Chords for How To Play Joni Mitchell California (intro only)
Tempo:
84.475 bpm
Chords used:
Eb
E
B
Abm
A
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
[Eb] We're in open D tuning for California and capo to fret 2, so actually playing in the key of E.
And I always recommend tuning with the capo on to [N] get it really precise.
So let's get in tune first of all.
With the electronic tuner, tune the first string down [E] until the tuner says E.
[B] Second string down to B.
[Eb]
Third string [Ab] down to G-sharp.
[Eb]
Fourth string stays on [E] E.
[Eb] Fifth string stays [B] on B.
And [Eb] sixth string down to [E] E.
[Eb] And now you've got what would be a D major chord on the open strings if we had no capo, but having [E] the capo means it's technically an E major chord.
[Eb] And we're going to come in with the intro which sounds like this.
[Abm] [A]
[E] [B] [E]
[Eb]
Now of course we're putting the dulcimer part on to guitar here, so we won't nail it absolutely note for note, but I think we get a pretty good sense of how it sounds here.
We come in on this little lick on the second string.
You want the fourth fret, hammer to 5 and pull off back to 4.
[Abm] Then all fingers away, play open 2, open 3, open 2.
It's acting [Eb] as a kind of pick up, so it comes in halfway through the bar.
1 and 2 and [Abm] 3 and 4 and
[Eb] [Ab] And now the first of many, many [B] single finger bars in this song.
[Eb] Because of the open tuning, we can get a chord at every single fret just with one finger barring.
And the G chord is at the fifth fret.
And here's our standard strum pattern for the [A] song.
Down, slap, up, down, slap, up.
[Eb] And the slap, if you haven't played any Joanie before, is where she hits the strings with the pick, but the fleshy part of the hand is already resting on the strings.
And the way to do that is from a normal [A] strum, just tilt the hand slightly so that the palm is moving [Ab] towards the fretting hand fingers, and rest it on the strings as the pick comes down.
[Eb] So you get a completely dead strum.
[A] Down, slap, up, down, slap, up.
1, 2 and 3, 4 and
[N] Wherever we don't talk about rhythm on any bar, that's what you're going to play for the chord of the moment.
That's followed by a lick on bar 3 of the tab.
Open [E] first string, third string, second string, all open.
[Abm] And then the second string at the [Ebm] fourth fret, first string, second fret, second string, fourth fret, [B] second string, open.
[Db] And it comes on the and of 2.
[E] 1 and [B] 2 and 3 and [E] 4 and 1 will be a strum of D that you can see at bar 4.
And [Eb] the D chord is just open strings.
It says [N] D of course because we're actually in open D, so we feel like we're playing in D even though the capo's on.
And we'll play our standard [E] pattern.
[Ebm] Continue that [E] in bar 5.
Down, slap, up, and the Dsus4 adds the third string at the first fret, down, down.
Sometimes I go down, up, down on that chord.
[B] Both of them are [E] fine.
1, 2 and 3, 4, [B] and that's going to take us into the verse.
So here's that intro again slowly.
1 and 2 and 3 [Abm] and [A] 4 and 1.
[E] 1 and 2 [B] and 3 and [E] 4 and 1.
3,
And I always recommend tuning with the capo on to [N] get it really precise.
So let's get in tune first of all.
With the electronic tuner, tune the first string down [E] until the tuner says E.
[B] Second string down to B.
[Eb]
Third string [Ab] down to G-sharp.
[Eb]
Fourth string stays on [E] E.
[Eb] Fifth string stays [B] on B.
And [Eb] sixth string down to [E] E.
[Eb] And now you've got what would be a D major chord on the open strings if we had no capo, but having [E] the capo means it's technically an E major chord.
[Eb] And we're going to come in with the intro which sounds like this.
[Abm] [A]
[E] [B] [E]
[Eb]
Now of course we're putting the dulcimer part on to guitar here, so we won't nail it absolutely note for note, but I think we get a pretty good sense of how it sounds here.
We come in on this little lick on the second string.
You want the fourth fret, hammer to 5 and pull off back to 4.
[Abm] Then all fingers away, play open 2, open 3, open 2.
It's acting [Eb] as a kind of pick up, so it comes in halfway through the bar.
