John Denver - Take Me Home, Country Roads - Guitar Cover

The John Denver Collection, Vol 1: Take Me Home Country Roads

1997 3:18

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About Take Me Home, Country Roads

Few songs reward a beginner guitarist more quickly than "Take Me Home, Country Roads." Written by Bill Danoff, Taffy Nivert, and John Denver, it sits in G major and moves through a handful of open chords that any player with a few weeks of practice can tackle. The standard chord set, G, Em, C, and D, flows at a comfortable 109 BPM, so the real work is getting clean chord changes before the strumming pattern starts to feel natural. That strumming pattern is where most players trip up: the syncopated, slightly behind-the-beat feel that gives the song its folk-rock warmth is easy to rush. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the verse progression slowed down until your right hand finds that relaxed, loping rhythm without you having to think about it. Once the pattern is locked in at a reduced tempo, gradually work back up to 109 BPM and the whole song clicks into place.

• The song uses only four open chords in G major: G, Em, C, and D, making it one of the most approachable campfire songs to learn.
• The strumming pattern has a relaxed, behind-the-beat feel that is easy to rush, so practicing it slowly with the Practice Toolbar is the key step.
• Standard E tuning is used throughout, so no retuning is needed, and a light acoustic pick attack keeps the tone warm and authentic.