Chords For Forever And Ever Amen
In this lesson we’re going to learn some chords that can be used to create the sound of a 12-string guitar. The chord progression you’ll use is simple, but it’s very effective at creating a beautiful and somber tone that pairs well with songs about love and loss. This is especially true if you use a capo on your guitar to play the chords higher up on the fretboard.
Verse 1
C, F, G, Am, Em, B7
C, F, G, Em, B7
These are the chords that you will be playing throughout this song. The C chord is a power chord and it consists of only two notes: C and G. The F chord is also a power chord with only two notes: F and A. The G7 chord has three notes: G-B-D. The Am is an altered version of the A major scale (A-B-C#-D#/E/F#), while the Em has no sharps or flats in it but still sounds like E minor pentatonic scale (E–G–A–B–C). Lastly there’s our friend B7 which is simply a dominant 7th without any alterations to it at all!
Verse 2
Verse 2:
For the second verse, we’re going to use three chords that are all based on the key of C. The first chord is C, and it’s just an open C with your index finger on the third fret. The second chord is a F minor (Fm) with your ring finger barring across 1 and 2 strings at around the eighth fret. Finally, you can start to add some variety by playing an open G (G7) at around the seventh fret.
Verse 3
Now, we can’t just repeat the same chords and strumming pattern for each verse. Instead, we’re going to make some changes. First of all, let’s take a look at our chords:
- Chord I: C – G – Am (or A minor) – F – C
- Chord II: Fmaj7 – C#dim7b5/A#(b9) – Bbm6/Eb – Eb(13)(add9))
These are the same basic shapes we used in Verse 1 but with different voicings that sound more interesting when played together. The second chord is basically an F major triad with an added ninth instead of a seventh; this gives us three notes instead of four in that barre chord shape. The third chord is also basically an Emaj7#11 shape with two suspended 4ths added onto it; this gives us three notes instead of four in that barre chord shape as well! We’ll see how these new voicings add complexity later on when we learn about modulation during the bridge section where everything gets twisted up even further…
Verse 4
The fourth verse of this song is an example of a chord progression that you could use to play other songs that are similar in style. It uses three chords: C (the I chord), Am (the ii) and G (the V). The lyrics go as follows:
These chords create the feeling of longing, which is what makes this song so special.
Ending
The final verse of “Forever and Ever Amen” is played in the key of C. This means that a C chord will be played for every chord symbol written in this section, as well as for any indicated bass notes. So, if you’re playing it in A (and not changing keys), you’ll play an A major chord instead.
If you’re playing it in G or E (and not changing keys), you’ll play a G major or E minor chord instead. If you’re playing it in B (and not changing keys), then use a B flat 7th chord; if you’re playing somewhere else, just re-write all these chords with whatever key signature works best with your instrument!
The chords are in the key of C
The song is in the key of C. Here are the chords that you’ll need to play along with it:
- C (2×20100)
- G (320033)
- D (xx0232)
- Em (022000)
- Am7 (x0212x0xxx or 022100xxx depending on who you ask!)
We hope you enjoyed learning how to play chords for the song “Forever And Ever Amen”. If you want to learn more about playing guitar and songwriting, check out our other articles on this blog!
Take a look at the table of contents below:
- Intro To Chords And Strumming Patterns 2. How To Play This Song 3. More Resources For Guitarists 4. About Me