On the Nature of Daylight

Post-minimalism — or neo-classical, depending on who you ask — is a genre of contemporary music that sits somewhere between classical and electronic. It’s slower, more emotive, and deliberately cinematic. The composers who’ve mastered it have found a natural home in modern film: Max Richter, the late Johann Johannsson, and Dustin O’Halloran.

But within this genre, one piece quietly set the tone for the whole movement. Released in 2004 on Richter’s second album The Blue Notebooks, “On the Nature of Daylight” is — and I don’t use this lightly — one of the most recognizable pieces of music written in the 21st century. Achingly beautiful.

Since then, “On the Nature of Daylight” has been used in film and television more than almost any modern classical piece in history — most notably in Arrival (2016), Shutter Island (2010), and The Last of Us (HBO, 2023). If you watched The Last of Us, you’ll know exactly the moment I mean: Episode 3, Bill and Frank’s last day. One of the most quietly devastating hours of television ever made, and Richter’s piece was the emotional anchor of the whole thing.

Here’s what I find fascinating though: despite decades of film placements, the piece found its most intentional home in Hamnet (2025). And this is where the story gets interesting — it wasn’t even planned. Director Chloé Zhao was struggling with the film’s ending when actress Jessie Buckley sent her “On the Nature of Daylight.” Zhao had never heard it. She listened on the way to set, had what she described as an epiphany, and rewrote the ending of the film on the spot. They then played the piece on set for 10 hours a day. Twenty years after its release, the piece finally got the cinematic eulogy it deserved.

You might also like to play…

The Last of Us (HBO): Opening Titles | fingerstyle guitar + TAB

Hamnet: See things that others don’t (Max Richter) | fingerstyle guitar + TAB

Max Richter: Of the undiscovered country (Hamnet) | fingerstyle guitar + TAB

How to play On the Nature of Daylight | fingerstyle guitar

The guitar tab for Daylight beautifully written across 4 pages, and played straight through without repeats. I recommend this song for intermediate guitar players and up.  I hope you enjoy playing this as much as I do.

Enjoy, the guitar tab is available below:

[guitar tab] **On the Nature of Daylight | fingerstyle guitar

For this piece, I tuned my guitar down one whole step (from low to high): D G C F A D. I like the lower tone. However, you could just as easily play this in standard tuning.