At the current time of writing, “positions” by Ariana Grande is the number one song in the UK. In fact, it claimed the top spot on the UK chart immediately after its release on the 23rd October 2020. Impressively, “positions” is Grande’s seventh UK number one, and it’s easy to see why. The song features a catchy intro guitar riff, catchy vocal melodies and a laid back half time groove. With that in mind, this is a great piece to learn on guitar for those looking to improve their rhythm playing. So, if you are looking for the positions tab by Ariana Grande, then you have come to the right place! In today’s guitar lesson, we will be looking at the chords and tab for this song for both electric and acoustic guitar.
Ariana Grande “positions” – Chords
Before I show you the positions tab, it is important to look at the chords which make up this tune. There are four chords used throughout the entire piece, and below is a diagram of each shape:
As you can see from the diagrams above, the use of 7ths and 9ths gives this song a little more flavour. If you are just going to strum the chords to this tune, then you could also play the Bbmaj7 chord like this:
positions Tab – Ariana Grande
“positions” features a distinctive picked guitar part throughout the song. It also serves as the intro. Here is the positions tab for guitar:
Try to keep the note length as short as you can, in order to emulate the original guitar part. Additionally, it may be tricky to keep up with the chord shapes if you’re not used to them, so keep practicing and you will see success.
positions Ariana Grande Acoustic Chords
Although it is possible to play all of the above on acoustic guitar, you may find it easier to play the chords to “positions” with a capo. Furthermore, this approach will suffice if you are having difficulty fretting any of the chord shapes shown above. If you are planning on an acoustic performance of this tune, then I suggest placing the capo on the 5th fret of your guitar, and playing the following voicings:
For this method to work, I have had to substitute the first minor 9 chord for a minor 7 chord. These two chords are very similar in quality, so there is no problem in doing this.
positions Tab – Arranged For Acoustic Guitar
It is also possible to play the intro guitar part with a capo on the 5th fret. Here is the positions tab arranged for acoustic guitar:
As we saw with the chords, the minor 9 chord has been altered for a minor 7 chord. This means that one note in the riff has to be changed, which is the second note. Because this note is still a chord tone, it still sounds fine.
Whichever way you choose to play “positions” by Ariana Grande on guitar, it is always the same four chords in the same order all the way through. With that said, I encourage you to come up with your own arrangement using the information above. I hope you have enjoyed this guitar lesson, and as always, I’ll see you next time.
-PB.
