The Only 5 Chords You Need To Master Lord Huron's "The Night We Met" Instantly
Learning to play "The Night We Met" by Lord Huron has become a rite of passage for acoustic guitarists, a testament to its enduring, haunting popularity. As of late 2025, the track continues its massive resurgence, recently surpassing two billion streams on Spotify, cementing its status as a modern indie-folk classic. This simple yet emotionally complex song, famous for its role in the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why, is deceptively easy to play, requiring only a handful of chords and a capo.
This comprehensive guide cuts through the noise to give you the exact, beginner-friendly chords and techniques you need. We’ll cover the crucial capo placement, the four primary open chords, a simple strumming pattern, and even dive into the fascinating lore of the song’s origin from the *Strange Trails* album. Get ready to play this melancholic masterpiece tonight.
The Essential Chords: Capo, Tuning, and Key
The magic of "The Night We Met" lies in its simplicity. While the song's original key is F-sharp minor (F#m), the band, led by Ben Schneider, uses a capo to allow for easy open-position chords. This technique is essential for capturing the song's signature acoustic sound.
Lord Huron's "The Night We Met" Technical Profile
- Artist: Lord Huron
- Songwriter: Ben Schneider
- Album: Strange Trails (2015)
- Genre: Indie Folk, Dream Pop
- Original Key: F-sharp Minor (F#m)
- Tuning: Standard (E-A-D-G-B-e)
- Crucial Tool: Capo on the 2nd Fret
- Easy Chords (Relative to Capo): Em, C, G, D
Placing your capo on the second fret effectively raises the pitch of your guitar by one whole step. This allows you to use the simple, four-chord progression of Em, C, G, and D, while sounding in the song's original key of F#m. Without the capo, you would be forced to play difficult barre chords, which are a nightmare for beginners.
The Full Chord Chart: Verse, Chorus, and Bridge
The entire song uses a single, repeating four-chord progression. Once you master this sequence, you can play the entire track. This simplicity is why it remains one of the most requested songs for acoustic guitar tutorials worldwide.
The Core Chord Progression
The main progression for every section of the song—the Intro, Verse, Chorus, and Outro—is:
Em – C – G – D
Play each chord for one full measure (four beats) before moving to the next. The sequence repeats continuously from start to finish.
Chord Fingerings (Capo on 2nd Fret)
These are the open chord shapes you will use, with the capo acting as your new "nut" (fret zero).
- Em (E Minor): 0-2-2-0-0-0
- C (C Major): X-3-2-0-1-0
- G (G Major): 3-2-0-0-0-3
- D (D Major): X-X-0-2-3-2
Practice transitioning smoothly between these four shapes. The most common sticking point is the jump from G back to Em, so focus on keeping your hand relaxed during this change.
Mastering the Strumming Pattern and Tempo
The feel of "The Night We Met" is slow, melancholic, and deliberate. The original recording features a gentle, arpeggiated fingerpicking pattern, but a simple acoustic strumming pattern works perfectly for a solo cover and is much easier for beginners.
The Ideal Beginner Strumming Pattern
A simple, gentle pattern that captures the mood of the song is:
Down – Down – Down-Up – Up-Down-Up
(D – D – DU – UD U)
Apply this pattern once per chord (Em, C, G, D). The key is to keep your strumming hand loose and play with a light touch, focusing on the lower strings to maintain that dark, moody tone.
Tempo and Feel
- Tempo: The original song is quite slow, around 108 beats per minute (BPM).
- Dynamics: Start very softly (p) for the verses, building slightly in volume (mp) for the chorus ("I had all and then most of you..."). This dynamic contrast is what gives the song its emotional punch.
The song’s atmosphere is more important than perfect rhythm. Think of the lyrics—a wistful memory of a lost love—and let that emotion guide your playing. The slow tempo gives you plenty of time to switch chords cleanly.
The Lore Behind the Music: Lord Huron's Strange Trails Saga
To truly master any song, you must understand its context. "The Night We Met" is not just a standalone track; it's a key piece of a much larger, interconnected narrative created by Lord Huron frontman Ben Schneider, a concept known as the *Strange Trails* lore.
A Story of Regret and Rewind
The song is part of a fictional universe that follows several interconnected characters, most notably a man named George and a woman named Francine Lou. The lyrics, "I had all and then most of you, some and now none of you," perfectly encapsulate the theme of regret and loss that permeates the album. The narrator’s wish to "rewind the time" to the night they first met is a plea to undo the mistakes that led to the relationship's demise.
The *13 Reasons Why* Impact
While the song was a fan favorite upon the 2015 release of *Strange Trails*, its global explosion came in 2017 following its prominent feature in the Netflix series *13 Reasons Why*. The song is used during a pivotal, heartbreaking dance scene between the characters Clay Jensen and Hannah Baker. This placement introduced the track to a massive new audience, propelling it onto global charts and cementing its status as the go-to anthem for nostalgic melancholy.
Topical Entities and LSI Keywords for Deeper Understanding
Incorporating these entities into your knowledge base will give you a deeper appreciation for the music:
- Ben Schneider: The creative force and primary songwriter behind Lord Huron.
- Strange Trails: The 2015 album that houses the song, part of a conceptual storyline.
- Francine Lou: A character central to the *Strange Trails* narrative, often associated with the song's themes.
- Indie Folk: The primary genre, characterized by acoustic instrumentation and narrative-driven lyrics.
- Acoustic Guitar Tutorial: The most common search term for those looking to learn the song.
By understanding that the song is about more than just a simple breakup—it’s about memory, regret, and the desire to change the past—you can infuse your acoustic performance with the emotional depth it deserves.
Conclusion: Your Next Steps to Playing "The Night We Met"
You now have the complete roadmap to playing this iconic Lord Huron track. The simplicity of the Em, C, G, D progression with a Capo on the 2nd Fret makes this song accessible to an absolute beginner, yet its powerful melody and profound lyrical themes ensure it remains a rewarding piece for any guitarist.
Your practice should focus on two key areas: smooth transitions between the four chords and maintaining a slow, consistent tempo with a gentle strum. Once you master the basic strumming pattern, you can experiment with simple fingerpicking to more closely match the original recording’s delicate texture. As millions of listeners worldwide continue to rediscover this track, you can be confident that adding "The Night We Met" to your repertoire is a timeless and worthwhile endeavor.
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