Chords for James Taylor - You've Got A Friend Acoustic Guitar lesson
Tempo:
86.225 bpm
Chords used:
G
F
C
C#
Em
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
[C]
[G] [F#m]
[Em] [B]
James Taylor, Carole King, [F] they're out on tour as we speak.
Hope you get a chance to see them.
This song, You've Got a Friend, really has some unusual history because it was basically
a hit for both of them at the same time, although I think James was first, and that's kind of
what helped Carole's kick out there too.
Came out on her album in 1970, Tapestry, 71, maybe 72, I could be, I should do my, um,
great album, I Feel the Earth Move So Far Away, Smack Water Jack, [F] and of course on James
Taylor's album, Mudslide Slim and The Blue Horizon.
His follow-up to Sweet Baby James, Sweet Baby James really put him on the map with, of course,
[A] Fire and Rain,
[Em] [A] and Sweet Baby James, [G] and [C#m] Sunny Skies.
[Bm] [E] All of these songs [F] are really fun to play on the guitar.
Now with You've Got a Friend, this is a song that when I teach James Taylor songs, [G] sometimes
we do exactly what he did, sometimes we make it a [F] little bit more regular because his picking
patterns [N] are not really patterns, they're a lot more free form, but I like people to
learn some patterns first before they get into more [C#] free form stuff.
So with You've Got a Friend, [F] what you really just have to do is learn a couple of simple
Travis Picking type patterns and some arpeggio [Am] type patterns, like in Babe, I'm Gonna [C] Leave
You, where you're hitting [C#] just one string at a time, but [G] you do need to play the chords [F] right.
So a few things about the [G] chords in You've Got a Friend.
It opens up on a G chord, and a little arpeggio pattern, hitting your thumb on the sixth [Gm] string,
your index finger on the third string, then a pinch [C#] with your thumb on the fourth [D] and
your middle finger on the [G] second string.
That's the first half of the measure.
Second half of the measure, [G] thumb and second string, moving to an A [Am] on the third string
[D#] by itself on the and of beat three there, [Bm] then a pinch with your thumb on the fourth
string and the B, the second string again, [C] and getting to the note C on the last eighth
note of [G] the measure.
[C] And that C has to ring over into the C that you [Gm] changed to in the bass.
You basically go to a whole C chord at that point.
And you keep the high G [C] on because that's the next note that we hear [F] in the melody.
So this opening to You've Got a Friend is really [G] just a little bit of an arpeggio with some pinches.
So it's, again, a hybrid arpeggio Travis Picking thing.
And on the last eighth [D] note on the and of beat [C] four, you add the C in there [Fm] and it stays
on while you move to a C chord in the bass.
And then you just kind of [Em] randomly keep picking stuff in there.
[Gm] Then when it goes back to a G chord, you [F] start with that same pinch.
[G] You want to hear that C as it comes off.
[G] So you need to pick out that [C] melody.
C, B, [G] A, B.
[Gm] And then it doesn't even matter too much what happens then.
You go to an F sharp minor chord and a B7 and then [Em] the song starts.
And [E] we'll get into the singing.
So I'm thinking about [C#] putting together a complete lesson on this, very detailed, as all [F] of the
lessons that I do at Totally Guitars are.
And if you'd like to help us, help this one move up on the list, come check out the Recommend
a [D#] Lesson area of Totally Guitars.
[F] Mention You've [N] Got a Friend, although it probably is already there.
Just vote on it so that we see that more people want it.
[C#] And when songs get, you know, hundreds, [A#] thousands of votes, somewhere down the line, somewhere
[D] really early, when a song gets to a thousand votes, it'll be out the next day, maybe, or
the next week, however long it takes me to get to that lesson.
So all kinds of other cool stuff at Totally Guitars.
Hope you get [F] a chance to check us out.
Forum, community, blogs that the community keep, and just tons of resources.
A lot of lessons on technique and then a lot of song lessons on favorite artists from the
70s, 80s, 90s, and even some pretty [C] contemporary stuff.
[G]
[E] So, [N] come check us out.
