Chords for How To Play Joni Mitchell The Circle Game (intro only)
Tempo:
83.25 bpm
Chords used:
B
Eb
Dbm
Ebm
E
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
[Eb]
You're seeing this view of the neck because I'm about to [Gm] capo up the neck somewhere in the middle here.
But first [Eb] let's get in tune for the circle game and we're going to tune to open [A] G.
So let's go from first string down, first string tunes down to [G] D.
Second [Eb] string stays on the note B.
Third string stays on [G] the note G.
Fourth string [Eb] stays on [D] D.
[Eb] Fifth string tunes [G] down to G and sixth string tunes down to D.
[A] And then we capo at the fourth fret if we want to play it in the same key as Joanie.
And we're going to [B] find that we have a G major chord on the open strings.
[D] [Eb] Whereas when we come to the verse I'm going to show you a typical pattern that you can set up and repeat through the song
[N] to make it much easier to play.
In the introduction I'm going to suggest that we do want to play it like Joanie does because this sound is so
identifiable as the circle game at the beginning.
Here is the intro and then we'll [Eb] break it down.
[B]
[Dbm] [B] [Dbm] [B] [Dbm]
[B]
What we've got here is this chord shape initially.
[A] Second string at the third fret [G] and the fourth and fifth strings at the fourth fret.
And we're [Eb] going to play here five three and [B] two
and then [Ebm] come up the strings four [B]
three one.
[Eb] [Ebm] One [B] and two and
and then [Eb] bring the shape down two frets to the first and second frets and play exactly the same right hand pattern [Dbm] except
[B] the last note is the open second string.
[Eb] And that is giving you time to move back to the original chord shape again.
That's why she opens that string up.
[Ebm] One [B] and two [Dbm] and three and [Abm] four and.
[Eb] So notice that that open first [B] string is buying you the time to move down two [Cm] frets and the open second string is
buying you time to move back [F] again because [Eb] we're going to play the same thing in bar [B] two.
[Dbm] [Abm]
[Eb] And almost the same thing in bar [Ebm] three.
[B] [Dbm]
[Em] After that fourth string note we're going to play first [Gb] string,
second [E] string and
then the hands come away and make the [N] open strings into the next chord which is a G chord.
Bar [B] four we're playing five and two,
four,
three,
and then five [Eb] and two again and we're going to hammer the second string to the first fret from open to first [B] fret.
[E] [Eb] Not quickly, it takes the space of half a beat.
[E] First [B] string,
five and two [E] again.
You may have [Eb] done this already.
The chord shape we want is first string, second string, first fret and [Ab] fourth string, second fret.
If you haven't added fourth string, second fret [Eb] yet, add it now and [Ab] play it.
[B] One and two and three [E] and four and.
[Eb] This bar for the first time [B] introduces what I call the three three two pattern that comes up a lot in this song.
Where the bass is playing a rhythm that's going one two three one two three one two one two three one two three one two.
It's a [Eb] calypso rhythm and you can see it clearly in this [B] bar.
[E] [Eb] That feel in the right hand is really continuing through most of the song and we'll see that more when we get into the verse.
But the final line, the final bar of the intro is the open strings.
It's a G chord.
[B] Five and two,
four three,
five and one,
four three, five and two,
three.
So one and two and three and four and.
Here's the whole [Eb] intro again slowly.
[Ebm] [B] [Dbm] [B]
[Ebm] [B] [Dbm] [B] [Ebm] [B]
[Dbm] [B]
[E] [B]
You're seeing this view of the neck because I'm about to [Gm] capo up the neck somewhere in the middle here.
But first [Eb] let's get in tune for the circle game and we're going to tune to open [A] G.
So let's go from first string down, first string tunes down to [G] D.
Second [Eb] string stays on the note B.
Third string stays on [G] the note G.
Fourth string [Eb] stays on [D] D.
[Eb] Fifth string tunes [G] down to G and sixth string tunes down to D.
[A] And then we capo at the fourth fret if we want to play it in the same key as Joanie.
And we're going to [B] find that we have a G major chord on the open strings.
[D] [Eb] Whereas when we come to the verse I'm going to show you a typical pattern that you can set up and repeat through the song
[N] to make it much easier to play.
In the introduction I'm going to suggest that we do want to play it like Joanie does because this sound is so
identifiable as the circle game at the beginning.
Here is the intro and then we'll [Eb] break it down.
[B]
[Dbm] [B] [Dbm] [B] [Dbm]
[B]
What we've got here is this chord shape initially.
[A] Second string at the third fret [G] and the fourth and fifth strings at the fourth fret.
And we're [Eb] going to play here five three and [B] two
and then [Ebm] come up the strings four [B]
three one.
