If you are looking to learn some country songs on guitar without using your capo then we’ve got just the piece for you. Country Roads by John Denver is a country music classic and it can be played easily on your guitar without having to use a capo. In this guide we’re going to give you all of the chords, strumming pattern and full version of the song so you can learn to play it from beginning to end. Also included below is the video tutorial which will be helpful for beginner players who need a little extra guidance. Let’s get started down this country road!
Country Roads Chords
We’re playing this song in the key of G which is not the original scale or chords used in the song. If you want to play it like the original then you will need to play it in the key of A and place a capo on the second fret. You can still use the chords we are about to go through though and this will sound closer to the track.
The chords for Country Roads without using your capo are G major, E minor, C major, D major, D7 and F major. The F chord may seem a little daunting, especially for beginner players, but don’t let it put you off learning the whole piece. It only appears in the bridge section of the song and it’s an open chord which you can see from the chart above. Other than that chord the song is super easy to play.
Country Roads Strumming Pattern
When you have got the chords nailed you can start playing each one using the strumming pattern that Denver used in his original track. Using standard tuning, you will play the pattern D-D-DU-DU on your strings. This is a fairly standard pattern that appears in a lot of popular music so it shouldn’t give you too much trouble, even if you are completely new to playing the guitar.
Country Roads Chords with Lyrics
Now that you have both of the sections above in place you can put them together and play the entire song from start to finish. Below is a full set of the lyrics along with the chords that are placed above the words in the correct places where you should play them. Remember to only attempt the full song once you have mastered the chords and strumming pattern, otherwise you can damage your confidence which will make you not want to learn the whole piece. For anyone who needs to extra help, watch the video tutorial we included at the beginning of this article.
Verse 1
G Em
Almost heaven, West Virginia
D C G
Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River
G Em
Live is old there, older than the trees
D C G
Younger than the mountains, blowing like a breeze
Chorus
G D
Country roads, take me home
Em C
To the place I belong
G D
West Virginia, mountain mama
C G
Take me home, country roads
Verse 2
G Em
All my memories gather round her
D C G
Miner’s lady, stranger to blue water
G Em
Dark and dusty, painted on the sky
D C G
Misty taste of moonshine, teardrop in my eye
Chorus
G D
Country roads, take me home
Em C
To the place I belong
G D
West Virginia, mountain mama
C G
Take me home, country roads
Bridge
Em D G
I hear her voice in the morning hour, she calls me
C G D
The radio reminds me of my home far away
Em F C
And driving down the road, I get a feeling
G D D7
That I should have been home yesterday, yesterday
Chorus
G D
Country roads, take me home
Em C
To the place I belong
G D
West Virginia, mountain mama
C G
Take me home, country roads
G D
Country roads, take me home
Em C
To the place I belong
G D
West Virginia, mountain mama
C G
Take me home, country roads
Outro
D G
Take me home, (down) country roads
D G
Take me home, (down) country roads
Conclusion
That’s everything you need to play this John Denver classic. This song is ideal for beginners who want to dip their toes into country music as a starting point for the genre. You can find more guides here on our website for music from many different genres if country music isn’t your thing. Make sure to take a look around and see if you can find some inspiration to help your guitar playing skills.