Chords for How To Play James Taylor Mexico Introduction

Tempo:
119.85 bpm
Chords used:

E

B

D

F#

A

Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Show Tuner
How To Play James Taylor Mexico Introduction chords
Start Jamming...
Let's take a look at the wonderful acoustic guitar intro to Mexico.
Strange rhythms [C#] in this one, so be aware of that.
You'll need some flexibility in your rhythmic playing as we learn it.
[N] And we'll use the tab to follow.
The intro is from bar 1 to bar 12 of the tab.
And let's take it sort of phrase by phrase.
Here is bar 1 without the last note of paua.
[E]
Let's take that phrase first.
We're [N] starting with a D chord.
We're pinching 4 and [E] 1, and then playing 3, 2.
Now then [C] he plays an A chord.
And both James Taylor and I [B] do the same thing.
Go [D] into an actual A chord here.
But you might notice we're only going to pinch 5 [B] and 1,
and then play the third string.
[Bm] And you would get those two exact same notes
if you kept [B] the D chord but lifted the middle [A#m] finger off and played 5 and [B] 1,
followed by the third string.
So you [Bm] could do that too if you prefer.
Or do that instead if you prefer.
[C] Either way, we now come back to a full D chord.
Play [E] 4 and 1, and 3 again.
That rhythm is 1 and [B] 2 and [E] 3 and 4.
[N] On the and of 4, we go into a B minor chord.
You'll need to get the bar up first of B minor
and play the fifth string, [C#] second fret.
While it's [Gm] ringing, you have that split second to get into the [Bm] rest of the B minor chord.
[A#] So that came on the and [E] of 4.
1 and [B] 2 and [E] 3 and [C#] 4 and.
[A#] And it continues like this, bar [E] 2.
[B]
So [D] we have the B minor chord.
We play the fifth string.
We continue [G] in bar 2 by going [G#] fourth string, [C] second string, [D#] fourth string.
From a B minor chord.
[Fm] And then have the fingers [A#] come away.
Play the open first [F#] string as you're moving into an A chord shape.
[C] In the A chord shape, [B] play the fifth string.
And then 3, 2, 1.
[A#] OK, two 4-beat bars.
Now let me play them with the rhythm.
[E] 1 and [B] 2 and [E] 3 and [C#] 4 and.
[C#m] 1 and [B] 2 and 3 and 4 and.
[Bm] You're getting a sense of where the rhythm is so weird in this
that [E] the bass notes don't come on the beat where you expect them to.
[A#] Now that open first string that [Bm] we just played
rings across the first beat of the next bar,
which is technically a [F] 2-beat bar,
although when you get used to the fingering, don't [E] think of it that way.
Just learn the piece [D] from the fingering.
But it rings for the first [F#] beat.
And then we're going to [D] play, still out of an A chord, fifth string.
[D#] But now have the middle finger move to the second [Bm] fret of the fifth [C#] string.
Play that note.
[A#] Third string, which should still be fretted at [B] the second fret.
And the [F#] sixth string open.
And [N] on the previous A chord,
[B] 3 and 4 and.
1 [F#] and 2 and.
[F#m] It's [D#] the start of an E minor chord, which is going to continue in bar 4 [A] like this.
[C#m] [F#m] [C#]
So we just [F#] hit the sixth string open, which is really the [D#] start of the E [F#] minor chord.
[G#] And then we're going to play the [Dm] first string, third fret [D#] to second fret.
Third string open.
[A]
And while that's ringing, [Bm] you'll be moving into a [D] B minor chord shape.
Pinch 5 and 2 out of [C#m] B minor.
Fourth string, third string.
Fingers come [A#] away, open first [F#] string.
And we'll [Bm] play it again, this time we'll pinch it with the fifth [C#] string second fret.
That fifth string second [N] fret note is a leading note
that's designed to pull us towards the next chord that's coming, which is a C chord.
Let's bring that from the beginning of [D] that bar.
1 [A] and 2 [C#m] and 3 [F#] and 4 and.
[C#]
[A#] Next bar, bar 5, [A] goes like this.
[F] It's a two beat bar again.
The fifth [D] string third fret, third string open.
[E] And the chord is C add 9, so we want the little finger on the second string third fret.
Play that twice.
And with [N] all these bars, it's leading us directly into the next bar.
There's no way this music really pauses.
Here's what we've played so far, [E] [B] [C#m]
[B]
[C#] [F#] [C#m]
[F#] [D] [A]
[E] just so you can recognise it.
And then we're into bar [N] 6, which starts off leaving the little finger where it is.
Bar 6 [A] sounds like this.
[E] It's the [D#] sixth string third fret.
[D] So it's a G chord, but we want this as second string third [A] fret.
6, 3, 2.