[Eb] [Ebm] One [B] and two and
and then [Eb] bring the shape down two frets to the first and second frets and play exactly the same right hand pattern [Dbm] except
[B] the last note is the open second string.
[Eb] And that is giving you time to move back to the original chord shape again.
That's why she opens that string up.
[Ebm] One [B] and two [Dbm] and three and [Abm] four and.
[Eb] So notice that that open first [B] string is buying you the time to move down two [Cm] frets and the open second string is
buying you time to move back [F] again because [Eb] we're going to play the same thing in bar [B] two.
[Dbm] [Abm]
[Eb] And almost the same thing in bar [Ebm] three.
[B] [Dbm]
[Em] After that fourth string note we're going to play first [Gb] string,
second [E] string and
then the hands come away and make the [N] open strings into the next chord which is a G chord.
Bar [B] four we're playing five and two,
four,
three,
and then five [Eb] and two again and we're going to hammer the second string to the first fret from open to first [B] fret.
[E] [Eb] Not quickly, it takes the space of half a beat.
[E] First [B] string,
five and two [E] again.
You may have [Eb] done this already.
The chord shape we want is first string, second string, first fret and [Ab] fourth string, second fret.
If you haven't added fourth string, second fret [Eb] yet, add it now and [Ab] play it.
[B] One and two and three [E] and four and.
[Eb] This bar for the first time [B] introduces what I call the three three two pattern that comes up a lot in this song.
Where the bass is playing a rhythm that's going one two three one two three one two one two three one two three one two.
It's a [Eb] calypso rhythm and you can see it clearly in this [B] bar.
[E] [Eb] That feel in the right hand is really continuing through most of the song and we'll see that more when we get into the verse.
But the final line, the final bar of the intro is the open strings.
It's a G chord.
[B] Five and two,
four three,
five and one,
four three, five and two,
three.
So one and two and three and four and.
Here's the whole [Eb] intro again slowly.
[Ebm] [B] [Dbm] [B]
[Ebm] [B] [Dbm] [B] [Ebm] [B]
[Dbm] [B]
[E] [B]
Key:
B
Eb
Dbm
Ebm
E
B
Eb
Dbm
[Eb] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
You're seeing this view of the neck because I'm about to [Gm] capo up the neck somewhere in the middle here.
But first [Eb] let's get in tune for the circle game and we're going to tune to open [A] G.
So let's go from first string down, first string tunes down to [G] D.
_ Second [Eb] string stays on the note B.
_ _ Third string stays on [G] the note G.
_ Fourth string [Eb] stays on [D] D.
_ [Eb] Fifth string tunes [G] down to G and sixth string tunes down to D. _
_ [A] And then we capo at the fourth fret if we want to play it in the same key as Joanie. _
_ And we're going to [B] find that we have a G major chord on the open strings.
_ [D] [Eb] Whereas when we come to the verse I'm going to show you a typical pattern that you can set up and repeat through the song
[N] to make it much easier to play.
In the introduction I'm going to suggest that we do want to play it like Joanie does because this sound is so
identifiable as the circle game at the beginning.
Here is the intro and then we'll [Eb] break it down.
_ [B] _
_ [Dbm] _ [B] _ _ [Dbm] _ [B] _ _ [Dbm] _
[B] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
What we've got here is this chord shape initially.
[A] Second string at the third fret [G] and the fourth and fifth strings at the fourth fret.
And we're [Eb] going to play here five three and [B] two
and then [Ebm] come up the strings four [B]
three one.
_ [Eb] _ [Ebm] One [B] and two and
and then [Eb] bring the shape down two frets to the first and second frets and play exactly the same right hand pattern [Dbm] except
_ [B] the last note is the open second string.
_ [Eb] And that is giving you time to move back to the original chord shape again.
That's why she opens that string up.
[Ebm] One [B] and two [Dbm] and three and [Abm] four and.
[Eb] So notice that that open first [B] string is buying you the time to move down two [Cm] frets and the open second string is
buying you time to move back [F] again because [Eb] we're going to play the same thing in bar [B] two.
_ [Dbm] _ _ [Abm] _
_ [Eb] And almost the same thing in bar [Ebm] three.
_ [B] _ [Dbm] _
_ [Em] After that fourth string note we're going to play first [Gb] string,
second [E] string and
then the hands come away and make the [N] open strings into the next chord which is a G chord.
Bar [B] four we're playing five and two, _
four,
three,
and then five [Eb] and two again and we're going to hammer the second string to the first fret from open to first [B] fret.
[E] _ [Eb] Not quickly, it takes the space of half a beat.
[E] First [B] string,
five and two [E] again.
You may have [Eb] done this already.
The chord shape we want is first string, second string, first fret and [Ab] fourth string, second fret.
