists it leads to one unmistakable destination: "evermore," the brooding title track from Taylor Swift's 2020 album of the same name, featuring Bon Iver. It's one of the most rewarding songs a developing player can learn, and it's far more approachable than its five-minute runtime suggests. This Evermore High tutorial guide takes the most complete video lesson for the song and converts it into a clear, chapter-by-chapter practice plan, so you can go from first listen to a confident full playthrough without guessing what to study next.

The lesson at the heart of this guide is Nena Shelby's "Evermore Guitar Tutorial," published on YouTube on January 12, 2021 — roughly five years back from this writing, and still the deepest walkthrough of the track you'll find in one place. The video runs 12 minutes and 42 seconds and had drawn more than 26,000 views, 765 likes, and dozens of comments by the time the data for this article was collected. Its built-in chapter markers make it unusually easy to navigate. Below, you'll find everything the lesson covers, the smartest order to practice in, and the mistakes that slow most players down.

Why "evermore" Belongs on Your Setlist

Released as a surprise on December 11, 2020, evermore was billed by Swift as a sister record to folklore, and it debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The closing track pairs Swift with Bon Iver — the project of Justin Vernon — and works as a direct companion piece to their fan-favorite folklore collaboration "exile." The studio version is piano-led, but the song translates beautifully to acoustic guitar, which is exactly why tutorials for it multiplied within weeks of release. You can stream the full album via Taylor Swift's official website.

Beyond the pedigree, the song earns its spot in your repertoire for very practical reasons:

• Repetition does the heavy lifting. The progressions repeat across long stretches, so a handful of chord shapes carries you through entire sections.
• It teaches dynamics. Quiet, restrained verses swell into enormous choruses — playing it well forces you to control volume and attack, a skill most beginners neglect.
• The intro is instantly recognizable. Not many album deep cuts get that "I know this one!" reaction the moment you play the first bars.
• It's simpler than it sounds. The instructor describes the song as beautiful, creative, and surprisingly simple once it's broken down — a sentiment echoed throughout the community response in the comments section.

At 5:05, the official lyric video also gives you a realistic performance target. This isn't a ten-minute epic; it's a song you can realistically hold in your hands within a couple of weeks.

Inside the Evermore High tutorial: A Chapter-by-Chapter Breakdown

The single most useful feature of this lesson is its structure. Because the Evermore High tutorial is split into nine labeled chapters, you can jump straight to whatever's blocking you instead of scrubbing through a half hour of rambling. Here's the full map:

Notice that the bridge chapter runs from 7:05 to 12:23 — more than five minutes, nearly half the video. That's deliberate. The bridge is the longest and most layered section of the song, and the instructor spends extra time unpacking it so you're not left improvising. There's also a companion 5:53 play-along video on the creator's second channel, which strips out the talking so you can practice against a steady demo once the lesson itself has done its job.

How to Learn the Song in the Right Order

The biggest advantage the Evermore High tutorial hands you is a built-in sequence. Follow it in this order and you'll avoid the classic trap of wrestling the hardest part first:

1. Watch the full demo (0:00) before touching the guitar. You can't hit a target you've never seen.
2. Skim the explanation chapter (1:16). Understanding the song's architecture makes every later section easier to memorize.
3. Lock in the chord shapes (2:38). Drill one-minute changes between each pair of chords until transitions are automatic.
4. Nail the intro and strumming (3:15) at reduced speed. Use a metronome at 60–75% of full tempo and only speed up once it's clean.
5. Save the optional picking and riff (3:48) for last. It's labeled optional for a reason — the song works without it.
6. Add verses (5:19), then the chorus (6:06), one section per session. Small wins stack quickly.
7. Split the bridge (7:05) into two halves. Memorize the first half completely before starting the second.
8. Finish with the end chorus and outro (12:23), then graduate to the play-along video.

Not all sections are equally demanding. Here's an honest difficulty rating for each:

And here's a realistic two-week schedule that assumes 20–30 minutes of practice per day:

Common Mistakes and Quick Fixes

Comment threads on the Evermore High tutorial and similar lessons reveal the same handful of stumbles over and over. Community reports from players who've worked through the song point to these fixes:

If you only adopt one habit from this list, make it the slow-tempo rule. "Evermore" lives and dies on atmosphere — a slightly muddy chord change is far more damaging here than in a fast, loud song where imperfections get buried. Clean and quiet beats fast and sloppy every single time.

More Taylor Swift Songs to Learn Next

Once the Evermore High tutorial clicks, the natural move is to stay in the same musical world. The instructor maintains a full playlist of evermore-era lessons — roughly a dozen tutorials covering the album — so the chords, feel, and vocabulary you just learned carry over directly. Based on view counts shown when the reference data was collected, these are the standouts:

*View counts as displayed at the time of data collection in late October 2026.

If you'd rather learn "willow" from a different teaching style, JustinGuitar's lesson on the same song is a popular alternative with more than 158,000 views — community reports consistently praise its pacing for newer players. Rotating between two instructors is a genuinely good habit: you'll absorb the same song twice as deeply.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Evermore High tutorial beginner-friendly?

Yes — with realistic expectations. The instructor describes the song as simpler than it sounds once it's broken down, and the dedicated chords chapter at 2:38 means you can confirm every shape before playing a single section. If you can fret basic open chords and hold a steady strum, the verses and chorus are within reach. The bridge and the optional picking riff are where the real challenge lives, and both can wait until the core song is solid.

How long does it take to learn "evermore" on guitar?

Most players with a few months of experience can reach a full playthrough in one to two weeks at 20–30 minutes per day using the schedule above. Complete beginners should budget closer to a month, spending extra days inside the chords and strumming chapters before moving to the song sections.

Do I need a capo, alternate tuning, or any special gear?

No. The Evermore High tutorial walks through chords, strumming, and an optional riff in standard playing — a guitar and a tuner are enough to follow along from start to finish. That accessibility is a big part of why the lesson has stayed popular for years.

Where can I hear the official version while I practice?

The official lyric video featuring Bon Iver has tens of millions of views, and the full evermore album is available on every major streaming platform, as well as through Taylor Swift's official website. Playing along with the record — even just the verses — is one of the fastest ways to internalize the song's dynamics before your next full playthrough.