Ventura Highway chords

by America

Song Key: D Major

Time Signature: 4/4

Tempo: 130 bpm

Guitar Tuning: E A D G B e

Skill Level: Beginner/Intermediate

Chords: Dmaj7, Em7, F#m7, G, G6

Guitar Tab Riffs: Tab-1 for a single player & Tab-2 for multiple players

Arrangement Beginners Song Details

Play-Along Video

R-H Chord Charts

L-H Chord Charts

Speed: x0.1

Ventura Highway

Song Key is highlighted - Transpose to any other key

                     G            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

Arrangement Details:

Key Signature: D Major – 2 sharps (F#, C#)
Time Signature: 4/4 — Four quarter-note beats per measure
Tempo: Moderately fast
Metronome: ♩ = 130
Voice Range: D4 - F#5
Chord Types in This Arrangement:
- Major chord: G
- Major 7th chord: Dmaj7
- Minor 7th chords: Em7, F#m7
- 6th chord: G6

🎸 Beginner Guitarists:

The chords look a little scary at first but after playing them for a while, they become very easy.
The following information requires a knowledge of written chords:
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, G is replaced with G6.
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 comfortably over the chords. I’ve kept the chord shapes as simple as possible so most people can play along... enjoy.