I hope to see you there very soon
[G] [F#m]
[Em] [B]
James Taylor, Carole King, [F] they're out on tour as we speak.
Hope you get a chance to see them.
This song, You've Got a Friend, really has some unusual history because it was basically
a hit for both of them at the same time, although I think James was first, and that's kind of
what helped Carole's kick out there too.
Came out on her album in 1970, Tapestry, 71, maybe 72, I could be, I should do my, um,
great album, I Feel the Earth Move So Far Away, Smack Water Jack, [F] and of course on James
Taylor's album, Mudslide Slim and The Blue Horizon.
His follow-up to Sweet Baby James, Sweet Baby James really put him on the map with, of course,
[A] Fire and Rain,
[Em] [A] and Sweet Baby James, [G] and [C#m] Sunny Skies.
[Bm] [E] All of these songs [F] are really fun to play on the guitar.
Now with You've Got a Friend, this is a song that when I teach James Taylor songs, [G] sometimes
we do exactly what he did, sometimes we make it a [F] little bit more regular because his picking
patterns [N] are not really patterns, they're a lot more free form, but I like people to
learn some patterns first before they get into more [C#] free form stuff.
So with You've Got a Friend, [F] what you really just have to do is learn a couple of simple
Travis Picking type patterns and some arpeggio [Am] type patterns, like in Babe, I'm Gonna [C] Leave
You, where you're hitting [C#] just one string at a time, but [G] you do need to play the chords [F] right.
So a few things about the [G] chords in You've Got a Friend.
It opens up on a G chord, and a little arpeggio pattern, hitting your thumb on the sixth [Gm] string,
your index finger on the third string, then a pinch [C#] with your thumb on the fourth [D] and
your middle finger on the [G] second string.
That's the first half of the measure.
Second half of the measure, [G] thumb and second string, moving to an A [Am] on the third string
[D#] by itself on the and of beat three there, [Bm] then a pinch with your thumb on the fourth
string and the B, the second string again, [C] and getting to the note C on the last eighth
note of [G] the measure.
[C] And that C has to ring over into the C that you [Gm] changed to in the bass.
You basically go to a whole C chord at that point.
And you keep the high G [C] on because that's the next note that we hear [F] in the melody.
So this opening to You've Got a Friend is really [G] just a little bit of an arpeggio with some pinches.
So it's, again, a hybrid arpeggio Travis Picking thing.
And on the last eighth [D] note on the and of beat [C] four, you add the C in there [Fm] and it stays
on while you move to a C chord in the bass.
And then you just kind of [Em] randomly keep picking stuff in there.
[Gm] Then when it goes back to a G chord, you [F] start with that same pinch.
[G] You want to hear that C as it comes off.
[G] So you need to pick out that [C] melody.
C, B, [G] A, B.
[Gm] And then it doesn't even matter too much what happens then.
You go to an F sharp minor chord and a B7 and then [Em] the song starts.
And [E] we'll get into the singing.
So I'm thinking about [C#] putting together a complete lesson on this, very detailed, as all [F] of the
lessons that I do at Totally Guitars are.
And if you'd like to help us, help this one move up on the list, come check out the Recommend
a [D#] Lesson area of Totally Guitars.
[F] Mention You've [N] Got a Friend, although it probably is already there.
Just vote on it so that we see that more people want it.
[C#] And when songs get, you know, hundreds, [A#] thousands of votes, somewhere down the line, somewhere
[D] really early, when a song gets to a thousand votes, it'll be out the next day, maybe, or
the next week, however long it takes me to get to that lesson.
So all kinds of other cool stuff at Totally Guitars.
Hope you get [F] a chance to check us out.
Forum, community, blogs that the community keep, and just tons of resources.
A lot of lessons on technique and then a lot of song lessons on favorite artists from the
70s, 80s, 90s, and even some pretty [C] contemporary stuff.
[G]
[E] So, [N] come check us out.
I hope to see you there very soon
Key:
G
F
C
C#
Em
G
F
C
_ _ _ _ [C] _ _ _ _
[G] _ _ _ _ [F#m] _ _ _ _
[Em] _ _ _ _ [B] _ _ _
James Taylor, Carole King, [F] they're out on tour as we speak.
