Western chord progressions typically return to the tonic via cadential resolutions. Omitting the 7th note changes this expectation, and this type of chord is known as non-diatonic.
In this lesson, you will learn Steve Winwood’s acoustic guitar part for Can’t Find My Way Home by Steve Winwood. You will get a lesson video, a performance playthrough video, and complete tabs.
1. Dm
This lesson covers Steve Winwood’s guitar part from the acoustic version of Can’t Find My Way Home, including a lesson video, performance through tape, complete tabs, and chords.
The Dm chord (also called D minor) is one of the easiest chords for beginners to pick up and sounds good too, making it an easy way to bring melancholy into your music. According to Spinal Tap’s Nigel Tufnel, DM is “one of the saddest musical sounds.”
To create a Dm chord, place your thumb on middle C, index finger on E, and pinky on G – that makes a C major chord! But for an unconventional DM chord formation, move up one fret and drop fingers down on the same notes simultaneously – this creates a barre chord, which may take some practice to become second nature, but over time, this will also aid your fretboard navigation by not stopping between chords while switching out finger positions.
2. G
This article will focus specifically on the G chord from this song – also known as a diminished 7th chord- although it doesn’t contain all of the diminished scale notes. You may safely use non-diatonic chords in your progression as long as at least one note from its scale is contained within its messages.
This chord progression is commonly used in doo-wop music and guitarists alike. You can see its use in songs like Ben E. King’s Stand By Me verse and, more recently, Justin Bieber’s Love Someone chorus.
When learning this song, take care to take your time when changing chords – any haste could result in harsh, abrasive guitar sounds! Be sure to practice both strumming and fingerpicking since having an in-depth knowledge of guitar will give you an advantage when learning something new.
3. Bb
This song uses an unconventional chord progression – using a sequence instead of the more commonly seen dominant-dominant-tonic (IV, V, VI, and I). This method adds extra interest and depth to your songs!
A sequence is a chord progression using a descending chromatic scale, usually in a primary key, beginning with a tonic chord or vi chord as its basis. This technique adds mystery and can be used effectively if your goal is telling a story through music.
It’s common to see this progression in jazz standards, but you might also come across it in rock/pop, R&B, or country songs – it works great across genres! Don’t be intimidated to give it a try on your next piece!
4. C
This chord progression uses a chord sequence where each chord builds on the previous one in advance for an almost chromatic feel, creating an exciting effect we often hear in popular songs like Bob Dylan’s “Make You Feel My Love.” Although in B minor, this song goes through a fantastic five-chord sequence before ending in a classic IV-VI (predominant-dominant-tonic) progression.
The final chord in this progression is a Cadd9. A Cadd9 is similar to a regular 9th chord but without the 7th degree; playing with major tonic chords creates an interesting jazzy sound. Steely Dan’s Mu chord is another excellent example of this chord style.
This song employs the iconic 1950s progression that is so beloved of doo-wop music of that decade and frequently found in modern pop music such as Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me” chorus or Sam Cooke’s “Chain Gang” verses.
5. E
This chord is odd: its minor tones can still be heard in millions of popular songs due to its functioning as a vi chord – which contains both major and minor third notes in its structure.
The chord consisting of E G# B D isn’t one most players are familiar with playing, so most don’t have a quick name for it. To create the EMaj7 version used by Clapton on his original version of this song is also possible by changing just one note (from G# to D). This would form what would become known as an “EMaj7 chord”.
This lesson introduces Steve Winwood’s guitar part from the acoustic version of “Fireside Version,” recorded and uploaded to YouTube and popularly known as the Fireside version. It provides video lessons, performance playthrough videos, complete tabs, and lyrics and shows you how to use a capo at the fourth fret for easier fingerpicking in the key of E.
6. F
For a more straightforward approach to song identification by ear, try to determine whether the chord progression is major or minor and then listen for consonant or “home” sounding notes played on bass guitar – often, this will lead you to other chords within a song.
This method lets you quickly learn to play an entire song within just minutes! You will receive a lesson video, a performance play-thru video, and complete tabs in PDF format.
This chord progression utilizes what is known as sequence or descending chromatic modulation to achieve smooth transitions between closely related keys, especially major to minor fundamental changes in one step. Additionally, this progression is often referred to as “dominant-dominant” since it moves from the dominant key back towards the tonic key via classic IV VI I progressions.
7. Gm
Fingerpicking adds an elegant, delicate feel to this song’s performance, as well as helping transition smoothly between chords. Furthermore, fingerpicking adds complexity and texture to your playing. If this is new territory, learn to fingerpick; hit each string cleanly and clearly. If chord timing and rhythm prove problematic, try practicing at different tempos to refine them further.
An exciting feature of this progression is its use of a dorian mode – an ascending mode starting with minor chords and ending in major ones – to create a sad-sounding passage.
This article analyzes the chord progression in “Can’t Find My Way Home” by Steve Winwood, discussing how chords move around key and why certain ones are used in particular places. Furthermore, this study investigates how certain chords combine using combinations such as triads, major and minor chords, seventh chords, and augmented chords.
