Avalon chords
Roxy Music
- Avalon was written by Bryan Ferry from the band Roxy Music.
- Recorded: between 1981 and 1982
- Released: June, 1982 from the album of the same name
- Music: Key of F Major in 4/4 time at ~ 136 bpm (♩)
- Chords: F, C, Csus4, B♭, G, E♭add9, D♭
- Easier in D major: Better for beginners with no barre chords depending on how you play Bb - all charts below.
- Chords in D Major: D, A, Asus4, G, E, Cadd9, B♭
Chart Legend
Numbered Circles: Fingers used to play chords O: Optional Note
Barre Line: One finger holds down multiple strings R: Root Note
Unmarked strings: Play open X: Don't play string B: Bass Note
Barre Line: One finger holds down multiple strings R: Root Note
Unmarked strings: Play open X: Don't play string B: Bass Note















Avalon by Roxy Music
Capo on 3 if playing with the video
Song Key is highlighted - Transpose to any other keyE Intro: 4/4 Bass Run | | | | | D A G A 1. Now the par-ty's over I'm so tired D A G A Then I see you co-ming Out of no-where D A G A Much com-mu-ni-ca-tion In a mo-tion D A G A With-out con-ver-sa-tion Or a no-tion Cadd9 Bb Asus4 A Cadd9 Bb Asus4 E Chorus: | | | | A-va-|-lon | | | | 𝄎 | D A G A 2. When the sam-ba takes you Out of no-where D A G A And the back-ground's fa-ding Out of fo-cus D A G A Yes the pic-ture's chan-ging Ev'-ry mo-ment D A G A And your des-ti-na-tion You don't know it Cadd9 Bb Asus4 A Cadd9 Bb Asus4 E Chorus: | | | | A-va-|-lon | | | | 𝄎 | E A E A E A E A Bridge: | | | | Oo-oo| Oo | | | | E A E A | Dan-cing | Dan-cing | | | E A E A Dan-cing Dan-cing | | | D A G A 3. When you bos-sa-no-va There's no hol-ding D A G A Would you have me dan-cing Out of no-where Cadd9 Bb Asus4 A Cadd9 Bb Asus4 E Chorus: | | | | A-va-|-lon | | | | 𝄎 | 𝄎 | D A G A D A G A Instrumental: | | | | | | | | | D A G A Outro: ‖: A-va | - lon Oo| ooh |eeh... :‖(repeat to fade - female vocals: ad-lib)
Notes:
- Level of Ease: Easy with capo
- You can play the B♭ using a mini-barre with your 3rd finger over strings 2, 3, and 4 on the 3rd fret.
- Asus4 can be played using the 3rd finger instead of the 4th... I have used the 4th finger as it is easy to play from the 'A' chord position where you simply add the 4th finger to an existing chord.
- Cadd9 can be played using the normal C chord finger positions and adding the 4th finger - if you play it like this and want to play the optional note, you will need to play strings 5 & 6 with the 2nd finger. Try the chart version - it's like an E shape played on strings 4, 5 and 6, instead of 3, 4, and 5... and you get to play the optional note with a minimum of fuss.
- Cadd9 mustn't be confused with C9...
Cadd9 is a C chord with an added 9th - formula 1-3-5-9
C9 is a C7 chord with an added 9th - formula 1-3-5-♭7-9 - The Cadd9 is a beautiful chord and when used in the right context, can sound amazing. It's a very easy chord, and a great chord to have in your repertoire.
- Ad-lib is Latin for 'at liberty', which means 'at one's pleasure'. You will notice this at the end of the song where the female vocalist sings wherever the mood takes her... and she does it very well.
- Use the Transposer for any key changes.