Chords for Octopus's Garden - Beatles Free Guitar Lesson
Tempo:
79.4 bpm
Chords used:
C
Am
F
G
Eb
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
Hey, I want to talk about a really fun song today that is maybe a kid's song, maybe a
not-for-kids-only song, but one of the few Beatles tunes written or credited to Ringo,
Octopus's Garden.
Now, Octopus's Garden showed up on Let It Be.
They were working on it during the filming of the movie Let It Be, which was of course
supposed to be called, was meant to be called Get Back.
Save that for a whole other series of discussions.
But, there's a great scene in the movie Let It Be where George is really helping Ringo
work out the chords on the piano, because Ringo didn't really know too much about harmony
or anything like that.
But he had a great little story here about Octopus's Garden.
But I really, I play this song with kids all the time.
It's just a great, when I would play in my kids' classrooms back many years ago when
they were young.
And it's really [C] simple.
The Beatles [Gb] did it in E, but to make it a cool campfire song, bring it down a little
bit vocal-wise and [C] put it in C.
And [Gb] all you gotta do, I kinda like to use the country type [C] strum for this, where we're
alternating bass notes back and forth [Em] on a C chord.
Now I'm alternating from the fifth string to the [C] sixth string.
You don't have to do that.
You can strum, any kind [Bb] of strumming pattern will work.
We're in 4-4 time.
But it lends itself really well to use the four chords.
[Am] C, A minor, [F] F.
We really need to play the barre depths in here, but if you can't play them yet, don't
worry about it.
You can play the little F.
But there's a reason I [Gb] like to play the one here I'll get
to in just a second.
[G] And G.
And we finger the G again with our second, third, and fourth fingers to make
it similar or make [E] it easier to transition to C, all that kind of stuff.
[F] One of the main reasons for playing the F as a full [E] barre here is there's a couple of
places where it's really nice to add a passing bass note.
So I get into a little embellishment here with Octopus's Garden.
And that is keeping the bass [C] going back and forth.
[Am] Now if I'm going from C to A [C] minor, I would hit C in the bass, on the third beat G in
the bass, next measure C in the bass, and on the third beat of the second [Ab] measure, B
in the bass.
[Bm] Which is acting as a passing bass note connecting [Eb] us to the A minor chord.
[A] We're now going to have the same thing happen, two measures of A [Am] minor, and on the third
beat of the second [Em] measure, adding G in the bass with my little finger reaching [Bb] down and
not letting go of the rest of the A minor chord.
If you're not in good hand position, you're not going to be able to do this.
Well, probably.
[Am] But, and then to the F.
Now this is why we want the barre, because we really need to
hear this passing [F] bass note.
[G] Sorry, there goes the G.
I had the wrong song in my head all of a sudden.
So that's it, that line.
C, A minor, F, G.
Happens twice.
And then in [Am] the third line, we just have it just A minors.
While he's [Ebm] singing, I'd ask my friends to come and [F] see, blah blah blah.
F and G, [N] and then the fourth line is pretty much the same as the first two, with the F
and the G squeezed together so we can get back and end on one C, the tonic.
I'll give you a quick example here.
I think [C] I can maybe sing this one.
[Eb] Usually if Ringo can sing it, I can do it.
Not anywhere near as good as Ringo, but still.
[C]
I'd like to be [Am] under the sea, [F] in an octopus's garden [G] in the shade.
He'd [C]
let us in, [Am] knows where we've been, [F] in his octopus's garden in [G] the shade.
Here comes the A minor.
[Am] I'd ask my friends to come and see, [Em] [F] an [G] octopus's garden with me.
[C] I'd like to be [Am]
under the sea, in an [G] octopus's garden [C] in the shade.
[Eb] That's pretty much all you gotta do.
Notice that I [G] put in another little passing bass run at one point, [Eb] leading from G up to C.
Hopefully you can figure that out.
If not, I have other lessons that talk about that a little bit more.
Anyway, that's it for Octopus's Garden.
Get the album, listen to it so that you can figure out the phrasing of the,
how he puts the words in there.
Three verses, each one follows pretty much the same melody.
When you're doing campfire songs like this, you don't bother with,
they have a short little instrumental in there with a cool little guitar lead.
It actually opens with a cool lead that George plays,
but not necessary or even desirable for the campfire versions.
That's for the more carefully worked out version,
when you're sitting around with your friends and
trying to come up with a tighter arrangement of a song.
Again, with the campfire things, we're trying to put together stuff that you could learn
in about two minutes and [Abm] teach to a group of people in two minutes,
and then you guys are ready to play it.
