Ventura Highway chords
by America- Ventura Highway was written by Dewey Bunnell from the band America.
- Released: October, 1972
- Album: Homecoming which was also produced by the band.
- Music: Key of D Major in 4/4 time at ~ 130 bpm (♩)
- Chords: Dmaj7, Em7, F#m7, F#m7, G, G6
- Guitar Tab - Riffs: You will find 2 guitar tabs below: Tab-1 for a single player & Tab-2 for multiple players
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
Ventura Highway
Song Key is highlighted - Transpose to any other keyG Dmaj7 G Dmaj7 Intro: 4/4 ‖(riff)| |(riff)| |(riff)| |(riff)| |(riff)‖ G Dmaj7 1. Chew-in' on a piece of grass Wal-kin' down the ro-o-oad G Dmaj7 Tell me how long You gon-na stay here Joe G Dmaj7 Some people say This town don't look good in snow G Dmaj7 You don't care I know | 𝄎 | G Dmaj7 Chorus: Ven-tu-ra High-way in the sun-shine G Dmaj7 Where the days are lon-ger The nights are stron-ger than moon-shine G Dmaj7 F#m7 You're gon-na go I know-oo-ow-oo-ow-oo-ow-oo-ow-oo-ow-oo-ow | 𝄎 | Em7 F#m7 'Cause the free wind is blow-in' through your hair Em7 F#m7 And the days sur-round you day-light there Em7 F#m7 Seas-ons crying no despair Em F#m Gmaj7 G All-i-ga-tor liz-ards in the air In the air | | Dmaj7 G Dmaj7 ‖ Doo–doo–doo... | 𝄎 | | 𝄎 | | 𝄎 ‖ G Dmaj7 2. Wish-in' on a fal-lin' star Wait-in' for the ear-ly train G Dmaj7 Sor-ry boy but Iv'e been hit by purp-le rain G Dmaj7 Aw come on Joe You can al-ways change your name G Dmaj7 Thanks a lot son Just the same | 𝄎 | G Dmaj7 Chorus: Ven-tu-ra High-way In the sun-shine G Dmaj7 Where the days are lon-ger The nights are stron-ger than moon-shine G Dmaj7 F#m7 You're gon-na go I know-oo-ow-oo-ow-oo-ow-oo-ow-oo-ow-oo-ow | 𝄎 | Em7 F#m7 'Cause the free wind is blow-in' through your hair Em7 F#m7 And the days sur-round you day-light there Em7 F#m7 Seas-ons crying no despair Em7 F#m7 Gmaj7 G All-i-ga-tor liz-ards in the air In the air | | Dmaj7 G ‖: Doo – doo – doo... | 𝄎 | | 𝄎 :‖... repeat to fade
Notes:
- Level Of Ease: Fairly - becomes a little more difficult if you are playing the riffs which are very catchy and run throughout the entire song.
- Song Key: D major... 2 sharps (F# & C#)
- 4/4 Time: This means 4 beats per bar, each with the value of a crotchet or quarter-note.
- For beginner guitarists, the chords look a little scary at first but after playing them for a while they become very easy.
- You don't have to play the Gmaj7 chord, but it does sound good. Simply replace it with a G chord if you prefer.
- There are a few different ways to play Gmaj7. The chord formula is 1 - 3 - 5 - 7 which translates to G - B - D - F#. The first variation (320002) is easier to play, while the second variation (xx5432) is a little more difficult due to the stretch over 4 frets.
- There are several variations of Em7 - the easiest is 020000 while the 020030 or 022030 variation works a little better in this song. All the tabbed charts above are the preferred versions of each chord.
- In Guitar Tab 2 below, they play G6 instead of G.
- There are a few different ways to play G6. The chord formula is 1 - 3 - 5 - 6 which translates to G - B - D - E. The charted version is perhaps the easiest. Try playing G6 with the optional notes and see what you think.
- The preferred version of G6 on Tab 2 is 355400. Think of it as playing an E chord with fingers 2-3-4 starting on the 4th fret, while the first finger plays the G note (string 1 - fret 3). This is a little harder to play than the charted version and they sound identical... the choice is yours.
- You don't have to play the G6 chord, but it does sound good. Simply replace it with a G chord if you prefer.
- The first Guitar Tab plays G instead of G6 whereas the second Guitar Tab plays G6.
- The important thing is that you can sing or play the melody over the chords. I have kept the chords as simple as possible so that the majority of people can play along... enjoy.
