“Country Nirvana, I’m here for it”: The nylon-string guitar riff that has taken TikTok by storm – and been covered by John Mayer

The video seems pretty unassuming at first glance – a guy standing in a field with an acoustic guitar; a dramatic, open blue sky behind him. Sure, he's holding a nylon-string, not quite your typical campfire acoustic, but it's a scene that can be found, say, in many a music video.

But Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Hudson Freeman, with the idyllic vista of rural Southern Indiana behind him, then digs into If You Know Me, an understated lament with a bulls-eye riff; one of those magic ones that hits you like a hammer from bar one.

One could wax poetic about it, but listening to it yourself is far easier.

The word “viral” long ago descended into over-use, but you can't really describe the video – posted to TikTok on August 30 – any other way; its view count currently sits at 1.5 million.

If you're anywhere even adjacent to the guitar side of TikTok, you've probably either seen the original, or watched one of the many, many covers that've already sprung up. A sizable percentage of these are simply guitarists disregarding the lyrics, and just grooving on the riff – and who can blame them?

Earlier this month, none other than John Mayer had a go at it, posting a version on his Instagram and shouting Freeman out, with the caption, “Had to learn this riff.” Not a small compliment from the man who himself wrote one of the 21st century's ultimate song-opening show-stoppers.

John Mayer playing Hudson Freeman "If You Know Me" riff - YouTube

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So what it makes it so distinct?

A whole lot of it is the tuning Freeman uses: C#, F#, B, E, G#, B, as the man himself clarified in a tutorial. He absolutely digs into that top string to open the tune, it sounds like he's halfway to ripping it off entirely.

The tuning is off-the-beaten-path and distinctly grunge-y, conjuring flannel and TV static. “Country Nirvana,” commented one user on the original video. “I’m here for it.”

Earlier this month, Freeman released a more polished, full-band version of the song, with some tasty doubling of the magic riff on electric guitar.

Hudson Freeman - If You Know Me [Official Music Video] - YouTube

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A standalone single as of right now, whatever album accompanies If You Know Me in 2026 (or later) will surely be one of the most anticipated in the indiesphere...