How to Play 'Pushing It Down and Praying' on Guitar: Complete Chords and FAQ

Lizzy McAlpine built her reputation on visceral vulnerability, but "Pushing It Down and Praying" cuts deeper than most of her catalog. Released as the focal track of her expanded project Older (and Wiser), the song captures an excruciating moment of emotional dissonance: staying in a comfortable room while your mind races toward someone else. Guitarists scrambling to learn the track quickly discover that its deceptive simplicity masks precise micro-dynamics and syncopated phrasing.

While interactive gaming archives documented how previous generations learned anthems through plastic peripherals, chronicled extensively across gaming industry archives like the Wikipedia (en) Report, the modern acoustic renaissance driven by McAlpine relies on bare-wood intimacy. Translating this specific cut to an acoustic guitar requires an ear for percussive thumb slaps, subtle hammer-ons, and open-string resonance.

📌 Key Takeaways:

• Capo Strategy: Placing a capo on the 2nd fret allows you to execute the studio recording's rolling shapes using familiar G and Cadd9 voicings in standard tuning.
• Right-Hand Engine: The verse groove relies on a muted thumb-and-two-finger pluck rather than a continuous strum, creating an anxious, muted pulse.
• Bridge Tension: The emotional peak pivots around a moving bassline that demands deliberate finger placement to preserve open-string sustain.

The Raw Acoustic Architecture of McAlpine’s Arrangement

McAlpine approaches the acoustic guitar not as a solo instrument, but as a rhythmic anchor for conversational singing. In "Pushing It Down and Praying," the guitar mimics an elevated resting heart rate. The song sits in standard tuning (E-A-D-G-B-E), but its ambient fullness comes from keeping the high E and B strings ringing open across nearly every harmonic shift.

If you attempt to strum this track with wide, campfire-style sweeps, you immediately lose the claustrophobia that defines the record. McAlpine wrote the track during a period of intense creative recalibration, stripping away elaborate multi-tracking in favor of live room takes. To honor that space, your picking hand must remain anchored close to the bridge, applying gentle palm muting on the downbeats to keep the low-end tightly controlled.

Capo Placement and the Core Chord Progressions

The studio track sounds in the key signature of A major, but playing it with pure barre chords exhausts your fretting hand within ninety seconds. Clamping a capo on the 2nd fret unlocks standard G-major shapes, which yield the exact open-string shimmer heard on the studio master.

The primary verse revolves around three core shapes: G, Cadd9, and an altered Em7. Instead of moving your ring and pinky fingers, weld them to the third fret of the B and high E strings (relative to the capo). This anchor trick maintains tonal consistency across every bar while your index and middle fingers navigate the moving bass notes.

The pre-chorus introduces subtle tension by pulling down toward an Am7 and D/F# shape before resolving back to the root. For beginners struggling with the thumb-over D/F# voicing, playing a standard Dsus4/F# or an open D/A provides a clean harmonic substitute without muddying the vocal line.

Fingerpicking Tutorial and Rhythm Breakdown

The rhythmic backbone of "Pushing It Down and Praying" hinges on a 4/4 syncopated pulse that hovers between 76 and 78 BPM. Instead of sweeping a plectrum across the strings, use bare fingers to produce a soft, flesh-on-nickel tone.

Position your right hand with your thumb assigned to the root notes (low E, A, or D strings) while your index and middle fingers control the G and B strings. The verse uses a repetitive four-beat cycle:

1. Beat 1: Strike the bass note with your thumb and simultaneously pluck the B string.
2. Beat 1&: Let the note ring; do not rush the decay.
3. Beat 2: Execute a quiet, percussive backbeat by resting your palm lightly back onto the strings.
4. Beat 2&: Pluck the G and B strings together using index and middle fingers.
5. Beats 3 and 4: Repeat the alternation, shifting the bass note down on beat 4& to lead into the next chord change.

Once the song explodes into its climactic final chorus, discard the delicate fingerpicking. Switch to an aggressive, dynamic strumming pattern: Down, Down-Up, Skip, Up-Down-Up. Keep your wrist loose and concentrate pick pressure on the middle strings to prevent the treble strings from shrillness.

Dissecting the Bridge Chord Progression and Vocal Phrasing

The bridge contains the harmonic payload of the entire song. Here, the internal guilt transforms into outward frustration, and the harmony shifts to mirror that breaking point.

The progression detours away from the comforting G major loop:

`Cadd9, D/F#, Em7, G/B`

followed by:

`Am7, G/B, Cadd9, D`

The real technical challenge lies in syncing your fingers with McAlpine's vocal phrasing. She constantly anticipates the beat, landing crucial syllables on sixteenth-note upbeats just before the chord strikes. If you try to change chords exactly when she sings specific words, your rhythm will drag. Lock your fretting hand strictly to the 78 BPM metronome pulse, allowing your voice to float freely around the rhythmic grid.

Barre Chord Alternatives for Fatigued Hands

Guitarists with smaller hands or newer players often hit a wall during the extended bridge, where rapid transitions between low-bass shapes cause wrist fatigue. Fortunately, the arrangement thrives on open-string dissonance, making full six-string barre shapes completely unnecessary.

If wrapping your thumb over the neck for the D/F# strains your tendons, replace it with a simplified Dsus2/F#. Place your index finger on the 2nd fret of the low E string, leave the A string muted with the fleshy underside of that same finger, let the open D string ring, and place your middle and ring fingers on the 2nd fret of the G string and 3rd fret of the B string. This chord voiced as 2-x-0-2-3-x delivers identical emotional weight with half the physical effort.

Similarly, avoid barreing an F major if you choose to play the song in open C tuning without a capo. Use an Fmaj7#11 (1-3-3-2-0-0 with thumb on low E, or simply x-3-3-2-1-0). McAlpine frequently employs maj7 voicings across her compositions to evoke unanswered questions and unresolved emotional states.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What tuning does Lizzy McAlpine use for "Pushing It Down and Praying"?
A1: She uses standard tuning (E-A-D-G-B-E). To match the original studio recording pitch while maintaining easy open voicings, clamp a capo on the 2nd fret and play G-major family chords.

Q2: Can I play this song without a capo?
A2: Yes. Without a capo, the song sits in the key of A major. You will need to play A, D, F#m, and E chords. However, playing without a capo eliminates the droning high-string resonance characteristic of the studio cut unless you use open A-major variations.

Q3: How do I handle the rapid dynamic shift in the final third of the song?
A3: The track relies on extreme contrast. Play the first two verses with light, muted fingerpicking, barely brushing the top strings. When the full arrangement kicks in during the outro, open your strumming arm entirely, striking all six strings with an unmuted, hard down-up attack to mimic the drums.

Q4: Is a pick or bare fingers better for this track?
A4: Bare fingers or a very thin nylon pick (0.60mm or lighter) works best. Bare fingers give you total dynamic control over the intimate verse intros, while allowing you to slap the bridge for percussive timekeeping.

Refining the Intimacy in Your Performance

"Pushing It Down and Praying" works because it sounds like someone whispering a confession they regret immediately after uttering it. Nailing the chord shapes is merely the mechanical prerequisite; the magic lies in knowing when to hold back. Keep your right hand restrained during the opening sections, let the open strings ring into one another, and resist the temptation to over-polish the transitions. The slight squeak of fingers sliding across wound bronze strings is not a technical flaw here, it is the very texture that makes McAlpine’s songwriting resonate.