Hello and welcome to this guitar lesson on the Super Mario Bros theme song. Here, I will be showing you the Super Mario Bros theme guitar TAB and guiding you through how to play this classic gaming theme on guitar.
I first learned how to play the Mario theme song on guitar a few years ago while I was studying music at college. I always found it to be a fun piece of music to play on guitar and it always got a positive response thanks to it being a somewhat unusual thing to perform on guitar and its nostalgic factor. Performing this is sure to bring a smile to the face of anyone listening. It’s like a cool little party trick.
We all know what Mario is, so no background is necessary and if you don’t, how did you even get here in the first place? I will break this down into smaller sections so that it’s easier to learn and then I will put the whole thing together at the end. So, with that out of the way, let’s dive straight in. By the way, if this Mario theme guitar lessons caught your eye, you may also be interested in another novelty track. Try the Stone Cold Steve Austin Theme Song TAB and Guitar Lesson.
Super Mario Bros theme guitar TAB and guitar lesson
Before we dive into the TAB, just one thing. This is how I personally play the Super Mario Bros theme tune on guitar. This isn’t some official TAB or anything like that. It’s based on an arrangement that I came up with years ago so don’t go trying to match it up with the game or anything. You may also find that I’ve pulled in a couple of the bass notes too so if you’re playing with a band, that’s something else to consider.
With that out of the way, let’s get to it.
Super Mario Bros theme guitar TAB Intro
We have a neat little one bar intro here that uses a little lick that pops up in the piece throughout. This works wonders because even though this part is short, it immediately identifies the piece in the mind of the listener. Not much explanation required here. Just take note of the staccato marks that are used here and throughout the whole piece. For some reason, it’s that last G note that sounds the coolest to me. What do you think?
Super Mario Bros theme guitar TAB section 1
I don’t really know what to refer to these parts as, so I’m going for a good old section 1, 2, 3 and so on. Up next, we have section 1. I’ve called it section 1 because it follows the intro but much like the intro lick, this occurs more than once. It’s a 2 bar section repeated. Here’s the TAB.
This can feel a little fiddly but it’s not that difficult once you get a feel for it. There’s more complication with staccato notes but to be honest, you can just get a feel for which notes are abrupt by playing the song. If you’re happy to do that, simply disregard my staccato marks and listen to the track.
Perhaps the hardest part of the above is that very short G note at the start of the second bar. The timing is quirky and interesting so don’t neglect the practice of that note. Get it right. It gives the part identity.
Super Mario Bros theme guitar TAB section 2
The next natural place to go after section 1 is section 2. This time, we have a 4 bar repeated section instead of a 2 bar section. This part isn’t any more or less tricky than the previous, just longer.
With this part, I’ve incorporated some of the bass notes into the guitar part so you can play it solo. These little notes fill space that would be otherwise much too sparse. They’re the notes at the 17 fret of the D string and the 15th fret of the A string. Jumping to and from them may seem difficult but there’s a nice flow to the rhythm. You’ll be fine with it.
Also take note of those rests that appear at the start of some of the bars. Don’t go trying to play on the first beat when the TAB is telling you not to.
If you want to piece these parts together as a structured performance, then so far you have intro followed by section 1 followed by section 2. Nice and simple right? After that, add section 3.
Super Mario Bros theme guitar TAB section 3
Section 3 contains more notes incorporated from the bass but once again, nothing that’s crazy difficult to include. You’ll also find that this section isn’t repeated like the previous parts and also, we see that lick from the intro right at the end of the TAB. Here it is.
This part should be fairly easy to get the hang of. Just 4 bars, 1 of which you’ve already learned and there’s lots of repeated notes in there too.
Section 4 – Almost there
This is the last section that you really have to learn because the final part is the same as this with a slight alteration. This part kind of feels like a bridge section or something like that but it has a nice little feel to it. Once again, I’ve added some bass but this time, it’s just 1 note at the end. The bass note isn’t mandatory. I just like to fill the gaps and I enjoy the contrast of the higher and lower pitch notes.
This is a set of 4 bars repeated to make an 8 bar section.
Super Mario Bros theme outro
Finally we have this little outro section which is really just the previous section without the repeat. I’ve also slightly changed the bass note at the end and split it into 2. I find that this gives a nice feeling of resolution to a piece of music that could otherwise just be looped all day. Here’s the TAB.
Putting it all together
Now that you know all the parts, all you need to do is glue all of them together to create a structured piece. I’m going to do that for you below but you don’t have to follow this, screw around with it all you want.
So if you want to play it how I do, follow this structure.
Intro / Section 1 / Section 2 / Section 3 / Section 1 / Section 4 / Section 3 / Outro
What next?
Well that about wraps things up for this lesson on the Super Mario Bros theme song. Playing guitar is about having fun and any gamer out there would consider learning and playing this theme song a really enjoyable task.
If already recommended one other guitar lesson but you’ll only be interested in that one if you’re a wrestling fan like me. There are more instrumental tracks here at Eat Sleep Guitar Repeat though which you may find interesting.
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Hello. My name is Ryan J Mellor and I play the guitar. I’m also the creator of Eat Sleep Guitar Repeat. I’ve ben a guitarist for many years and my guitar playing has been described as “above average”. My guitar and music knowledge is somewhat impressive but most importantly, I have a passion for creating great guitar and music related content.