How to play Kryptonite by 3 Doors Down

In the year 2000, the band 3 Doors Down released a song called Kryptonite on the album The Better Life that was a smash hit. Everyone knew the words because it was overplayed on all the mainstream stations. I learned this song on my acoustic guitar and have kept it in tow as an old favorite.

Below is a video tutorial for Kryptonite by Three Doors Down including tab and chords in time with the video. This is a great starter song for anyone that is trying to learn how to sing and play at the same time. you can completely skip the opening solo to make it easier to focus and practice strumming until you’ve really got it down. It’s really just the same three chords repeating with a bit of extra fingering on the G string for flare.

If you are just learning the guitar and trying to figure out strumming, I recommend listening to the real song repeatedly until you have the words down by heart and know just how it is supposed to sound. You can also put headphones on and strum your guitar along with this video or the 3 Doors Down version to get a feel for it. Tuning is regular EADGBE.


  1. What is the strumming for the rock out part right after the intro?

  2. Hey Nicole… I’m not really sure how to answer that question? Try to watch the video and practice in time. When you first start learning a song like this you can play each chord just once and let it ring. Doing this will let you focus on the timing of lyrics and then once you’ve got it down you can add more strumming and eventually muting the extra strings and volume (how hard you strum at different parts).

    I hope this helps! The video is really the key I’d say, you can also listen to the original song for guidance. Everyone plays a song their own way :)