1 and 2 and [Abm] 3 and 4 and
[Eb] [Ab] And now the first of many, many [B] single finger bars in this song.
[Eb] Because of the open tuning, we can get a chord at every single fret just with one finger barring.
And the G chord is at the fifth fret.
And here's our standard strum pattern for the [A] song.
Down, slap, up, down, slap, up.
[Eb] And the slap, if you haven't played any Joanie before, is where she hits the strings with the pick, but the fleshy part of the hand is already resting on the strings.
And the way to do that is from a normal [A] strum, just tilt the hand slightly so that the palm is moving [Ab] towards the fretting hand fingers, and rest it on the strings as the pick comes down.
[Eb] So you get a completely dead strum.
[A] Down, slap, up, down, slap, up.
1, 2 and 3, 4 and
[N] Wherever we don't talk about rhythm on any bar, that's what you're going to play for the chord of the moment.
That's followed by a lick on bar 3 of the tab.
Open [E] first string, third string, second string, all open.
[Abm] And then the second string at the [Ebm] fourth fret, first string, second fret, second string, fourth fret, [B] second string, open.
[Db] And it comes on the and of 2.
[E] 1 and [B] 2 and 3 and [E] 4 and 1 will be a strum of D that you can see at bar 4.
And [Eb] the D chord is just open strings.
It says [N] D of course because we're actually in open D, so we feel like we're playing in D even though the capo's on.
And we'll play our standard [E] pattern.
[Ebm] Continue that [E] in bar 5.
Down, slap, up, and the Dsus4 adds the third string at the first fret, down, down.
Sometimes I go down, up, down on that chord.
[B] Both of them are [E] fine.
1, 2 and 3, 4, [B] and that's going to take us into the verse.
So here's that intro again slowly.
1 and 2 and 3 [Abm] and [A] 4 and 1.
[E] 1 and 2 [B] and 3 and [E] 4 and 1.
3,
Key:
Eb
E
B
Abm
A
Eb
E
B
_ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [Eb] We're in open D tuning for California and capo to fret 2, so actually playing in the key of E.
And I always recommend tuning with the capo on to [N] get it really precise.
So let's get in tune first of all.
With the electronic tuner, tune the first string down [E] until the tuner says E.
_ _ [B] Second string down to B.
_ _ _ [Eb]
Third string [Ab] down to G-sharp.
_ _ [Eb]
Fourth string stays on [E] E. _
[Eb] Fifth string stays [B] on B.
_ And [Eb] sixth string down to [E] E. _ _ _
[Eb] And now you've got what would be a D major chord on the open strings if we had no capo, but having [E] the capo means it's technically an E major chord.
[Eb] And we're going to come in with the intro which sounds like this. _
_ [Abm] _ [A] _ _ _ _
[E] _ [B] _ _ [E] _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [Eb] _
Now of course we're putting the dulcimer part on to guitar here, so we won't nail it absolutely note for note, but I think we get a pretty good sense of how it sounds here.
We come in on this little lick on the second string.
You want the fourth fret, hammer to 5 and pull off back to 4. _
_ [Abm] Then all fingers away, play open 2, open 3, open 2.
_ It's acting [Eb] as a kind of pick up, so it comes in halfway through the bar.
1 and 2 and [Abm] 3 and 4 and_
_ [Eb] [Ab] And now the first of many, many [B] single finger bars in this song.
[Eb] Because of the open tuning, we can get a chord at every single fret just with one finger barring.
And the G chord is at the fifth fret.
And here's our standard strum pattern for the [A] song.
Down, slap, up, down, slap, up.
[Eb] And the slap, if you haven't played any Joanie before, is where she hits the strings with the pick, but the fleshy part of the hand is already resting on the strings.
And the way to do that is from a normal [A] strum, just tilt the hand slightly so that the palm is moving [Ab] towards the fretting hand fingers, and rest it on the strings as the pick comes down.
[Eb] _ So you get a completely dead strum.
[A] _ Down, slap, up, down, slap, up.
1, 2 and 3, 4 and_
[N] Wherever we don't talk about rhythm on any bar, that's what you're going to play for the chord of the moment.
_ That's followed by a lick on bar 3 of the tab.
Open [E] first string, third string, second string, all open.
