Chords for How to play "Wagon Wheel" by Old Crow Medicine Show (Guitar Chords & Lesson)

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [A] _
Rock me a model [E] like a wagon [F#m] wheel, rock me a model [D] in a wavy, _ [A] _ _ _ wavy, [E] _
and a model [D] of me. _ _
_ _ _ _ [A] _ _ _ _
How's it going?
This is David Potts [F#] with SongNotes.
I'm going to give you a quick lesson on how to play Wagon Wheel.
This is the Old Crow Medicine _ Show song.
It was inspired by a Bob Dylan partial [G] _ sketch of a song that they completed.
This [N] will work for the Darius Rocker version as well. _
_ _ _ It's a great song and it's very nice that it's basically one progression for the verse and the chorus.
It's all you need to worry about.
It's a nice simple set of chords as well.
_ _ Everything I'm about to show you is outlined in detail for free on SongNotes, which is my website where I freely share all my personal tabs [F#] that I create.
It's [G] complete and accurate and all that sort of thing.
_ _ Quick note, capo on 2.
You don't need this unless you want to play along with the album version.
You can take it off or put it wherever you want otherwise.
[F#] I'm going to keep it on 2 just to be in that key because I like that key for singing this song.
Let's get to the chords.
Basically [A] you're going to need a G chord. _ _ _ _ _
That's 3rd fret, 2nd fret, open, open, open, 3rd fret.
_ _ A D chord, which is the [F#] 4th string [E] bass.
It starts on the 4th string, the D string.
You're going to go 2nd, 3rd, 2nd, _ _ E minor.
[F#] _ _
[F#m] _ _ It's basically all open except for the 5th and the 4th string or 2nd fret. _ _ _ _
Then a C.
[D] _ _ _
It starts on the 5th string, _ 3rd fret, 2nd fret, open, 1st, open. _ _ _
Basically those are the four chords.
[B] _ _ [A] _
_ _ _ _ [E] _ You're going to go [F#m] _ _ _ like [D] _
_ _ this.
[A] G, 2, 3, 4, [E] D, 2, 3, 4, [F#m] E minor, 2, 3, [D] 4, C, 2, 3, 4.
[A] Repeat all that again.
G, _ [E]
D, but this time just stay on [D] C.
_ You're not doing E minor the second time.
_ [A] _ _
You're not doing [C#] E minor and you're doing C twice as [F#] long.
Basically you're [E] always doing G and D first.
Again, [A] it's G, _ _ G, _ [E] D, _ D, [F#m]
E minor, E minor, _ [D] C, C, [A] _ G, _ G, [E]
D, D, [D] and then the C.
Stay on C.
_ _ _ [A] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
That's basically it.
The strumming [N] pattern you want to get to is usually the down, down, up, [E] down, up, down, down, up, down, up, down, down, up, down, up, down.
_ If I was playing a G [A] chord, that would be down, down, up, down, up, down, down, up, down, up, down, down, up, down, up, down, down.
I'll go through the progression like that. _ _ _ _ _
[E] _ _ _ _ [F#m] _ _ _ _
_ _ [D] _ _ _ _ [A] _ _
_ _ _ [E] _ _ _ _ _
[D] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [A] _ _ What I want to point out, and this is probably the most important part of any strumming pattern you'll play in any [G] song,
is you want to keep your strumming hand moving at an organically steady rate.
If it is causing you a great amount of stress and [B] anxiety getting the down, down, up, [A] down, up,
if you're having to go, _ _ _ _ [E] _ _ _
_ _ [F#m] _ _ _ _ _ _
[D] _ _ _ _ _ _ [F#] then I wouldn't do it.
You know why?
Because _ that feels, that sounds so offbeat.
_ You're better off practicing something that you can maintain a steady, _ organic strum with.
Even if that's starting out just downstrokes _ every beat or [A] every other beat, _ _ _ _ [E] _ _ _
_ _ [F#m] _ _ take it slow. It's okay.
[D] _ _ _ [A] Because if you can do this and maintain the [E] beat, no matter how fast or slow you're going,
[D] _
_ _ _ you're going to do more justice to yourself.
[A] So, heading down south to [E] the land of the [F#m] pines,
southern mile away [D] in the North Carolina,
_ [A] _ picking out a deed I [E] hope I find my baby [D]
tonight.
_ _ _ _ And then you do this, and you can [A] organically _ speed, [E] you know, not speed it up, but add more [D] strums.
And [F#m]
what you're going to happen [D] is you're going to notice your strumming [A] hand is maintaining that organic [E] _ up, down motion.
[D] _ _ And then naturally, _ _ you can [A] start including the up strums.
_ _ [E] _ _ _ _ [F#m] _
_ _ _ _ _ [D] _ _ _
_ _ [A] _ _ _ _ _ [E] _
_ _ _ _ [D] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [A] _ _
_ _ _ [E] _ _ _ _ [F#m] _
_ _ _ _ _ [D] _ _ _
[A] _ _ _ _ _ [E] _ _ _
_ _ [D] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ [A] _ _ _ _
So, [G] yeah, that's an important thing I want to add about [N]
strum pattern.
But _ I don't think there's anything else to add, really.
_ Again, it's a great song.
I think that with strum pattern, on that first down down, _ _ on the first down of the down down,
_ it's a good thing to eventually [D#] emphasize the bass note.
[A] _ _ _ _
_ [E] _ _ _ _ [F#m] _ _ _
_ _ [D] _ _ _ _ _ [A] _
_ _ _ [E] _ _ _ _ _
[D] _ _ _ _ _ When you're ready for it, you'll know when you're ready.
If that seems [B] impossible, then don't even worry about it, right?
_ [G#] Basically, I'm just going to play this off.
I'm going to kind of [E] make up the words a little bit here.
But basically, [A] so, heading down south to [E] the land of the pines,
[F#m] I'm going to swim a mile away [D] to North Carolina,
[A] and I'm hoping for a rally [E] and see my baby [D] tonight. _ _
_ _ _ Well, [A] I made it down the coast in [E] 17 _ [F#m] hours,
picking me a [D] bouquet of dogwood flowers,
[A] and I'm hoping for a rally, [E] going to see my baby [D] _ tonight.
_ _ And the chorus.
_ [A] Rock me, mama, [E] like a wagon _ [F#m] wheel, rock me, mama, [D] and away she goes.
[A] _ Hey, _
_ [E] _ _ _ mama, [D] rock me.
_ _ _ _ _ _ [A]
Rock me, mama, [E] like a southbound [F#m] train, rock me, mama, [D] like the wind and the rain.
[A] _ Hey, _ [E] _ _
_ mama, [D] rock me. _ _
_ _ _ _ [A] _ _ _ _
And that's all there is to it.
So I hope this was a helpful lesson.
Again, check out [N] my website, SongNotes, for my complete tab and lyrics and all that stuff.
For this song and many others, _ it's all free, and I just [Em] want to help people learn.
So I hope this was helpful.
Any questions or [B] comments, let me know.
_ _ And otherwise, have