That should be all the important details you need for Octopus's
not-for-kids-only song, but one of the few Beatles tunes written or credited to Ringo,
Octopus's Garden.
Now, Octopus's Garden showed up on Let It Be.
They were working on it during the filming of the movie Let It Be, which was of course
supposed to be called, was meant to be called Get Back.
Save that for a whole other series of discussions.
But, there's a great scene in the movie Let It Be where George is really helping Ringo
work out the chords on the piano, because Ringo didn't really know too much about harmony
or anything like that.
But he had a great little story here about Octopus's Garden.
But I really, I play this song with kids all the time.
It's just a great, when I would play in my kids' classrooms back many years ago when
they were young.
And it's really [C] simple.
The Beatles [Gb] did it in E, but to make it a cool campfire song, bring it down a little
bit vocal-wise and [C] put it in C.
And [Gb] all you gotta do, I kinda like to use the country type [C] strum for this, where we're
alternating bass notes back and forth [Em] on a C chord.
Now I'm alternating from the fifth string to the [C] sixth string.
You don't have to do that.
You can strum, any kind [Bb] of strumming pattern will work.
We're in 4-4 time.
But it lends itself really well to use the four chords.
[Am] C, A minor, [F] F.
We really need to play the barre depths in here, but if you can't play them yet, don't
worry about it.
You can play the little F.
But there's a reason I [Gb] like to play the one here I'll get
to in just a second.
[G] And G.
And we finger the G again with our second, third, and fourth fingers to make
it similar or make [E] it easier to transition to C, all that kind of stuff.
[F] One of the main reasons for playing the F as a full [E] barre here is there's a couple of
places where it's really nice to add a passing bass note.
So I get into a little embellishment here with Octopus's Garden.
And that is keeping the bass [C] going back and forth.
[Am] Now if I'm going from C to A [C] minor, I would hit C in the bass, on the third beat G in
the bass, next measure C in the bass, and on the third beat of the second [Ab] measure, B
in the bass.
[Bm] Which is acting as a passing bass note connecting [Eb] us to the A minor chord.
[A] We're now going to have the same thing happen, two measures of A [Am] minor, and on the third
beat of the second [Em] measure, adding G in the bass with my little finger reaching [Bb] down and
not letting go of the rest of the A minor chord.
If you're not in good hand position, you're not going to be able to do this.
Well, probably.
[Am] But, and then to the F.
Now this is why we want the barre, because we really need to
hear this passing [F] bass note.
[G] Sorry, there goes the G.
I had the wrong song in my head all of a sudden.
So that's it, that line.
C, A minor, F, G.
Happens twice.
And then in [Am] the third line, we just have it just A minors.
While he's [Ebm] singing, I'd ask my friends to come and [F] see, blah blah blah.
F and G, [N] and then the fourth line is pretty much the same as the first two, with the F
and the G squeezed together so we can get back and end on one C, the tonic.
I'll give you a quick example here.
I think [C] I can maybe sing this one.
[Eb] Usually if Ringo can sing it, I can do it.
Not anywhere near as good as Ringo, but still.
[C]
I'd like to be [Am] under the sea, [F] in an octopus's garden [G] in the shade.
He'd [C]
let us in, [Am] knows where we've been, [F] in his octopus's garden in [G] the shade.
Here comes the A minor.
[Am] I'd ask my friends to come and see, [Em] [F] an [G] octopus's garden with me.
[C] I'd like to be [Am]
under the sea, in an [G] octopus's garden [C] in the shade.
[Eb] That's pretty much all you gotta do.
Notice that I [G] put in another little passing bass run at one point, [Eb] leading from G up to C.
Hopefully you can figure that out.
If not, I have other lessons that talk about that a little bit more.
Anyway, that's it for Octopus's Garden.
Get the album, listen to it so that you can figure out the phrasing of the,
how he puts the words in there.
Three verses, each one follows pretty much the same melody.
When you're doing campfire songs like this, you don't bother with,
they have a short little instrumental in there with a cool little guitar lead.
It actually opens with a cool lead that George plays,
but not necessary or even desirable for the campfire versions.
That's for the more carefully worked out version,
when you're sitting around with your friends and
trying to come up with a tighter arrangement of a song.
Again, with the campfire things, we're trying to put together stuff that you could learn
in about two minutes and [Abm] teach to a group of people in two minutes,
and then you guys are ready to play it.
That should be all the important details you need for Octopus's
Key:
C
Am
F
G
Eb
C
Am
F
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ Hey, I want to talk about a really fun song today that is maybe a kid's song, maybe a
not-for-kids-only song, but one of the few Beatles tunes written or credited to Ringo,
Octopus's Garden.