Hope you get a chance to see them.
This song, You've Got a Friend, really has some unusual history because it was basically
a hit for both of them at the same time, although I think James was first, and that's kind of
what helped Carole's kick out there too.
Came out on her album in 1970, Tapestry, 71, maybe 72, I could be, I should do my, um,
great album, I Feel the Earth Move So Far Away, Smack Water Jack, [F] and of course on James
Taylor's album, Mudslide Slim and The Blue Horizon.
His follow-up to Sweet Baby James, Sweet Baby James really put him on the map with, of course,
[A] Fire and Rain, _
_ [Em] _ _ _ [A] _ and Sweet Baby James, [G] and [C#m] Sunny Skies.
[Bm] _ _ [E] All of these songs [F] are really fun to play on the guitar.
Now with You've Got a Friend, this is a song that when I teach James Taylor songs, [G] sometimes
we do exactly what he did, sometimes we make it a [F] little bit more regular because his picking
patterns [N] are not really patterns, they're a lot more free form, but I like people to
learn some patterns first before they get into more [C#] free form stuff.
So with You've Got a Friend, [F] what you really just have to do is learn a couple of simple
Travis Picking type patterns and some arpeggio [Am] type patterns, like in Babe, I'm Gonna [C] Leave
You, where you're hitting [C#] just one string at a time, but [G] you do need to play the chords [F] right.
So a few things about the [G] chords in You've Got a Friend.
It opens up on a G chord, _ and a little arpeggio pattern, hitting your thumb on the sixth [Gm] string,
your index finger on the third string, then a pinch [C#] with your thumb on the fourth [D] and
your middle finger on the [G] second string.
_ _ That's the first half of the measure.
Second half of the measure, [G] thumb and second string, moving to an A [Am] on the third string
[D#] by itself on the and of beat three there, [Bm] then a pinch with your thumb on the fourth
string and the B, the second string again, [C] and getting to the note C on the last eighth
note of [G] the measure. _ _ _ _
_ [C] _ And that C has to ring over into the C that you [Gm] changed to in the bass.
You basically go to a whole C chord at that point.
And you keep the high G [C] on because that's the next note that we hear [F] in the melody.
So this opening to You've Got a Friend is really [G] just a little bit of an arpeggio with some pinches.
_ So it's, again, a hybrid arpeggio Travis Picking thing.
And on the last eighth [D] note on the and of beat [C] four, you add the C in there [Fm] and it stays
on while you move to a C chord in the bass.
And then you just kind of [Em] randomly keep picking stuff in there.
[Gm] Then when it goes back to a G chord, you [F] start with that same pinch.
[G] You want to hear that C as it comes off.
[G] _ So you need to pick out that [C] melody.
C, B, [G] A, B.
[Gm] And then it doesn't even matter too much what happens then.
You go to an F sharp minor chord and a B7 and then [Em] the song starts.
And [E] we'll get into the singing.
So I'm thinking about [C#] putting together a complete lesson on this, very detailed, as all [F] of the
lessons that I do at Totally Guitars are.
And if you'd like to help us, help this one move up on the list, come check out the Recommend
a [D#] Lesson area of Totally Guitars.
[F] Mention You've [N] Got a Friend, although it probably is already there.
Just vote on it so that we see that more people want it.
[C#] And when songs get, you know, hundreds, [A#] thousands of votes, somewhere down the line, somewhere
[D] really early, when a song gets to a thousand votes, it'll be out the next day, maybe, or
the next week, however long it takes me to get to that lesson.
So all kinds of other cool stuff at Totally Guitars.
Hope you get [F] a chance to check us out.
Forum, community, blogs that the community keep, and just tons of resources.
A lot of lessons on technique and then a lot of song lessons on favorite artists from the
70s, 80s, 90s, and even some pretty [C] contemporary stuff. _ _
_ _ _ _ [G] _ _ _ _
_ _ [E] So, [N] come check us out.
