Hou Lai / Afterwards (后来)
Strumming: Slow fingerpicking (5 3 2 3 1 3 2 3, bass note follows the chord across strings); switch to a slow strum for the chorus
Focus: Canon-family progression (1–5–6–3–4–1–2–5) + inversion substitutions for the descending bass (G/B, Em/G, C/E); the full set of open chords in C and the F barre in practice, with the connected, singing flow of slow-song fingerpicking
Transpose · Capo
The original key is inferred from the first chord in the chart. Transposing changes the chords you have to play; to keep easy shapes, switch to “Capo” instead.
💡 Too high to sing? Move down. Too low? Move up. Guys often go a few keys below the original, women a bit above — that's just a starting point. You've got it right when you can sing the highest line of the chorus comfortably.
Chords in this song
✦ = harder to play (mostly barre); try a capoChord progression
Play-along
Chords change automatically to the beat (following the current key C). Get it smooth slowly, then speed up.
One bar of count-in first, then the chord changes automatically each bar. Get it smooth slowly, then speed up bit by bit.
Practice ladder · from playing it to playing it well
Not sure how to practice? Follow these four steps — each has a clear goal and a concrete method.
- 1
Get the chords ringing
Goal: every chord clear, no buzzingGet this song's 9 chords ringing one by one and switchable (C · G · Am · Em · F · Dm · G/B · Em/G · C/E). Press each alone first, then switch in pairs; for any that won't ring, scroll to “Don't know these chords?” below, or use the chord-change timer for a one-minute challenge.
- 2
Play it through in time
Goal: no stalls with the metronome, start to finishUsing the “Slow fingerpicking (5 3 2 3 1 3 2 3, bass note follows the chord across strings); switch to a slow strum for the chorus” strum, open the metronome and connect the whole song from a slow tempo, no pausing on the changes.
- 3
Play it with feel
Goal: dynamics and a sense of breathCanon-family progression (1–5–6–3–4–1–2–5) + inversion substitutions for the descending bass (G/B, Em/G, C/E); the full set of open chords in C and the F barre in practice, with the connected, singing flow of slow-song fingerpicking。
- 4
Own it & make it yours
Goal: explain why it works and change up your own versionTry analyzing its chord progression, then use the Transpose / Capo control above to change keys, and try reworking the rhythm, adding color chords or improvising — turn “I can play this one” into “I can play many.”
Practice this in the courses
A course uses this very song as a practice piece — follow it step by step, faster than fumbling on your own:
Don't know these chords? Learn them in the courses
- C — Your Third Chord: C
- G — Your Fourth Chord: G
- Am — Your Second Chord: Am
- Em — Your First Chord: Em
- F — Conquering the Big Barre: F
- Dm — Open Chords A and E
- G/B — Color Chords That Sound Great and Are Easy to Play
- Em/G — Inversions & Slash Chords: Get the Bass Line Moving
- C/E — Color Chords That Sound Great and Are Easy to Play
Chords only (no lyrics or melody tab); the melody and lyrics are copyright of the original authors; the song comes from Kiroro’s “Mirae,” covered by Rene Liu. Key of C, no capo; the original opens with one chorus, and the bridge is omitted. If F is hard to hold down, start with Fmaj7 (a simplified F) as a stepping stone; to recreate the flowing feel of the original piano, play the chorus’s “descending bass version” (the bass walks down stepwise C–B–A–G–F–E–D).