Country music can be considered a go-back-to-basics style, making it an enjoyable genre to learn. Most songs feature basic chord progressions with guitar melodies distinct from vocal lines – making country an enjoyable way to hone musical skills!
JT often employs chord voicings that extend chord tones into seventh, ninth and 13th chords. Example 2 shows an easy pattern to play that does not require any barre chords for support.
Key of G
G is one of the easier keys for beginning players. With only one sharp (F#), it’s simple to identify in sheet music reading.
John Denver’s 1971 hit Country Roads has become the state anthem of West Virginia and even serves as its official state song. This musical piece includes several chords that can be played either with or without a capo; each chord lasts for four counts (1 measure), while its lyrics repeat with every verse.
Chorus
Take Me Home Country Roads is an enduringly popular song featuring an accessible chord progression and is one of the most well-known pieces written in A Major, due to this key’s prevalence in contemporary pop music.
Each chord should be played for four counts (one measure). You may practice playing them without using the strum pattern to become familiar with them.
Throughout the chorus, keep your strumming pattern constant so as to maintain an even rhythm. This will enable you to maintain a steady beat.
Verse 1
Original released in 1971, this classic song serves as one of West Virginia’s state anthems. Dedicated to its mountains and their promise of peace and quiet, this tuneful composition stands the test of time.
Country Roads’ chords are straightforward. A capo can help with ease of playing (though it isn’t necessary). Simply focus on playing four middle strings.
As each chord takes up one measure in this song, quickly changing chords is necessary.
Verse 2
Take Me Home, Country Roads is an iconic sing-along tune written and recorded by John Denver in 1971, now considered an unofficial state anthem of West Virginia and becoming synonymous with mountain living.
This verse is in G, so we will use simple chords. Each chord will be played for four counts (1 measure). Practice this pattern first without strumming, before gradually adding strumming patterns until we gain familiarity.
Verse 3
Country Roads’ third verse begins with an F chord (muted F major), transitions into B minor before returning back to F chord for two measures before ending on C chord again. Each chord takes four counts per measure to play; therefore it is wise to practice playing it early on to build your proficiency and avoid getting disoriented during performance.
Verse 4
John Denver recorded Country Roads as West Virginia’s official state anthem back in 1971, making this classic campfire song and state anthem an instant classic. These guitar chords are in G but you can alter them to suit your vocal range; women may prefer capos on fret 2 for easier singing.
This song’s strum pattern is straightforward and utilizes a common chord progression – each chord taking four counts (1 measure) before repeating twice in each verse.
Verse 5
Country Roads’ final verse may be more complex, but it shouldn’t be too challenging. Based on a familiar structure of verse-chorus-bridge-chorus, it makes memorizing it much simpler.
Each chord takes four counts (1 measure), and there is one slash (“/”) between sections of the song. A capo may help accommodate your vocal range when singing along; however, this is not required.
Verse 6
Country Roads was released as one of West Virginia’s official state songs in 1971. A classic sing-along that captures both nostalgia and hope for better times, Country Roads can be altered to meet any vocal range – this version uses G as its starting key; but feel free to change keys based on your vocal range or key preference. Each chord lasts 4 counts (measures), and the strum pattern repeats twice per verse – capoing can help make this song easier on your vocal cords!
Finale
Take Me Home Country Roads is an iconic American song associated with West Virginia and composed by Danoff and Nivert for Olivia Newton-John to perform originally in 1983. Since then it has become one of the state songs and often used to promote West Virginia tourism.
This song’s chords are written in G, making them easy for most guitarists to play. Women performing it may wish to use a capo on any fret from fourth through seventh in order to accommodate their vocal range.