If you haven't added fourth string, second fret [Eb] yet, add it now and [Ab] play it. _
[B] _ One and two and three [E] and four and.
_ _ _ [Eb] This bar for the first time [B] introduces what I call the three three two pattern that comes up a lot in this song.
Where the bass is playing a rhythm that's going one two three one two three one two one two three one two three one two.
It's a [Eb] calypso rhythm and you can see it clearly in this [B] bar. _
_ [E] _ _ _ [Eb] That feel in the right hand is really continuing through most of the song and we'll see that more when we get into the verse.
But the final line, the final bar of the intro is the open strings.
It's a G chord.
[B] Five and two,
four three,
five and one,
four three, five and two,
three.
_ So one and two and three and four and.
Here's the whole [Eb] intro again slowly.
_ [Ebm] _ [B] _ _ [Dbm] _ _ [B] _ _
[Ebm] _ [B] _ [Dbm] _ _ _ [B] _ [Ebm] _ [B] _
_ [Dbm] _ _ _ [B] _ _ _ _
[E] _ _ [B] _ _ _ _ _ _
You're seeing this view of the neck because I'm about to [Gm] capo up the neck somewhere in the middle here.
But first [Eb] let's get in tune for the circle game and we're going to tune to open [A] G.
So let's go from first string down, first string tunes down to [G] D.
_ Second [Eb] string stays on the note B.
_ _ Third string stays on [G] the note G.
_ Fourth string [Eb] stays on [D] D.
_ [Eb] Fifth string tunes [G] down to G and sixth string tunes down to D. _
_ [A] And then we capo at the fourth fret if we want to play it in the same key as Joanie. _
_ And we're going to [B] find that we have a G major chord on the open strings.
_ [D] [Eb] Whereas when we come to the verse I'm going to show you a typical pattern that you can set up and repeat through the song
[N] to make it much easier to play.
In the introduction I'm going to suggest that we do want to play it like Joanie does because this sound is so
identifiable as the circle game at the beginning.
Here is the intro and then we'll [Eb] break it down.
_ [B] _
_ [Dbm] _ [B] _ _ [Dbm] _ [B] _ _ [Dbm] _
[B] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
What we've got here is this chord shape initially.
[A] Second string at the third fret [G] and the fourth and fifth strings at the fourth fret.
And we're [Eb] going to play here five three and [B] two
and then [Ebm] come up the strings four [B]
three one.
_ [Eb] _ [Ebm] One [B] and two and
and then [Eb] bring the shape down two frets to the first and second frets and play exactly the same right hand pattern [Dbm] except
_ [B] the last note is the open second string.
_ [Eb] And that is giving you time to move back to the original chord shape again.
That's why she opens that string up.
[Ebm] One [B] and two [Dbm] and three and [Abm] four and.
[Eb] So notice that that open first [B] string is buying you the time to move down two [Cm] frets and the open second string is
buying you time to move back [F] again because [Eb] we're going to play the same thing in bar [B] two.
_ [Dbm] _ _ [Abm] _
_ [Eb] And almost the same thing in bar [Ebm] three.
_ [B] _ [Dbm] _
_ [Em] After that fourth string note we're going to play first [Gb] string,
second [E] string and
then the hands come away and make the [N] open strings into the next chord which is a G chord.
Bar [B] four we're playing five and two, _
four,
three,
and then five [Eb] and two again and we're going to hammer the second string to the first fret from open to first [B] fret.
[E] _ [Eb] Not quickly, it takes the space of half a beat.
[E] First [B] string,
five and two [E] again.
You may have [Eb] done this already.
The chord shape we want is first string, second string, first fret and [Ab] fourth string, second fret.
If you haven't added fourth string, second fret [Eb] yet, add it now and [Ab] play it. _
[B] _ One and two and three [E] and four and.
_ _ _ [Eb] This bar for the first time [B] introduces what I call the three three two pattern that comes up a lot in this song.
Where the bass is playing a rhythm that's going one two three one two three one two one two three one two three one two.
It's a [Eb] calypso rhythm and you can see it clearly in this [B] bar. _
_ [E] _ _ _ [Eb] That feel in the right hand is really continuing through most of the song and we'll see that more when we get into the verse.
But the final line, the final bar of the intro is the open strings.
It's a G chord.
[B] Five and two,
four three,
five and one,
four three, five and two,
three.
_ So one and two and three and four and.
Here's the whole [Eb] intro again slowly.
_ [Ebm] _ [B] _ _ [Dbm] _ _ [B] _ _
[Ebm] _ [B] _ [Dbm] _ _ _ [B] _ [Ebm] _ [B] _
_ [Dbm] _ _ _ [B] _ _ _ _
[E] _ _ [B] _ _ _ _ _ _