Now, Octopus's Garden showed up on Let It Be.
They were working on it during the filming of the movie Let It Be, which was of course
supposed to be called, was meant to be called Get Back.
Save that for a whole other series of discussions.
But, _ _ there's a great scene in the movie Let It Be where George is really helping Ringo
work out the chords on the piano, because Ringo didn't really know too much about harmony
or anything like that.
But he had a great little story here about Octopus's Garden.
But I really, I play this song with kids all the time.
It's just a great, when I would play in my kids' classrooms back many years ago when
they were young.
And it's really [C] simple.
The Beatles [Gb] did it in E, but to make it a cool campfire song, bring it down a little
bit vocal-wise and [C] put it in C.
And [Gb] all you gotta do, I kinda like to use the country type [C] strum for this, where we're _
_ alternating bass notes back and forth [Em] on a C chord.
Now I'm alternating from the fifth string to the [C] sixth string.
You don't have to do that.
You can strum, any kind [Bb] of strumming pattern will work.
We're in 4-4 time.
But it lends itself really well to use the four chords.
[Am] C, A minor, [F] F.
We really need to play the barre depths in here, but if you can't play them yet, don't
worry about it.
You can play the little F.
But there's a reason I [Gb] like to play the one here I'll get
to in just a second.
[G] And G.
And we finger the G again with our second, third, and fourth fingers to make
it similar or make [E] it easier to transition to C, all that kind of stuff.
_ [F] One of the main reasons for playing the F as a full [E] barre here is there's a couple of
places where it's really nice to add a passing bass note.
So I get into a little embellishment here with Octopus's Garden.
And that is keeping the bass [C] going back and forth. _ _
_ _ [Am] Now if I'm going from C to A [C] minor, I would hit C in the bass, on the third beat G in
the bass, next measure C in the bass, and on the third beat of the second [Ab] measure, B
in the bass.
_ [Bm] Which is acting as a passing bass note connecting [Eb] us to the A minor chord.
[A] We're now going to have the same thing happen, two measures of A [Am] minor, _ and on the third
beat of the second [Em] measure, adding G in the bass with my little finger reaching [Bb] down and
not letting go of the rest of the A minor chord.
If you're not in good hand position, you're not going to be able to do this.
Well, probably.
_ [Am] But, and then to the F.
Now this is why we want the barre, because we really need to
hear this passing [F] bass note.
_ _ _ _ [G] Sorry, there goes the G.
I had the wrong song in my head all of a sudden.
So that's it, that line.
C, A minor, F, G.
Happens twice.
And then in [Am] the third line, we just have it just A minors.
While he's [Ebm] singing, I'd ask my friends to come and [F] see, blah blah blah.
F and G, [N] and then the fourth line is pretty much the same as the first two, with the F
and the G squeezed together so we can get back and end on one C, the tonic.
I'll give you a quick example here.
I think [C] I can maybe sing this one.
[Eb] Usually if Ringo can sing it, I can do it.
Not anywhere near as good as Ringo, but still.
[C] _
I'd like to be _ [Am] under the sea, [F] in an octopus's garden [G] in the shade.
He'd [C]
let us in, _ [Am] knows where we've been, [F] in his octopus's garden in [G] the shade.
Here comes the A minor.
[Am] I'd ask my friends to come and see, [Em] _ [F] an [G] octopus's garden with me.
_ [C] I'd like to be [Am]
under the sea, in an [G] octopus's garden [C] in the shade.
_ _ [Eb] That's pretty much all you gotta do.
Notice that I [G] put in another little passing bass run at one point, _ [Eb] leading from G up to C.
Hopefully you can figure that out.
If not, I have other lessons that talk about that a little bit more.
Anyway, that's it for Octopus's Garden.
Get the album, listen to it so that you can figure out the phrasing of the,
how he puts the words in there.
Three verses, each one follows pretty much the same melody.
When you're doing campfire songs like this, you don't bother with,
they have a short little instrumental in there with a cool little guitar lead.
It actually opens with a cool lead that George plays,
_ but not necessary or even desirable for the campfire versions.
That's for the more carefully worked out version,
when you're sitting around with your friends and
trying to come up with a tighter arrangement of a song.
Again, with the campfire things, we're trying to put together stuff that you could learn
in about two minutes and [Abm] teach to a group of people in two minutes,
and then you guys are ready to play it.
