The Wind That Shakes the Barley

The Wind That Shakes the Barley by Solas is played in the key of Em. Arranged in the natural sounding key of Em in standard guitar tuning without a capo, 'The Wind That Shakes the Barley' by Solas utilizes direct fretboard shapes to project full open-string acoustic warmth and resonance throughout every section. The tricky Bm barre can be effortlessly simplified using an open Bm7 (x20202) shape, removing the need for five-string index finger pressure across the second fret while maintaining clean note clarity. Moving smoothly between Em and Bm demands finger discipline: lead with your ring finger toward the target fret as an anchor before locking down the remaining fingers firmly on the strings. Set your metronome at an initial practice tempo of 66 BPM in 4/4 time to master the '↓ - ↓ ↑ - ↑ ↓ ↑' strumming groove, emphasizing steady downstrokes on beats one and three before accelerating toward the studio speed of 92 BPM.