Chords for How To Play Lou Reed Perfect Day (intro only)

Tempo:
110.9 bpm
Chords used:

F

Bbm

Gm

Eb

A

Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Show Tuner
How To Play Lou Reed Perfect Day (intro only) chords
Start Jamming...
For Perfect [F] Day we're capoed at fret 1.
We're going to play chord shapes
initially sort of in A minor but later when we get to the chorus in A major.
And the studio version is capoed at fret 1.
There are various live versions around on YouTube where
he's not using a capo so if you prefer not to that's fine but I'll keep it on so we're in the
same key as the studio version.
And we'll start with the intro which sounds like this.
[Gm] [Bbm]
[F] [Gm] [F] [Bbm]
Just two
[Eb] chords E and A minor.
Start with an E chord.
We're in six beats to the bar here, 6-8 time.
So we're going to start [F] strumming down down up down.
That's one two and three and then on [C] four
five six we'll play this little [A] riff.
[Gm] [A]
We're kind of trying to echo what the piano's doing on the
record to get the sense of how it sounds.
So that little riff on four five six is the fourth string
from the capo of course everything from the capo and the fourth string at the sixth fret.
So third
string fourth fourth string sixth.
Now I'm strumming this with a pick so when I want to
pick individual notes I'm going to use the thumb the pick for the bass note and a finger for the
treble note.
So here I've got my middle finger on the third string pick on the fourth string hybrid
picking it's called.
Pick those two.
Bring the shape down two frets [Cm] to fret two and four on the
same strings.
[Eb] Pick those two.
Come back up to the original shape at frets [F] four and six.
If you have
real trouble hybrid picking you're going to want to use your fingers but that means you're going
to have to strum with your fingers as well.
So we're going one two and three [Gm] four five [Am] six.
I'm going to throw in various licks like that as we go through this song to try and get more of a
sense of what the record sounds like and more interest in the accompaniment.
If you find any
of them difficult the way around it is just to strum the underlying chord for the whole bar.
[G] So
it's perfectly okay just to strum [F] e down down up down down down up down.
One two and three four
five and six or an alternate strum pattern for other parts of the song down down up down up down
down up down up which would be one two and three and four five and six and.
So anywhere you have
trouble with one of the licks then just strum the underlying chord for the bar.
But I'm suggesting
one two and three [C] four [A] five six and then at bar two [Bbm] we're going to an [B] A minor chord.
Strum [Bbm] down
pick the third string fourth string and then down down up down.
One two three four five and six
is your rhythm.
Now those two bars are then going to repeat at bars three and four of your tab.
So
once you've got that E to A minor sequence you've got the intro just play it twice.
[F]
[Gm] [A] [Bbm]
[F]
[Gm] [F] [Bbm]
There it is just slow down a little bit.
Now we go into the verse and we stay on A minor.
We're at bar
five.
Just uh and [Eb] this is our straightforward [Bbm] strum pattern down down up down up down down up
down up.
Anywhere where the where the [Abm] bar is that strum pattern now I won't give it to you again
because the underlying pattern whenever we're not playing a little riff or lick we're playing that
[Bbm] pattern.
One two and three and four five and six and [Bb]
bar six.
[Eb] Perfect day.
We're on a D chord down down up down and into this lick still holding the full D chord
third string first string second string.
The piano happens to be playing exactly the notes
that fit under our fingers in a D chord shape.
One two and three four five six.
[Bbm] So bars five and six
[Eb] just a perfect day.
Key:  
F
134211111
Bbm
13421111
Gm
123111113
Eb
12341116
A
1231
F
134211111
Bbm
13421111
Gm
123111113
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_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ For Perfect [F] Day we're capoed at fret 1.
We're going to play chord shapes
initially sort of in A minor but later when we get to the chorus in A major.
_ And the studio version is capoed at fret 1.
There are various live versions around on YouTube where
he's not using a capo so if you prefer not to that's fine but I'll keep it on so we're in the
same key as the studio version.
And we'll start with the intro which sounds like this. _ _
_ _ _ [Gm] _ [Bbm] _ _ _ _
_ [F] _ _ _ [Gm] _ [F] _ [Bbm] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ Just two
[Eb] chords E and A minor.
Start with an E chord.
We're in six beats to the bar here, 6-8 time.
So we're going to start [F] strumming down down up down.
_ That's one two and three and then on [C] four
five six we'll play this little [A] riff.
[Gm] _ [A] _ _ _
We're kind of trying to echo what the piano's doing on the
record to get the sense of how it sounds.
So that little riff on four five six is the fourth string
from the capo of course everything from the capo and the fourth string at the sixth fret.
So third
string fourth fourth string sixth.
Now I'm strumming this with a pick so when I want to
pick individual notes I'm going to use the thumb the pick for the bass note and a finger for the
treble note.
So here I've got my middle finger on the third string pick on the fourth string hybrid
picking it's called.
Pick those two.
_ Bring the shape down two frets [Cm] to fret two and four on the
same strings.
[Eb] Pick those two.
Come back up to the original shape at frets [F] four and six. _
_ _ _ _ If you have
real trouble hybrid picking you're going to want to use your fingers but that means you're going
to have to strum with your fingers as well.
So we're going one two and three [Gm] four five [Am] six. _ _ _
I'm going to throw in various licks like that as we go through this song to try and get more of a
sense of what the record sounds like and more interest in the accompaniment.
If you find any
of them difficult the way around it is just to strum the underlying chord for the whole bar.
[G] So
it's perfectly okay just to strum [F] e down down up down down down up down.
_ One two and three four
five and six or an alternate strum pattern for other parts of the song down down up down up down
down up down up which would be one two and three and four five and six and. _ _ _
So anywhere you have
trouble with one of the licks then just strum the underlying chord for the bar.
But I'm suggesting
one two and three [C] four [A] five six and then at bar two [Bbm] we're _ _ _ _ _ going to an [B] A minor chord.
Strum [Bbm] down
pick the third string fourth string and then down down up down. _ _
One two three four five and six
is your rhythm.
_ _ Now those two bars are then going to repeat at bars three and four of your tab.
So
once you've got that E to A minor sequence you've got the intro just play it twice.
_ _ [F] _
_ _ _ [Gm] _ [A] _ _ [Bbm] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [F] _ _ _
_ [Gm] _ [F] _ _ [Bbm] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ There it is just slow down a little bit.
Now we go into the verse and we stay on A minor.
We're at bar
five.
_ _ _ _ _ Just uh and [Eb] this is our straightforward [Bbm] strum pattern down down up down up down down up
down up. _
Anywhere where the where the [Abm] bar is that strum pattern now I won't give it to you again
because the underlying pattern whenever we're not playing a little riff or lick we're playing that
[Bbm] pattern.
One two and three and four five and six and [Bb]
bar six.
_ [Eb] Perfect day.
_ _ _ _ We're on a D chord down down up down and into this lick still holding the full D chord
third string first string second string.
The piano happens to be playing exactly the notes
that fit under our fingers in a D chord shape.
One two and three four five six.
_ [Bbm] So bars five and six _
_ _ _ [Eb] just a perfect day.