I hope to see you there very soon
[G] _ _ _ _ [F#m] _ _ _ _
[Em] _ _ _ _ [B] _ _ _
James Taylor, Carole King, [F] they're out on tour as we speak.
Hope you get a chance to see them.
This song, You've Got a Friend, really has some unusual history because it was basically
a hit for both of them at the same time, although I think James was first, and that's kind of
what helped Carole's kick out there too.
Came out on her album in 1970, Tapestry, 71, maybe 72, I could be, I should do my, um,
great album, I Feel the Earth Move So Far Away, Smack Water Jack, [F] and of course on James
Taylor's album, Mudslide Slim and The Blue Horizon.
His follow-up to Sweet Baby James, Sweet Baby James really put him on the map with, of course,
[A] Fire and Rain, _
_ [Em] _ _ _ [A] _ and Sweet Baby James, [G] and [C#m] Sunny Skies.
[Bm] _ _ [E] All of these songs [F] are really fun to play on the guitar.
Now with You've Got a Friend, this is a song that when I teach James Taylor songs, [G] sometimes
we do exactly what he did, sometimes we make it a [F] little bit more regular because his picking
patterns [N] are not really patterns, they're a lot more free form, but I like people to
learn some patterns first before they get into more [C#] free form stuff.
So with You've Got a Friend, [F] what you really just have to do is learn a couple of simple
Travis Picking type patterns and some arpeggio [Am] type patterns, like in Babe, I'm Gonna [C] Leave
You, where you're hitting [C#] just one string at a time, but [G] you do need to play the chords [F] right.
So a few things about the [G] chords in You've Got a Friend.
It opens up on a G chord, _ and a little arpeggio pattern, hitting your thumb on the sixth [Gm] string,
your index finger on the third string, then a pinch [C#] with your thumb on the fourth [D] and
your middle finger on the [G] second string.
_ _ That's the first half of the measure.
Second half of the measure, [G] thumb and second string, moving to an A [Am] on the third string
[D#] by itself on the and of beat three there, [Bm] then a pinch with your thumb on the fourth
string and the B, the second string again, [C] and getting to the note C on the last eighth
note of [G] the measure. _ _ _ _
_ [C] _ And that C has to ring over into the C that you [Gm] changed to in the bass.
You basically go to a whole C chord at that point.
And you keep the high G [C] on because that's the next note that we hear [F] in the melody.
So this opening to You've Got a Friend is really [G] just a little bit of an arpeggio with some pinches.
_ So it's, again, a hybrid arpeggio Travis Picking thing.
And on the last eighth [D] note on the and of beat [C] four, you add the C in there [Fm] and it stays
on while you move to a C chord in the bass.
And then you just kind of [Em] randomly keep picking stuff in there.
[Gm] Then when it goes back to a G chord, you [F] start with that same pinch.
[G] You want to hear that C as it comes off.
[G] _ So you need to pick out that [C] melody.
C, B, [G] A, B.
[Gm] And then it doesn't even matter too much what happens then.
You go to an F sharp minor chord and a B7 and then [Em] the song starts.
And [E] we'll get into the singing.
So I'm thinking about [C#] putting together a complete lesson on this, very detailed, as all [F] of the
lessons that I do at Totally Guitars are.
And if you'd like to help us, help this one move up on the list, come check out the Recommend
a [D#] Lesson area of Totally Guitars.
[F] Mention You've [N] Got a Friend, although it probably is already there.
Just vote on it so that we see that more people want it.
[C#] And when songs get, you know, hundreds, [A#] thousands of votes, somewhere down the line, somewhere
[D] really early, when a song gets to a thousand votes, it'll be out the next day, maybe, or
the next week, however long it takes me to get to that lesson.
So all kinds of other cool stuff at Totally Guitars.
Hope you get [F] a chance to check us out.
Forum, community, blogs that the community keep, and just tons of resources.
A lot of lessons on technique and then a lot of song lessons on favorite artists from the
70s, 80s, 90s, and even some pretty [C] contemporary stuff. _ _
_ _ _ _ [G] _ _ _ _
_ _ [E] So, [N] come check us out.
I hope to see you there very soon