“Mother” by Pink Floyd
My cover of “Mother” by Pink Floyd from the album “The Wall”. Includes the guitar solo.
I had two versions of this up previously. On the first, a commenter suggested I add the solo, so I did. But then watching that second one, and then going back and listening to the original for the first time in ages, I realized I had the timing wrong in two parts. So I redid it yet again. This, my third “Mother” effort for YouTube, is one I am finally happy with.
How to Play “Mother” by Pink Floyd
This song is fairly easy to play, but there are a few things to keep in mind. The chords are simple enough, but the rhythm might take some practice to get down, and the song changes time signatures for the chorus, so look out for it!
The Chords
Instead of a straight G chord in this song, play a G5. The 5th note in a G major scale is D. So for a G5 chord, you simply add the D note. This is the same chord that opens Pink Floyd’s song “Wish You Were Here”. It’s got a bit richer, fuller sound to it.
Similarly, instead of a straight C chord, I like to play it as a C/G. That’s just a C chord with the G bass note added to it. Again, it makes it a bit meatier.
EADGBE
320033 = G5
332010 = C/G
x32010 = C
xx0232 = D
133211 = F
That’s it! The whole song really uses just four chords, with the option of playing C/G instead of C. I tend to play the verse with the C/G and the chorus with C, but do what you like.
The Rhythm
I thought about typing out the rhythm in down and upstrokes (beats and backbeats), but realized that’s a daunting project with probably little practical use. I’m not skilled in music theory and can’t even tell you what timing this song is in (if you want to help out with this, please feel free to do so in the comments below). But that’s okay. You don’t need to think it; just feel it. For example, the song opens:
> = downstroke; < = upstroke
1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and 5 and 6 …
> > < > > < < >
Mother do you think they’ll drop the bomb….
Notice the strumming follows the lyrics. So, basically, just keep your hand moving up and down, and strike the strings at the same time you sing the words. If you’re a beginner, this might take some time to get this rhythm down, because it’s not just down-up-down-up… Only the second and fourth backbeats are played. And notice the fifth beat (downstroke) isn’t played at all, but there’s a backbeat before switching chords to the C/B when you sing “bomb”. Just feel it. Play along with the song, or with me in the video above, and you’ll get it. Don’t overthink what your hand is doing. Just listen carefully and try to feel it through as you play.
One important note. As you’re playing, you can use a little hammer-on to spice up the song. You could just play the chords, but at a certain point with both the G5 and the C/G chords, you’ll hear a little hammer-on. With the G5 chord, you’ll lift your 1st (index) finger off of the B note on the 5th (A) string. So you’ll strum that chord with the open A, and then hammer-on back to the B. Same with the C/G chord, only you’ll lift off your 2nd (middle) finger to play the open D note on the 3rd (D) string, then hammer-on the E again. Watch me playing in the video and notice the hammer-ons. Again, as to when to play the hammer-ons, just feel it through.
Now, the rhythm changes for the chorus. When you hear “Hush now baby, baby, don’t you cry”, you’ll basically just strum along with the words:
1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and 5 and 6 and 7 and 8 and 9 and
> > < < > < < > > < >
Hush now ba - by ba - by don’t you cry…
But then the rhythm changes.
1 and 2 and 3 and
> > < >
After “don’t you cry”, you switch to the C/G chord. You’ll play the rhythm above four times and then jump into the chorus, which uses this same rhythm throughout. Then back to the original rhythm for the main verses.
Lyrics and Chord Progression
G5 C/G
Mother do you think they’ll drop the bomb
G5 C/G
Mother do you think they’ll like this song
C/G G5
Mother do you think they’ll try to break my balls
D C/G G5
Ooh, ah, mother should I build the wall
G5 C/G
Mother should I run for president
G5 C/G
Mother should I trust the government
C/G G5
Mother will they put me in the firing line
D C/G G5
Ooh, ah, is it just a waste of time
G5 C/G
Hush now baby, baby don’t you cry
F C
Mama’s gonna make all of your nightmares come true
F C
Mama’s gonna put all of her fears into you
F C
Mama’s gonna keep you right here under her wing
F C
She won’t let you fly, but she might let you sing
F C G
Mama’s gonna keep baby cozy and warm
D C
Ooh babe
D C
Ooh babe
D C G5
Ooh babe, of course mama’s gonna help build the wall
G5 C/G G5 C/G G5 C/G D C/G G5
[guitar solo]
G5 C/G
Mother do you think she’s good enough … for me?
G5 C/G
Mother do you think she’s dangerous … to me?
C/G G5
Mother will she tear your little boy apart?
D C/G G5
Ooh, ah, mother will she break my heart?
G5 C/G
Hush now baby, baby don’t you cry
F C/G
Mama’s gonna check out all your girlfriends for you
F C/G
Mama won’t let anyone dirty get through
F C/G
Mama’s gonna wait up until you get in
F C/G
Mama will always find out where you’ve been
F C/G G5
Mama’s gonna keep baby healthy and clean
D C/G
Ooh babe
D C/G
Ooh babe
D C/G G5
Ooh babe, you’ll always be baby to me
G5 C/G
Mother did it need to be so high?
Thanks so much for this!!!
I am 7 months into my guitar playing and progress is superb. I am 32 and thought that maybe it was too late to start learning the guitar…..no way! But it’s mainly thanks to you guys who can already play excellently that the journey has been so ‘easy’ and enjoyable (and cheaper)…..so again, thank you!
(If I ever get good enough I will definitely return the favour to others with videos like yours)
Much appreciated from the a small town called Hitchin in England.
Glad you found it useful. Thanks for the comment.