That should be all the important details you need for Octopus's
_ Hey, I want to talk about a really fun song today that is maybe a kid's song, maybe a
not-for-kids-only song, but one of the few Beatles tunes written or credited to Ringo,
Octopus's Garden.
Now, Octopus's Garden showed up on Let It Be.
They were working on it during the filming of the movie Let It Be, which was of course
supposed to be called, was meant to be called Get Back.
Save that for a whole other series of discussions.
But, _ _ there's a great scene in the movie Let It Be where George is really helping Ringo
work out the chords on the piano, because Ringo didn't really know too much about harmony
or anything like that.
But he had a great little story here about Octopus's Garden.
But I really, I play this song with kids all the time.
It's just a great, when I would play in my kids' classrooms back many years ago when
they were young.
And it's really [C] simple.
The Beatles [Gb] did it in E, but to make it a cool campfire song, bring it down a little
bit vocal-wise and [C] put it in C.
And [Gb] all you gotta do, I kinda like to use the country type [C] strum for this, where we're _
_ alternating bass notes back and forth [Em] on a C chord.
Now I'm alternating from the fifth string to the [C] sixth string.
You don't have to do that.
You can strum, any kind [Bb] of strumming pattern will work.
We're in 4-4 time.
But it lends itself really well to use the four chords.
[Am] C, A minor, [F] F.
We really need to play the barre depths in here, but if you can't play them yet, don't
worry about it.
You can play the little F.
But there's a reason I [Gb] like to play the one here I'll get
to in just a second.
[G] And G.
And we finger the G again with our second, third, and fourth fingers to make
it similar or make [E] it easier to transition to C, all that kind of stuff.
_ [F] One of the main reasons for playing the F as a full [E] barre here is there's a couple of
places where it's really nice to add a passing bass note.
So I get into a little embellishment here with Octopus's Garden.
And that is keeping the bass [C] going back and forth. _ _
_ _ [Am] Now if I'm going from C to A [C] minor, I would hit C in the bass, on the third beat G in
the bass, next measure C in the bass, and on the third beat of the second [Ab] measure, B
in the bass.
_ [Bm] Which is acting as a passing bass note connecting [Eb] us to the A minor chord.
[A] We're now going to have the same thing happen, two measures of A [Am] minor, _ and on the third
beat of the second [Em] measure, adding G in the bass with my little finger reaching [Bb] down and
not letting go of the rest of the A minor chord.
If you're not in good hand position, you're not going to be able to do this.
Well, probably.
_ [Am] But, and then to the F.
Now this is why we want the barre, because we really need to
hear this passing [F] bass note.
_ _ _ _ [G] Sorry, there goes the G.
I had the wrong song in my head all of a sudden.
So that's it, that line.
C, A minor, F, G.
Happens twice.
And then in [Am] the third line, we just have it just A minors.
While he's [Ebm] singing, I'd ask my friends to come and [F] see, blah blah blah.
F and G, [N] and then the fourth line is pretty much the same as the first two, with the F
and the G squeezed together so we can get back and end on one C, the tonic.
I'll give you a quick example here.
I think [C] I can maybe sing this one.
[Eb] Usually if Ringo can sing it, I can do it.
Not anywhere near as good as Ringo, but still.
[C] _
I'd like to be _ [Am] under the sea, [F] in an octopus's garden [G] in the shade.
He'd [C]
let us in, _ [Am] knows where we've been, [F] in his octopus's garden in [G] the shade.
Here comes the A minor.
[Am] I'd ask my friends to come and see, [Em] _ [F] an [G] octopus's garden with me.
_ [C] I'd like to be [Am]
under the sea, in an [G] octopus's garden [C] in the shade.
_ _ [Eb] That's pretty much all you gotta do.
Notice that I [G] put in another little passing bass run at one point, _ [Eb] leading from G up to C.
Hopefully you can figure that out.
If not, I have other lessons that talk about that a little bit more.
Anyway, that's it for Octopus's Garden.
Get the album, listen to it so that you can figure out the phrasing of the,
how he puts the words in there.
Three verses, each one follows pretty much the same melody.
When you're doing campfire songs like this, you don't bother with,
they have a short little instrumental in there with a cool little guitar lead.
It actually opens with a cool lead that George plays,
_ but not necessary or even desirable for the campfire versions.
That's for the more carefully worked out version,
when you're sitting around with your friends and
trying to come up with a tighter arrangement of a song.
Again, with the campfire things, we're trying to put together stuff that you could learn
in about two minutes and [Abm] teach to a group of people in two minutes,
and then you guys are ready to play it.
That should be all the important details you need for Octopus's