[Abm] And then the second string at the [Ebm] fourth fret, first string, second fret, second string, fourth fret, [B] second string, open.
_ [Db] And it comes on the and of 2.
[E] 1 and [B] 2 and 3 and [E] 4 and 1 will be a strum of D that you can see at bar 4.
And [Eb] the D chord is just open strings.
It says [N] D of course because we're actually in open D, so we feel like we're playing in D even though the capo's on.
And we'll play our standard [E] pattern. _ _
_ [Ebm] Continue that [E] in bar 5.
Down, slap, up, and the Dsus4 adds the third string at the first fret, down, down.
Sometimes I go down, up, down on that chord.
[B] Both of them are [E] fine.
1, 2 and 3, 4, [B] and that's going to take us into the verse.
So here's that intro again slowly.
1 and 2 and 3 [Abm] and [A] 4 and 1. _
_ _ _ [E] 1 and 2 [B] and 3 and [E] 4 and 1. _ _
_ _ _ _ 3,
_ _ [Eb] We're in open D tuning for California and capo to fret 2, so actually playing in the key of E.
And I always recommend tuning with the capo on to [N] get it really precise.
So let's get in tune first of all.
With the electronic tuner, tune the first string down [E] until the tuner says E.
_ _ [B] Second string down to B.
_ _ _ [Eb]
Third string [Ab] down to G-sharp.
_ _ [Eb]
Fourth string stays on [E] E. _
[Eb] Fifth string stays [B] on B.
_ And [Eb] sixth string down to [E] E. _ _ _
[Eb] And now you've got what would be a D major chord on the open strings if we had no capo, but having [E] the capo means it's technically an E major chord.
[Eb] And we're going to come in with the intro which sounds like this. _
_ [Abm] _ [A] _ _ _ _
[E] _ [B] _ _ [E] _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [Eb] _
Now of course we're putting the dulcimer part on to guitar here, so we won't nail it absolutely note for note, but I think we get a pretty good sense of how it sounds here.
We come in on this little lick on the second string.
You want the fourth fret, hammer to 5 and pull off back to 4. _
_ [Abm] Then all fingers away, play open 2, open 3, open 2.
_ It's acting [Eb] as a kind of pick up, so it comes in halfway through the bar.
1 and 2 and [Abm] 3 and 4 and_
_ [Eb] [Ab] And now the first of many, many [B] single finger bars in this song.
[Eb] Because of the open tuning, we can get a chord at every single fret just with one finger barring.
And the G chord is at the fifth fret.
And here's our standard strum pattern for the [A] song.
Down, slap, up, down, slap, up.
[Eb] And the slap, if you haven't played any Joanie before, is where she hits the strings with the pick, but the fleshy part of the hand is already resting on the strings.
And the way to do that is from a normal [A] strum, just tilt the hand slightly so that the palm is moving [Ab] towards the fretting hand fingers, and rest it on the strings as the pick comes down.
[Eb] _ So you get a completely dead strum.
[A] _ Down, slap, up, down, slap, up.
1, 2 and 3, 4 and_
[N] Wherever we don't talk about rhythm on any bar, that's what you're going to play for the chord of the moment.
_ That's followed by a lick on bar 3 of the tab.
Open [E] first string, third string, second string, all open.
[Abm] And then the second string at the [Ebm] fourth fret, first string, second fret, second string, fourth fret, [B] second string, open.
_ [Db] And it comes on the and of 2.
[E] 1 and [B] 2 and 3 and [E] 4 and 1 will be a strum of D that you can see at bar 4.
And [Eb] the D chord is just open strings.
It says [N] D of course because we're actually in open D, so we feel like we're playing in D even though the capo's on.
And we'll play our standard [E] pattern. _ _
_ [Ebm] Continue that [E] in bar 5.
Down, slap, up, and the Dsus4 adds the third string at the first fret, down, down.
Sometimes I go down, up, down on that chord.
[B] Both of them are [E] fine.
1, 2 and 3, 4, [B] and that's going to take us into the verse.
So here's that intro again slowly.
1 and 2 and 3 [Abm] and [A] 4 and 1. _
_ _ _ [E] 1 and 2 [B] and 3 and [E] 4 and 1. _ _
_ _ _ _ 3,