Chords for How To Play Crosby, Stills & Nash Helplessly Hoping (intro only)
Tempo:
132.05 bpm
Chords used:
G
C
D
Am
B
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret

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Helplessly Hoping is in the key of G, although it starts on the chord of A minor 7.
tab, let's play those through.
[G]
[D]
[B] So we start on A minor 7, which is just A minor without [Fm] the third string finger.
[Abm] Bar 1, we pinch 5 and [Am] 2.
Then 4, 3, 5, 1, [C] 4, 3.
That's the first half of the [N] bar.
tab, let's play those through.
[G]
[D]
[B] So we start on A minor 7, which is just A minor without [Fm] the third string finger.
[Abm] Bar 1, we pinch 5 and [Am] 2.
Then 4, 3, 5, 1, [C] 4, 3.
That's the first half of the [N] bar.
100% ➙ 132BPM
G
C
D
Am
B
G
C
D
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
Helplessly Hoping is in the key of G, although it starts on the chord of A minor 7.
_ The intro is the first four bars of your tab, let's play those through.
_ _ [C] _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ [G] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [D] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [B] So we start on A minor 7, which is just A minor without [Fm] the third string finger.
_ [Abm] Bar 1, we pinch 5 and [Am] 2. _
Then 4, 3, _ 5, 1, [C] 4, 3.
_ _ _ [G]
That's the first half of the [N] bar.
Then 5 and 2 again, pinched, and hammer 2 from open to first fret.
[B] _ [Am] _ _ [Em]
4, 3, 5, 1, 4, 3.
_ _ _ _ _ [Am] 1 _ _ and a 2 e [G] and a 3 e and a 4 [Em] e and a. _ _
_ _ [Am] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[Ab] Bar 2 we go to a normal C chord, pinch 5 [C] and 2.
_ _ 4, 3, [G] now something happens that happens a lot on this song,
he takes the [N] fourth string finger away.
I've called it C add 9 on the tab, it's probably more like C add 2 really,
but that's such an unusual name that I stuck with C add 9.
[C] It's 5, 2, [D] 4, [G] 3.
Stay in this [C] shape, second half of the bar, pinch 5 and 2.
_ _ [D] [G] 4, 3, _ [C] 5, 2, and then 4 back at the second fret.
_ _ _ _ _ 3, 1 _ and a 2 e and a 3 _ and a 4 e and a.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [G] Now make a G chord, 6 and 2.
_ _ 4, 3, and now 6, but at [N] the same time you're going to hammer into the fourth string,
second fret, second string, first fret, even though you won't hear those [B] notes as the hammer goes [F] down.
You will, if you do it correctly you'll kind of feel them go down as you do on the record.
So [C] 6 out of this new shape, [Cm] 1 should be at the third fret, _ _
4 should now be at the second fret, [E] _ _ [G]
3, _ that's the first half of the bar. _
_ [C] _ _ _ _ _ _ [G]
Then out of the shape again, back to a normal G, 6 and 2.
_ 4, 3, 6 with the hammer going down, _ 1 at the third fret, [Em] 4, 3.
[G] In other words, the second half of the bar repeats the first half.
_ 1 _ _ and a 2 e and a 3 _ _ and a 4 [C] e and a.
_ _ [G] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[C] _ _ _ _ _ [Ab] And at bar 4 go to a D chord, pinch 4 and [D] 1, _ _ 3, 2, 4, 1 [A] open, _ 3, [D] 2, that's the first half of the bar.
[Cm] Then 4 and 1 and hammer 1 from open to second [D] fret, _ _ 3, 2, 4, 1 [Am] open, _ 3. _ _
_ _ [D] 1 _ and a 2 e and a 3 e and a 4 e and. _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ Notice [N] throughout this track that the guitar accompaniment is Travis picked.
So you're [Am] typically going 5, 4, [E] 5, 4 on A minor and [G] C chord, 6, 4, 6, 4 [D] on G,
and 4, 3, 4, 3 on that [Bm] D chord.
_ _ Thumbs marking out the regular rhythm.
Here's [Am] the intro again slowly. _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [C] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [G] _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[D] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[F] And that will take us into the verse and we'll cover the verse in the next video.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
Helplessly Hoping is in the key of G, although it starts on the chord of A minor 7.
_ The intro is the first four bars of your tab, let's play those through.
_ _ [C] _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ [G] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [D] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [B] So we start on A minor 7, which is just A minor without [Fm] the third string finger.
_ [Abm] Bar 1, we pinch 5 and [Am] 2. _
Then 4, 3, _ 5, 1, [C] 4, 3.
_ _ _ [G]
That's the first half of the [N] bar.
Then 5 and 2 again, pinched, and hammer 2 from open to first fret.
[B] _ [Am] _ _ [Em]
4, 3, 5, 1, 4, 3.
_ _ _ _ _ [Am] 1 _ _ and a 2 e [G] and a 3 e and a 4 [Em] e and a. _ _
_ _ [Am] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[Ab] Bar 2 we go to a normal C chord, pinch 5 [C] and 2.
_ _ 4, 3, [G] now something happens that happens a lot on this song,
he takes the [N] fourth string finger away.
I've called it C add 9 on the tab, it's probably more like C add 2 really,
but that's such an unusual name that I stuck with C add 9.
[C] It's 5, 2, [D] 4, [G] 3.
Stay in this [C] shape, second half of the bar, pinch 5 and 2.
_ _ [D] [G] 4, 3, _ [C] 5, 2, and then 4 back at the second fret.
_ _ _ _ _ 3, 1 _ and a 2 e and a 3 _ and a 4 e and a.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [G] Now make a G chord, 6 and 2.
_ _ 4, 3, and now 6, but at [N] the same time you're going to hammer into the fourth string,
second fret, second string, first fret, even though you won't hear those [B] notes as the hammer goes [F] down.
You will, if you do it correctly you'll kind of feel them go down as you do on the record.
So [C] 6 out of this new shape, [Cm] 1 should be at the third fret, _ _
4 should now be at the second fret, [E] _ _ [G]
3, _ that's the first half of the bar. _
_ [C] _ _ _ _ _ _ [G]
Then out of the shape again, back to a normal G, 6 and 2.
_ 4, 3, 6 with the hammer going down, _ 1 at the third fret, [Em] 4, 3.
[G] In other words, the second half of the bar repeats the first half.
_ 1 _ _ and a 2 e and a 3 _ _ and a 4 [C] e and a.
_ _ [G] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[C] _ _ _ _ _ [Ab] And at bar 4 go to a D chord, pinch 4 and [D] 1, _ _ 3, 2, 4, 1 [A] open, _ 3, [D] 2, that's the first half of the bar.
[Cm] Then 4 and 1 and hammer 1 from open to second [D] fret, _ _ 3, 2, 4, 1 [Am] open, _ 3. _ _
_ _ [D] 1 _ and a 2 e and a 3 e and a 4 e and. _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ Notice [N] throughout this track that the guitar accompaniment is Travis picked.
So you're [Am] typically going 5, 4, [E] 5, 4 on A minor and [G] C chord, 6, 4, 6, 4 [D] on G,
and 4, 3, 4, 3 on that [Bm] D chord.
_ _ Thumbs marking out the regular rhythm.
Here's [Am] the intro again slowly. _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [C] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [G] _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[D] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[F] And that will take us into the verse and we'll cover the verse in the next video.