#TAB015 - Die With A Smile
Free Tabs + Pro Tips
Die With A Smile
Difficulty Level: ⭐️⭐️
Song: Die With A Smile
Artist: Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars
Genre: English/Pop
Tuning: Standard (EADGBe)
Capo: None
BPM: 79
Personal Take
So, let’s talk about “Die With a Smile”! This track has been blowing up everywhere, and it’s no surprise. Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars together? That’s already legendary status! This song shot to the top of the Billboard Global 200 and stayed there for a record-breaking amount of time in 2024!
*Fun fact—Bruno actually invited Gaga to his studio, and they wrote and recorded this whole song in just ONE DAY!
Since Bruno Mars is one of my favourite artists, I’ve been hyped about this song from the start. I’ve followed his music since I was a kid, starting with tracks like Grenade and Just the Way You Are. When I first heard Die With a Smile, my thought was:
I’ve got to make this easy for everyone to enjoy playing!
And so, here we are! I’ve created a short arrangement, starting from the pre-chorus leading into the second chorus, where Bruno and Gaga sing together. It’s super beginner-friendly, so give it a shot and let me know how it feels!
1. Vocal Melody Rhythm
This song is in 6/8 time, a compound time that counts 1-2-3-4-5-6 per measure. There are some semiquavers (sixteenth notes) and dotted quavers (eighth notes), which can make counting tricky, but trust me—this rhythm is fantastic practice for familiarizing yourself with these values!
In the image above, red marks the count for bar 3, and green lines tell you the note duration. If it looks complicated, try counting a quaver as a full beat, making semiquavers half a beat and dotted quavers one and a half beats. Does it make sense?
2. Sliding
If you’ve read my previous newsletters, you know sliding comes up a lot!
Just to recap: sliding is when a line connects two notes. Pluck the first note, hold it firmly, and slide to the second note without lifting. Your eyes should focus on the target fret to slide accurately!
3. Left-Hand Position
For most of the piece, your left hand stays around frets 7-10. Toward the end (bars 17-19), you’ll slide down to frets 4-7.
Hope you guys enjoy this short arrangement of the viral song “Die With a Smile.” Thinking of doing an easy fingerstyle version too—what do you think? Let me know!
PS: What’s the #1 thing that made you want to check out this newsletter? Reply and let me know, I READ EVERY REPLY!
Melody:
