Top of the Pops: Mumford & Sons, "The Cave"

Tuition
By published

Welcome to Top of the Pops, a new series of brief video lessons in which Guitar World's Matt Scharfglass teaches you how to play the guitar parts in some of the hottest songs on the pop charts right now.

In this three-minute lesson, Matt and his Epiphone show you how to play the verse to the Mumford & Sons song "The Cave" from their 2010 album, Sigh No More.

Note that Matt is in Open-E tuning.

Stay tuned for more Top of the Pops lessons on GuitarWorld.com.

Matt Scharfglass
More about lessons

“There are so many sounds to be discovered when you get away from using a pick”: Jared James Nichols shows you how to add “snap, crackle and pop” to your playing with banjo rolls and string snaps

Don't let chord inversions bamboozle you. It's simply the case of shuffling the notes around

“I was in a frenzy about it being trapped and burnt up. I knew I'd never be able to replace it”: After being pulled from the wreckage of a car crash, John Sykes ran back to his burning vehicle to save his beloved '76 Les Paul
See more latest
Most Popular
Jared James Nichols plays his gold-top Les Paul onstage, fingerstyle as per his wont, and wears a pained expression as he pinches a note.
“There are so many sounds to be discovered when you get away from using a pick”: Jared James Nichols shows you how to add “snap, crackle and pop” to your playing with banjo rolls and string snaps
Martin Tyler plays a Jazz arch-top onstage. He is wearing a striped blazer (a little like a stockbroker) and fretting a chord.
Don't let chord inversions bamboozle you. It's simply the case of shuffling the notes around
Bassist Flea (L) and singer Anthony Kiedis of Red Hot Chili Peppers perform at Allegiant Stadium on April 01, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
How to play slap bass: an essential guide to slapping and popping
Man playing bass guitar and sitting in living room at home
Bass chords: shapes that work on bass guitar – and go beyond the power chord
Jeff Beck performing live on stage during the Classic Rock Roll of Honour Awards at The Roundhouse on November 9, 2011 in London
Joni Mitchell described it as ‘fly fishing’ and Jeff Beck was a master of the craft – learn how to use volume swells like guitar legends Eddie Van Halen, Allan Holdsworth and Larry Carlton
Roy Buchanan wears a flat cap and works some Telecaster magic in the shadows onstage.
How to find new approaches to blues soloing – using fingerstyle improv ideas and Roy Buchanan-inspired licks
American songwriter, guitarist, lead vocalist and founding member of Metallica James Hetfield performs at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) Pavillion in Chicago, IL on April 5, 1986.
Want to play Master of Puppets the right way? Here's how to get faster at downpicking so you can chug like James Hetfield
Joe Bonamassa [left] wears a deep blue suit and polka-dotted shirt and plays his green refin Strat; the late Irish blues legend Rory Gallagher [right] screams and inflicts some punishment on his heavily worn number one Stratocaster.
“The intensity of Rory’s guitar playing – the emotion, the sound and his incredible attack – was mindblowing for me”: Joe Bonamassa pays tribute to the late, great Irish blues-rock icon Rory Gallagher
Cory Wong playing his signature Fender Stratocaster
“For some players, their approach to rhythm guitar is, ‘Oh, someone else gets to do all of the fun stuff while I do this…’” Think playing rhythm guitar is boring? Cory Wong is here to change your mind
TGR345 How to bend strings
“A few poorly intonated sustained bends in a solo can make the guitar's most emotive technique sound bad”: Learning how to bend strings correctly is one of the quickest ways to make your playing sound better