Ventura Highway chords

by America

Song Key: D Major

Key Signature: 2 sharps (F#, C#)

Time Signature: 4/4 (♩)

Tempo: 130 bpm (Moderately)

Vocal Range: D4-F#5


Guitar Tuning: E A D G B e

Skill Level: Intermediate

Chords: Dmaj7, Em7, F#m7, F#m7, G, G6

Extras - Guitar Tab Riffs: Tab-1 for a single player & Tab-2 for multiple players

Chord Chart Legend
Dmaj7 G major Em7 F#m7 Gmaj7 Gmaj7 G6
Lefties Chord Chart Legend
Dmaj7 G major Em7 F#m7 Gmaj7 Gmaj7 G6

Ventura Highway

Song Key is highlighted - Transpose to any other key
                     G            Dmaj7           G            Dmaj7
Intro: 4/4 ‖(riff)|     |(riff)|        |(riff)|     |(riff)|        |(riff)‖

 G                                                   Dmaj7
1. Chew-in' on a piece of grass    Wal-kin' down  the     ro-o-oad
 G                               Dmaj7
   Tell me how long    You gon-na     stay here Joe
 G                                    Dmaj7
   Some people say    This town don't look good in snow
 G                     Dmaj7
   You don't care    I know  |  𝄎  |

      G                              Dmaj7
Chorus: Ven-tu-ra High-way   in   the     sun-shine
                  G                                               Dmaj7
        Where the days are lon-ger  The nights are stron-ger than     moon-shine
      G                       Dmaj7                                 F#m7
        You're gon-na go    I know-oo-ow-oo-ow-oo-ow-oo-ow-oo-ow-oo-ow  |  𝄎  |
                  Em7                   F#m7
       'Cause the free wind is blow-in' through your hair
                Em7                F#m7
        And the days sur-round you day-light there
     Em7                F#m7
        Seas-ons crying no despair
              Em              F#m                  Gmaj7    G   
        All-i-ga-tor liz-ards in the air    In the air   |     |
   
    
         Dmaj7                   G          Dmaj7   
       ‖ Doo–doo–doo... |  𝄎  |     |  𝄎  |       |  𝄎  ‖

 G                                                Dmaj7
2. Wish-in' on a fal-lin' star    Wait-in' for the  ear-ly train
 G                                 Dmaj7
   Sor-ry boy but Iv'e been hit by   purp-le rain
 G                                  Dmaj7
   Aw come on Joe    You can al-ways  change your name
 G                              Dmaj7
   Thanks a lot son    Just the same  |  𝄎  |
  
      G                                Dmaj7
Chorus: Ven-tu-ra High-way    In    the     sun-shine
                  G                                              Dmaj7
        Where the days are lon-ger  The nights are stron-ger than     moon-shine
      G                       Dmaj7                                 F#m7
        You're gon-na go    I know-oo-ow-oo-ow-oo-ow-oo-ow-oo-ow-oo-ow   |  𝄎  |
                  Em7                   F#m7
       'Cause the free wind is blow-in' through your hair
                Em7                F#m7
        And the days sur-round you day-light there
     Em7                F#m7
        Seas-ons crying no despair
              Em7             F#m7                 Gmaj7    G
        All-i-ga-tor liz-ards in the air    In the air   |     |
   
    
          Dmaj7                         G
       ‖: Doo – doo – doo... |   𝄎   |      |   𝄎   :‖... repeat to fade

Notes:

  • Level Of Ease: Fairly - becomes a little more difficult if you are playing the riffs which are very catchy and run throughout the entire song.
  • Song Key: D major... 2 sharps (F# & C#)
  • 4/4 Time: This means 4 beats per bar, each with the value of a crotchet or quarter-note.
  • For beginner guitarists, the chords look a little scary at first but after playing them for a while they become very easy.
  • You don't have to play the Gmaj7 chord, but it does sound good. Simply replace it with a G chord if you prefer.
  • There are a few different ways to play Gmaj7. The chord formula is 1 - 3 - 5 - 7 which translates to G - B - D - F#. The first variation (320002) is easier to play, while the second variation (xx5432) is a little more difficult due to the stretch over 4 frets.
  • There are several variations of Em7 - the easiest is 020000 while the 020030 or 022030 variation works a little better in this song. All the tabbed charts above are the preferred versions of each chord.
  • In Guitar Tab 2 below, they play G6 instead of G.
  • There are a few different ways to play G6. The chord formula is 1 - 3 - 5 - 6 which translates to G - B - D - E. The charted version is perhaps the easiest. Try playing G6 with the optional notes and see what you think.
  • The preferred version of G6 on Tab 2 is 355400. Think of it as playing an E chord with fingers 2-3-4 starting on the 4th fret, while the first finger plays the G note (string 1 - fret 3). This is a little harder to play than the charted version and they sound identical... the choice is yours.
  • You don't have to play the G6 chord, but it does sound good. Simply replace it with a G chord if you prefer.
  • The first Guitar Tab plays G instead of G6 whereas the second Guitar Tab plays G6.
  • The important thing is that you can sing or play the melody over the chords. I have kept the chords as simple as possible so that the majority of people can play along... enjoy.

Guitar Tab 1

This Tab is fairly easy catering for a single player:

Ventura Highway - Easy Guitar Tab

Guitar Tab 2

This Tab relates to 4 guitarists - 2 of them are playing the riffs in harmony.

Ventura Highway - Easy Guitar Tab
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