Yesterday chords
by The BeatlesSong Key: F Major
Time Signature: 4/4
Tempo: 96 bpm
Guitar Tuning: E A D G B e
Skill Level: Beginner
Chords: F, Em, Em7, A7, Dm, Dm7, B♭, C, C7, G7, Gm
Beginners: Easier chord voicings for Bb and Gm in charts below
Play-Along Video & Chord Charts
Yesterday
Song Key is highlighted - Transpose to any other key F
Intro: 4/4 ‖ | % ‖
F Em7 A7 Dm Dm7
1. Yes-ter-day All my trou-bles seemed so far a-way
Bb C7 F
Now it looks as though they're here to stay
C Dm7 G7 Bb F
Oh I be-lieve in Yes - ter - day
F Em7 A7 Dm Dm7
2. Sud-den-ly I'm not half the man I used to be
Bb C7 F
There's a sha-dow hang-ing ov-er me
C Dm7 G7 Bb F
Oh Yes - ter - day came sud-den-ly
Em7 A7 Dm C Bb Dm Gm C7 F
Chorus: Why she had to go I don't know she would-n't say
Em A7 Dm C Bb Dm Gm C7 F
I said some-thing wrong Now I long for yes-ter-day
F Em7 A7 Dm Dm7
3. Yes-ter-day Love was such an eas-y game to play
Bb C7 F
Now I need a place to hide a-way
C Dm7 G7 Bb F
Oh I be-lieve in Yes - ter - day
Em7 A7 Dm C Bb Dm Gm C7 F
Chorus: Why she had to go I don't know she would-n't say
Em A7 Dm C Bb Dm Gm C7 F
I said some-thing wrong Now I long for yes-ter-day...
F Em7 A7 Dm Dm7
4. Yes-ter-day Love was such an ea-sy game to play
Bb C7 F
Now I need a place to hide a-way
C Dm7 G7 Bb F
Oh I be-lieve in Yes - ter - day
G7 Bb F
| Mm - mm - mm - mm | Mm - mm-mm... | Notes and Helpful Tips:
- Beginners: I have included an alternative Gm chord which you will find very easy to play. It includes a mini-barre - 1 finger - 3 strings. If you find this easy, you are ready to learnbarre chords.
- If you find the mini-barre uncomfortable, you can play it using 3 fingers, similar to how you would play an 'A' chord.
- Standard chord progression for F major: F - Gm - Am - B♭- C - Dm - Edim
Note that most of these chords are used along with other usable chord extensions in that particular key, i.e., Em7, Dm7, A7, and C7. - Where you have Dm followed by Dm7, you don't have to play the Dm7 if you find the chord changes a little busy. You can replace Dm7 with Dm/C, which simply adds a C bass-note to the Dm chord (3rd fret, 5th string).
- The C chord over the 'Oh' at the start of the 4th line of each verse can interrupt the flow of the song, especially if you are playing solo. It sounds fine if you don't play it... the choice is yours.
- The same applies to the chorus, where you can play a Dm over the 'Had to go I don't', leading up to the Gm on 'know', instead of the chord changes for each word... it still sounds fine.
- If you're fingerpicking, and the chords don't sound as clean as you would like, and you are playing along with the video - you can use a capo on the 5th fret and play in the key of C Major. This may sound a little high, as the song has a sombre feel. However, if you 're not playing with the video, this is the easiest key to play in - and will suit many beginners.
- Use the Transposer for all key transpositions.
About the Song
- Paul McCartney lamented over the song's production and inclusion on the album as he felt it wasn’t really their style of music.
- Originally released in the USA where it topped the American charts.
- Matt Monro did a cover version of the song reaching the UK Top 10 about three months after the release of the album by The Beatles.
- One of the most covered songs of all time with over 2200 cover versions.
- First song by the Beatles that relied on one band member (Paul) to perform alone with a string quartet.
- Won many awards such as Best Song of the 20th Century and Number 1 Pop Song of all Time by Rolling Stone Magazine.
- Remains a very popular song today, and rates highly in the Top 10 most popular songs recorded by the Beatles.
- Songwriter: Paul McCartney (credited to Lennon–McCartney.)
- Lyrics Begin: Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away, now it looks as though they're here to stay, oh I believe in yesterday.
- Performing Artists: The Beatles
- Recorded: 14, 17 June 1965
- Released: 13 September 1965
- Genre: Chamber Pop