And then we're going to [N] climb up the fifth string second fret.
So the little finger stays, well actually the [A#] little finger can come away if you like.
Second string, [B] second fret of [C#] the fifth string, [A] open third string.
Third fret of the [D] fifth string, open third string.
Those two notes on the fifth string were designed to lead us [E] to the open fourth string, the D chord.
As you play that open fourth string, be moving into a D chord shape.
[A] 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 [E] and.
So the start of that D chord is pushed onto the and of [D] 4.
And then the intro sequence returns.
In other words, [F] the first bar sequence returns, but [F#] without the pinch of the bass note.
Because we've already now played the bass note.
[E] [B]
[C#] So [N] that's the same as bar 1, without that initial bass note.
And then the next bar, bar 8 of your tab is the same as bar [D#] 2.
[B] And [D#] you can probably see already that the next one, the 2 beat bar, that's also the same.
[F#]
And so is the following bar.
[C#m]
[F#] [D] So is bar 11.
[A] So really once we get [Bm] to bar 7, we're effectively repeating [D] everything we've already played.
The [F#] only difference now [G] is that bar 12 plays, keeping the little [F] finger where it is, second string third fret.
And 6, [A] third fret, 4, 3, [E] 2.
And then there's a kind of hint of [D] the third string being played again.
But you [F] can ignore that final [N] third string note if you want to.
Because that [A] final bar is the one that's going to lead us into the vocal.
Way down [E] here, [N] you need it.
And we're into the song properly.
So that [D] final bar is counting [E] 1 and 2 and, and then [A#] ringing, letting that ring to leave the [E] space for you to sing way [D#] down here.
That's it for the introduction.
It's, I don't know if it sounds easy to you on the record, but it's not that easy to play, is it?
There's a lot of left [G] hand movement going on.
However, there's nothing [D] impossible to play.
It succumbs to [N] practice, I can tell you from experience.
So, [F] have a go at it right now.
And
Key:  
E
2311
B
12341112
D
1321
F#
134211112
A
1231
E
2311
B
12341112
D
1321
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_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ Let's take a look at the wonderful acoustic guitar intro to Mexico.
Strange rhythms [C#] in this one, so be aware of that.
You'll need some flexibility in your rhythmic playing as we learn it.
[N] And we'll use the tab to follow.
The intro is from bar 1 to bar 12 of the tab.
And let's take it sort of phrase by phrase.
Here is bar 1 without the last note of paua.
[E] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Let's take that phrase first.
We're [N] starting with a D chord.
We're pinching 4 and [E] 1, and then playing 3, 2. _ _
Now then [C] he plays an A chord.
And both James Taylor and I [B] do the same thing.
Go [D] into an actual A chord here.
But you might notice we're only going to pinch 5 [B] and 1,
_ and then play the third string.
[Bm] And you would get those two exact same notes
if you kept [B] the D chord but lifted the middle [A#m] finger off and played 5 and [B] 1,
followed by the third string.
So you [Bm] could do that too if you prefer.
_ Or do that instead if you prefer.
_ _ [C] Either way, we now come back to a full D chord.
Play [E] 4 and 1, and 3 again. _
That rhythm is 1 and [B] 2 and [E] 3 and 4. _ _
_ [N] On the and of 4, we go into a B minor chord.
You'll need to get the bar up first of B minor
and play the fifth string, [C#] second fret.
While it's [Gm] ringing, you have that split second to get into the [Bm] rest of the B minor chord.
[A#] _ _ So that came on the and [E] of 4.
1 and [B] 2 and [E] 3 and [C#] 4 and.
_ [A#] And it continues like this, bar [E] 2.
_ [B] _ _ _ _ _
_ So [D] we have the B minor chord.
We play the fifth string.
We continue [G] in bar 2 by going [G#] fourth string, [C] second string, [D#] fourth string.
From a B minor chord.
[Fm] And then have the fingers [A#] come away.
Play the open first [F#] string as you're moving into an A chord shape.
[C] In the A chord shape, [B] play the fifth string.
And then 3, 2, 1. _ _
_ _ [A#] OK, two 4-beat bars.
Now let me play them with the rhythm.
[E] _ 1 and [B] 2 and [E] 3 and [C#] 4 and.
[C#m] 1 and [B] 2 and 3 and 4 and.
[Bm] You're getting a sense of where the rhythm is so weird in this
that [E] the bass notes don't come on the beat where you expect them to.
[A#] _ Now that open first string that [Bm] we just played
rings across the first beat of the next bar,
