How to Play Guitar

One of the interesting new features in The Last of Us Part II is the ability to play guitar in certain areas. This guide will show you how to play guitar and strum like a pro!

How to Play Guitar

Select a Chord with the Stick

You will be presented with six chords in a circle. Using either of the two control sticks, tilt it to the chord with a white bar over it. The control stick position will correspond to Ellie's (or whoever is playing's) left hand.

When 'Practicing' guitar (available when picking up a guitar again after playing the required song), you will be able to use L1 and R1 to switch between the six chords displayed in the circle freely. Each set of chords will represent a musical key, which will be the chord at the top of the circle.

Use the Touchpad to Strum

While the chord that you want to play is selected, swipe up or down on the touchpad to strum the highlighted chord. The touchpad will correspond to Ellie's (or whoever is playing's) right hand. If you strum the wrong chord, the outside of the circle will be red.

Playing Individual Strings

Technically, strumming the highlighted chords via the touchpad will be enough to get through the guitar sections, but perhaps you would like to 'fiddle' around a bit more.

The strings are mapped to positions on the touchpad, and simply tapping a part of it will allow you to pluck a single string, while swiping up or down will allow you to play a chord. Using the bottom of the touch pad will allow you to play the bottom (lowest pitched) string, while the top of the touch pad allows you to pluch the top (highest pitched) string. By tapping a precise location on the pad, you can pluck whichever string you want!

This does not serve any purpose, but if you are a fan of musical instruments in other games, this may be a fun way fo you to make something creative!

When Can You Play Guitar?

For the most part, it seems that guitar playing is only accesible in certain sections of the game, such as in the prologue section with Joel, or when finding a guitar as Ellie in other areas. Finding a guitar in Downtown Seattle (music shop) and playing the song will allow you 'Practice', and play freely for the first time.

While playing guitar is not something super important to the game, you will have to finish strumming the given chords before you can exit. In addition, scenes with guitar playing cannot be skipped. Other than viewing a nice musical sequence, it does not seem like there are any other actual benefits to playing.

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