Learn People Are Strange with this Step-by-Step Guitar Lesson

Today I want to share with you how to play “People Are Strange” as recorded by The Doors on guitar.

This song is a great one to help elevate your fingerpicking guitar skills. However, it can also be played with a flatpick as well, but Robby Krieger played it without a pick. He used his fingers instead.

Krieger developed a distinctive and influential guitar style that has had a lasting impact on rock music. His approach blended various genres, including blues, rock, flamenco, and jazz, resulting in a unique sound that helped define The Doors’ music. 

Krieger's playing incorporated fingerpicking, flamenco-inspired techniques, and occasional slide guitar parts. Plus his jazz background allowed him to explore complex chord progressions and voicings, expanding the harmonic palette. 

Overall, Krieger's guitar style was a fusion of diverse influences, making him a highly influential guitarist in the world of rock music. In this lesson, I’ll be taking a fingerstyle approach to this timeless classic so grab your guitar, and let’s get started!

Who wrote People Are Strange?

"People Are Strange" was written by the American rock band The Doors. It was first released in 1967 on the band’s 2nd album Strange Days. Jim Morrison and Robby Krieger wrote it together however the entire band was credited for the song.

People Are Strange Chords

You only need 5 chords to play the entire song. Those chords are Em, Am, B7/F#, G, and B7. Here is how I would play each of these shapes:

I would play Em in the open position like this:

Am is also in the open position but played from the 5th string down like this:

B7/F# is a variation on B7 putting the note F# in the bass. This is played with the lowest note being on the 2nd fret of the 6th string like this:

G is played in the 3rd position as a bar chord like this:

And finally, B7 is another bar chord up in the 7th position like this:

Verse

Once you feel comfortable with the chord shapes, next try putting them into the progression for the verse. The verse chord progression is 4 bars long and has two chords per bar, except for the first bar. It goes like this:

Em (1 bar)

Am, Em (1 bar)

Am, Em (1 bar)

B7/F#, Em (1 bar)

Fingerpicking Patterns

As mentioned above Krieger uses a fingerpicking approach to play the song. He blends strumming with the fingers and also breaks up the chords with fingerpicking patterns. 

Next, let’s look talk about a few ways to take some of these guitar-style ideas and work them into your playing. 

Try adding simple bass lines between the chords. This is a great way to break up the rhythm and add dimension to your guitar playing. For example, you could lead into the progression with a simple bass line that uses a few notes from the E minor pentatonic scale like this:

“People Are Strange” is in the key of E minor. So a great scale to use for soloing and creating bass lines is the E minor pentatonic scale. This scale can be played in open position like this:

These same strings and frets can be viewed like this as well:

6th string = 0, 3

5th string = 0, 2

4th string =  0, 2 

3rd string = 0, 2

2nd string = 0, 3

1st string = 0, 3

Another great technique is to break up the chords with fingerpicking patterns. For example, you could play Em like this:

Note the descending bass line at the end of the bar. This could lead into a measure of Am to Em like this:

Here’s another variation of Am to Em. This one uses a triplet rhythm in beat 4:

This final example shows how Krieger might get from a B7/F# back to an Em. Note the end of the bar that incorporates a bass line using notes from the E minor pentatonic scale. 

Chorus or Bridge Section

The chorus or bridge section of “People Are Strange” uses a 10-bar chord progression. It starts out on B7 for a bar, then to G for a bar, and then back to B7.

B7 (1 bar)

G (1 bar)

B7 (1 bar)

The lyric cue here is when Jim sings…

“When you're strange

Faces come out of the rain” 

This 3-bar progression repeats twice and then it finished with 4 bars of B7.

At the end of this section, you could add a walking bass line to exit the progression like this:

Psychedelic Effects:

Krieger's guitar playing in The Doors played a crucial role in creating the psychedelic atmosphere of their music. He would use effects like slide guitar, reverb, and wah-wah to create a dreamy and ethereal sound. Krieger's improvisational skills allowed him to venture into uncharted sonic territories, pushing the boundaries of conventional playing and embracing experimentation. 

A great example of this unique approach is the ending chord to “People Are Strange”. This chord is an open-position B7 chord. 

The way to play it is to strum from the 5th string down and then slide the chord up one fret. This creates a dissonant sound. It pulls apart the chord by shifting it up one fret but still having the open 2nd string B note. You could technically call this a C7b9 chord. On top of that Krieger also uses the whammy bar a bit as well to add to the flavor like this:

Conclusion:  

Learning how to play "People Are Strange" by The Doors on guitar allows you to dive into the iconic sound of one of rock music's most influential bands. Throughout this post, we’ve covered essential elements to help you capture the essence of the song, including Robby Krieger's fingerpicking style, the chords for the verse and chorus, and even techniques for how to create psychedelic guitar sounds.

Robby Krieger's fingerpicking technique is key to capturing the song's delicate and haunting quality. By incorporating his approach, you can emulate the intricate patterns that give "People Are Strange" its distinct character. Remember to start slowly and gradually build up speed and accuracy, allowing the notes to ring out clearly. 

When you feel comfortable try to put it all together and play along with the song.

And for another great fingerpicking guitar lesson check out “Shape Of My Heart” next.