which is technically a [F] 2-beat bar,
although when you get used to the fingering, don't [E] think of it that way.
Just learn the piece [D] from the fingering.
But it rings for the first [F#] beat.
And then we're going to [D] play, still out of an A chord, fifth string.
[D#] But now have the middle finger move to the second [Bm] fret of the fifth [C#] string.
Play that note. _ _
[A#] Third string, which should still be fretted at [B] the second fret.
And the [F#] sixth string open.
And _ [N] _ on the previous A chord,
_ _ [B] _ 3 and 4 and.
1 [F#] and 2 and.
_ _ _ _ _ [F#m] _ It's [D#] the start of an E minor chord, which is going to continue in bar 4 [A] like this.
_ [C#m] _ _ [F#m] _ _ _ [C#] _ _
_ So we just [F#] hit the sixth string open, which is really the [D#] start of the E [F#] minor chord.
[G#] And then we're going to play the [Dm] first string, third fret [D#] to second fret.
_ Third string open.
[A] _
And while that's ringing, [Bm] you'll be moving into a [D] B minor chord shape.
Pinch 5 and 2 out of [C#m] B minor.
_ Fourth string, third string.
_ Fingers come [A#] away, open first [F#] string.
And we'll [Bm] play it again, this time we'll pinch it with the fifth [C#] string second fret.
_ _ That fifth string second [N] fret note is a leading note
that's designed to pull us towards the next chord that's coming, which is a C chord.
_ _ Let's bring that from the beginning of [D] that bar.
1 [A] and 2 [C#m] and 3 [F#] and 4 and.
_ [C#] _ _ _ _ _
[A#] Next bar, bar 5, [A] goes like this. _
_ _ _ [F] It's a two beat bar again.
The fifth [D] string third fret, third string open.
[E] And the chord is C add 9, so we want the little finger on the second string third fret.
Play that twice. _ _ _ _
_ And with [N] all these bars, it's leading us directly into the next bar.
There's no way this music really pauses.
_ Here's what we've played so far, [E] _ _ _ [B] _ _ _ [C#m] _
_ _ _ [B] _ _ _ _ _
_ [C#] _ _ _ [F#] _ _ _ [C#m] _
_ [F#] _ _ [D] _ _ [A] _ _ _
_ [E] just so you can recognise it.
And then we're into bar [N] 6, which starts off leaving the little finger where it is.
Bar 6 [A] sounds like this. _ _ _ _ _
_ [E] _ _ _ _ It's the [D#] sixth string third fret.
[D] So it's a G chord, but we want this as second string third [A] fret.
6, 3, _ 2.
And then we're going to [N] climb up the fifth string second fret.
So the little finger stays, well actually the [A#] little finger can come away if you like.
Second string, [B] second fret of [C#] the fifth string, [A] open third string.
Third fret of the [D] fifth string, open third string.
_ Those two notes on the fifth string were designed to lead us [E] to the open fourth string, the D chord.
As you play that open fourth string, be moving into a D chord shape.
[A] _ _ _ 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 [E] and.
_ So the start of that D chord is pushed onto the and of [D] 4.
And then the intro sequence returns.
In other words, [F] the first bar sequence returns, but [F#] without the pinch of the bass note.
Because we've already now played the bass note.
[E] _ _ [B] _
_ _ _ [C#] _ _ _ So [N] that's the same as bar 1, without that initial bass note.
And then the next bar, bar 8 of your tab is the same as bar [D#] 2. _
_ [B] _ _ _ _ And [D#] you can probably see already that the next one, the 2 beat bar, that's also the same.
[F#] _
_ And so is the following bar.
_ [C#m] _ _
[F#] _ _ _ _ [D] So is bar 11. _
[A] _ _ So really once we get [Bm] to bar 7, we're effectively repeating [D] everything we've already played.
The [F#] only difference now [G] is that bar 12 plays, keeping the little [F] finger where it is, second string third fret.
And 6, [A] third fret, _ 4, 3, [E] 2.
And then there's a kind of hint of [D] the third string being played again.
But you [F] can ignore that final [N] third string note if you want to.
Because that [A] final bar _ is the one that's going to lead us into the vocal. _ _
_ Way down [E] here, [N] you need it.
And we're into the song properly.
So that [D] final bar is counting [E] 1 and 2 and, and then [A#] ringing, letting that ring to leave the [E] space for you to sing way [D#] down here.
_ That's it for the introduction.
It's, I don't know if it sounds easy to you on the record, but it's not that easy to play, is it?
There's a lot of left [G] hand movement going on.
However, there's nothing [D] impossible to play.
It succumbs to [N] practice, I can tell you from experience.
_ So, [F] have a go at it right now.
And

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