Norwegian Wood is an iconic Beatles tune with an instantly recognisable riff melody and chord progression. To play it properly you need to play it using a D suspended 2 chord, which requires lifting certain fingers for melody creation of its main melody riff.
Be sure to try different strumming patterns! In addition, use a partial capo for chord voicing exploration.
D Major Chord
Norwegian Wood is one of the most iconic guitar riffs ever composed and used by The Beatles on their 1965 album Rubber Soul; its introduction into popular consciousness changed how people perceive world music.
This chord is built on the second and third frets of the D major scale. As it’s a triad, it contains all three notes from its scale; those being its 1st, 3rd, and 5th notes respectively.
Guitarists can play a D major chord in first inversion by muted the low E string so that it does not resonate when strumming other strings – this may require placing their thumb over their neck and using it as an aid to do this effectively.
To achieve John Lennon-style playing, try placing a capo on the fourth fret and playing in G key – this works particularly well if accompanying yourself singing! However, this technique requires good strength and flexibility in your ring finger to hold down chord strums while picking melody notes simultaneously.
E Minor Chord
E minor is one of the primary open guitar chords most beginners learn as part of their foundational repertoire. It is one of the lowest pitch minor chords you can play in standard tuning and has considerable heft for such a simple two-finger chord. Like all minor chords, its sound is subdued and melancholy owing to being composed using different notes than major chords; for instance lowering any major scale note by half step creates this melancholy effect.
An E minor chord can be easily played by pressing your index finger against the third string, placing your other fingers atop it, and making sure each string sounds clearly with no buzzing or muffled sound. Once you have mastered this chord you will quickly progress onto other minor chords while simultaneously being prepared to work with more inversions later.
F Major Chord
F major is an easy chord to learn for guitar, as you’ll use it for many songs by The Beatles like Dear Prudence. Be sure to drop the bass when playing this chord for a fuller sound!
An F major chord comprises three notes – F, A and C – but you can add one additional seventh note for a F major 7th chord (Dominant). A seventh chord is similar to a triad chord but includes another note one octave higher from its root note.
To play an F major chord, use your first finger on all six strings – notice Anna’s slightly curved finger for better sound – to barricade it. Be sure to place your fingers close to the frets so as not to compromise holding down all six strings adequately.
G Major Chord
Norwegian Wood is widely known for its signature chord progression; yet, its chords remain relatively straightforward. The song opens with an open D chord before jumping to C, before returning back to open D again before finally transitioning into G chords.
Lennon and McCartney frequently employed parallel major and minor chord sequences to give songs a melancholic sound, an approach made popular among rock musicians such as the Beatles by classically trained producer George Martin.
Borrowing chords from parallel keys is simple. Just flatten the leading tone of your original key to create a new chord – for instance, this song uses G as it was borrowed from D minor due to having flattened its leading tone into C natural instead of D major – adding harmonic color and texture into your music!