Song Rig

More Than Words

Nuno Bettencourt · Pornograffitti · 1991

Tone Overview

What Makes This Sound Unique

Completely acoustic — one of the great acoustic guitar showcases in rock. Nuno uses fingerpicking with a capo on the 7th fret for the famous chord progression. The tone is warm and intimate, all fingertips and nails on nylon-feeling strings. The acoustic arrangement makes this song sound more difficult than it is to replicate.

Signal Chain

1acoustic guitar (any quality instrument)
2capo (7th fret)
3fingerpicking (no pick)

Amp Settings

Gain / Volume0

Bass5

Mid6

Treble6

Reverb3

Acoustic recording — no amp settings. Light reverb on the mix but the guitar itself is pure acoustic fingerpicking. Capo at 7th fret changes the key while allowing open chord shapes, creating the characteristic voicing.

Technique

How to Play It

Fingerpicked open chord shapes with capo at 7th fret — the chord progression uses G-Am-C-D shapes (which with the capo sound as B-C#m-E-F#). The picking pattern alternates bass note (thumb) with treble arpeggio (fingers). Nuno also uses his thumb to occasionally mute the bass string for rhythmic variation.

Budget Alternative

Achievable With

Any acoustic guitar + capo at 7th fret. The chord shapes (open position G-Am-C-D) are beginner-level; the fingerpicking pattern and smooth chord changes are the technique challenge.

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