How to Play “Travelin’ Soldier” by Cody Johnson on Guitar – Easy Drop D Tutorial

Learn to Play "Travelin' Soldier" by Cody Johnson – Guitar Tutorial

If you’ve been wanting to learn how to play “Travelin’ Soldier” by Cody Johnson on guitar, you’re in the right place! In this lesson, I’ll walk you through the chords, strumming pattern, and tuning you need to get it sounding just right. This is a great song for intermediate players, especially if you’re comfortable with Drop D tuning.

I’ll also sing the lyrics along with the chords to help you follow along more easily — so grab your guitar and let’s get started!

Get your Free Beginner Guitar Book

🎸 Song Details

Artist: Cody Johnson
Song: Travelin’ Soldier
Tuning: Drop D
Capo: 1st Fret
Chords: D, A, G, C, Bm
Strumming Pattern: DDDUDU

My Favorite Guitar: https://shrsl.com/4bham
My Favorite Guitar Tuner: https://amzn.to/3ZfeI9X
My Favorite Capo: https://amzn.to/3PNXkVn
My Favorite Strings: https://amzn.to/4gbq5pR

🔎 Step-by-Step Guitar Lesson

1. Tune to Drop D

To play this song, you’ll need to tune your low E string down to D. If you’re not sure how to do that, here’s a quick tip:

• Pluck the low E string and adjust it down until it matches the open D string (4th string) but one octave lower.

2. Chord Progression

Here are the chords you’ll use throughout the song:

• D – xx0232
• A – x02220
• G – 320033
• C – x32010
• Bm – x24432

3. Strumming Pattern

The main strumming pattern is:
DDDUDU (Down, Down, Down-Up, Down-Up)

This pattern stays consistent through most of the song, but you can adjust the intensity depending on the part of the song to match the feel.

4. Play Along with the Lyrics

In my video lesson, I play through the song while singing the lyrics to help you follow along. This makes it much easier to lock in the chord changes and the rhythm!

🎯 Pro Tip:

Make sure to keep a relaxed hand while strumming, especially in Drop D tuning — it helps create a fuller, more natural sound.

📹 Watch the Full Tutorial

Get All My Videos Early Here: All Access

If you enjoyed learning this song, check out more country guitar lessons on Learn Guitar Favorites! Here are a few more songs you might like:

✅ More Lessons Like This

If you enjoyed learning this song, check out some of my other country song tutorials:

• Take It Easy - Eagles
• Worst Way - Riley Green
• Wonderful Tonight - Eric Clapton

• 🎶 Keep Pickin’!

  Thanks for learning with me today! If you found this lesson helpful, be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel for more country guitar tutorials. And if you want to support the channel, check this out here!