Can’t Help falling in Love

Elvis Presley’s performance of “Unchained Melody” — recorded just weeks before he passed — is one of the greatest moments in American Rock & Roll history. I eventually arranged that piece myself. Not quite as dramatic as Elvis, but his spirit is in there.

Another hopelessly romantic ballad I’ve always wanted to tackle is “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” My favorite composer, Gustavo Santaolalla, performed a beautiful abbreviated version for The Book of Life soundtrack, and it’s stayed with me ever since. My arrangement isn’t quite as abridged as Santaolalla’s, but it captures the essential arc of the song in a single guitar piece.

Transcribing it was surprisingly straightforward — Elvis’s vocals follow the chord structure so closely that the melody practically arranges itself.

You might also like to play…

Unchained Melody | fingerstyle guitar + TAB

The Book of Life: I Love You Too Much | fingerstyle guitar + TAB

The Book of Life: The Apology Song |fingerstyle guitar + TAB

How to play “Can’t Help Falling in Love” | fingerstyle guitar

The guitar tab for this piece is beautifully written across 2 pages. I recommend this piece for beginner and intermediate guitar players.

Enjoy! The guitar tab is available below:

My song structure looks like this, in accordance with the guitar tab:

Verse 1, Verse 2

Bridge, Verse 2

End

[guitar tab] **Elvis Presley: Can’t Help Falling in Love | fingerstyle guitar

My version is played one whole step down. Your tuning will look like this: D G C F A D.

(For the actual key of the song, use standard tuning with a capo on the 2nd fret.)