Mastering the Indigo Girls’ “Closer to Fine” – A Folk-Rock Anthem Tutorial

Since the song “Closer to Fine” by the Indigo Girls was released in 1989 on their Grammy-winning self-titled album, it’s been beloved by fans for its catchy melody and timeless message of seeking and self-acceptance. But who would have guessed that in 2023, one of the most iconic pop culture images would be Barbie and Ken, played by Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, singing along to “Closer to Fine” in a pink convertible?

“Closer to Fine” dates back to the early days of the Indigo Girls, when Emily Saliers and Amy Ray were playing gigs in bars just out of college. The song already showcased their style, with close harmonies, solid twin guitar strumming, thoughtful lyrics, and a touch of vocal countermelody. Their original track, with minimal instrumentation beyond their two acoustic guitars, appears several times in the Barbie movie; for the extended soundtrack album, Brandi Carlile delivered a slowed-down, dreamy version sung with her wife, Catherine Carlile.

To play “Closer to Fine” in the Indigo Girls’ style, put a capo on the second fret and use G shapes, which will sound in the key of A major. Both Saliers and Ray play from this position, using slightly different voicings. The guitar notation here incorporates elements of both of their parts. 

In the intro, hold down the top two strings at the third fret while changing from G to A7sus4, Cadd9, and Dsus4, then follow with a classic Dsus chord embellishment. The A7sus4 shown is the shape that Ray uses; Saliers plays an Am7 at the same time, so the underlying harmony is minor. Maintain a similar driving rhythm pattern throughout the song, with plenty of down/up eighth note strums.

In the third and fourth lines of the verse, Saliers uses the Dadd4add9/A and C/G shapes, fretting the sixth string under both chords, while Ray plays standard D and C shapes.

The one place where the strumming rhythm pauses is in the short instrumental bridge, where Saliers picks a little melody on D and C chords as shown in the example.

Thanks to the Barbie spotlight, this classic song is finding its way into the ears and sing-along repertoires of an entirely new generation.

Due to copyright restrictions, we are unable to post notation or tablature for this musical work. If you have a digital or physical copy of the January/February 2024 issue of Acoustic Guitar magazine, you will find the music on page 54.

Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers

Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers, founding editor of Acoustic Guitar, is a grand prize winner of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest and author of The Complete Singer-Songwriter, Beyond Strumming, and other books and videos for musicians.

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