Close To You chords
by The CarpentersSong Key: G Major with a key change to Ab Major)
Key Signature - G Major: 1 sharp (F#)
Key Signature - Ab Major: 4 flats (Bb, Eb, Ab, Db)
Time Signature: 4/4 (♩)
Tempo: 88 bpm (Moderately slow)
Vocal Range: E3 - Bb4
Guitar Tuning: E A D G B e
Skill Level: Intermediate
Chords in G Major: C, C6, Cmaj7, C/9, D, B, B7sus4, Bm7, Bm7/E, Em, Em7, E7, G7, Gmaj7
Chords in Ab Major: D♭, D♭6, D♭maj7, D♭/9, D♭maj9, C7sus4, Cm7, B♭m7/E♭, E♭7, F7, Fm7, A♭, A♭maj7, A♭maj9
Play-Along Video & Chord Charts
Chords in G Major:
Chords in Ab Major:
Chords in G Major:
Chords in Ab Major:
Close To You
Song Key is highlighted - Transpose to any other key
Cadd9 C Cadd9 C Cadd9 C Cadd9
Intro: 4/4 | - | - | - | |
Cadd9 B7sus4 B
1. Why do birds sud-den-ly ap - | pear - |
Bm7 Em7 Em
Ev-‘ry time you are | near |
C Cadd9 C Cadd9
Just like me They long to be
Gmaj7 Gmaj7
Close to you | (Why do)|
Cadd9 B7sus4 B
2. Why do stars fall down from the | sky |
Bm7 Em7 Em
Ev-‘ry time you walk | by - |
C Cadd9 C Cadd9
Just like me They long to be
Gmaj7 G7
Close to you | |
C C6 Cmaj7 C C6 Cmaj7 C6
Chorus: On the day that you were born The an-gels got to-geth-er
Bm7 Bm7/E E7
And de-ci-ded to cre-ate a dream come | true - |
Cadd9 C
So they sprin-kled moon dust in your hair
Cmaj7 C6 D
Of gold and star-light in your eyes of blue...| |
Cadd9 B7sus4 B
3. That is why All the girls in | town - |
Bm7 Em7 Em
Fol-low you All a - | round - |
C Cadd9 C Cadd9
Just like me They long to be
Gmaj7 Gmaj7
Close to you | | ...key change
Dbadd9 C7sus4 C Cm7 Fm7
Instr: | | - | | |
Db Dbadd9 Db Dbadd9 Dbmaj7 Dbmaj7
| - | - | | |
Db Db6 Dbmaj7 Db Db6 Dbmaj7 Db6
Chorus: On the day that you were born The ang-els got to-ge-ther
Cm7 F7
And de-ci-ded to cre-ate a dream com true
Dbadd9 Db
So they sprin-kled moon dust in your hair
Dbmaj7 Db6 Bbm7/Eb Eb7
Of gold and star-light in your eyes of blue... | (That is)|
Dbadd9 C7sus4 C
4. That is why All the girls in | town - |
Cm7 Fm7
Fol-low you All a-round
Db Dbadd9 Db Dbadd9 Abmaj7 Abmaj7
Just like me They long to be | Close to you | |
Db Dbadd9 Db Dbadd9
Just like me They long to be...
Dbadd9 Db Dbadd9 Db Dbadd9 Db Dbadd9
| Close to you | - | - | |
Dbmaj9 Dbmaj9 Abmaj9 Abmaj9 Ab
||: Why – y – y – y | - y | Close to you | - :||
...repeat to fade
Please Note: When playing C7sus4, it may be easier for some of you to barre the first
5 strings with the first finger as it can be a bit of a stretch. It won't
have any effect on the sound of the chord as the extra strings are covered
by fingers 2, 3 and 4 which some of you may want to play as a mini-barre
using your 3rd finger.
Notes:
- Level Of Ease: Fairly Hard unless you are a competent player. Beginners may find this a little testing, but you will get there with time and practice... you may want to download the version without a key change (much easier).
- Beginners: The chords in G Major are all fairly easy. If you are playing with the video, you can stop it at the key change, place a Capo on the first fret, and continue to play in G Major. You will also need to press F# on the Transposer to see the chords in the key of G Major.
- Cadd9 is a C chord with an added 9th which in this case is an added D note which can also be written as C/9. The chord formula for an added 9 is 1 - 3 - 5 - 9 = C - E - G - D. This is not to be confused with C9 where the chord formula is 1 - 3 - 5 - ♭7 - 9 = C - E - G - B♭ - D, which can also be written as C7add9.
- The D♭/9 is a fairly hard chord with quite a stretch. It can be played several different ways. Because you have to play the D♭/9 and D♭ in quick succession, I have chosen the voicing above. Other voicings include x43141, x4314x, x4364x, 9-8-11-8-9-x, x-x-11-10-9-11 (this works well if you use the 'E'-shape barre chord starting on the 9th fret when you play D♭ - very easy transition from D♭ to D♭/9 - sounds a little high in pitch though, compared to the rest of the song.
- Gmaj7 can also be played like the A♭maj7, except that you play it one fret lower with the barre on the 3rd fret instead of the 4th fret... 354433 or you can play the classic 'let's do some stretching' xx5432.
- This song is well suited to piano players due to the rapid rate of chord changes in certain parts of the song.
- You don't have to play all the different G , A♭, and D♭ chord extensions. You can just play a straight G chord over the Gmaj7, and an A♭ chord over the A♭maj7 and A♭maj9 chords - same for D♭. However, if you can play all the chords, it does sound better.
- This song is not recommended for beginners as you will need to use several barre chords. Once you learn some barre chords, make sure you come back and give this song a go... once you master it, you'll be glad you did.
- If you are not sure of all the chords, make sure you spend time practicing them before you play the song. Listen to the song a few times and get a good 'feel' for it. When you are familiar with the tune and can play the chords smoothly with the minimum of fuss, you are good to go.
- If you use the Transposer and try some different keys, you may find that if you come back to G Major, all the Db chords are now C# chords. They are simply enharmonic equivalents - they are still the same chord. If you prefer to view the Db chords which are relevant to the chord charts, simply refresh the page.
- This is the type of song that requires effort, and once you have mastered it, you will start to play more and more challenging tunes which will take your playing to another level... then try the following:
What A Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong
Copacabana - Barry Manilow
Songbird - Eva Cassidy
The Way We Were - Barbra Streisand
The Carpenters
- Origin: Los Angeles, California, United States
- Line-up: Karen & Richard Carpenter (sister/brother duo)
- Active Years: 1969 – 83
- Music Styles: Pop, soft rock, adult contemporary
- Karen Carpenter: Born Karen Anne Carpenter on March 2nd, 1950 in New Haven, Connecticut, USA
- Died: February 4, 1983 (aged 32) in Downey, California, USA
- Cause of Death: Anorexia Nervosa (complications)
- Instruments: Drums, Percussion, Vocals
- Active Years: 1965 to 1983
- Music Genres: Soft Rock, Pop
- Composer: Burt Bacharach
- Lyricist: Hal David
- Date: 1963
- Lyrics Begin: Why do birds suddenly appear ev'rytime you are near?
- Performing Artists: The Carpenters
- Single Release: May 14, 1970
- Album: Close To You
- Album Release: August 19, 1970
