Do You Recognize The 7 Chords in This Song?

What is the one thing Tom Petty and Taylor Swift have in common besides they both play the guitar?


Well, here's the same song, American Girl, with words and music by Tom Petty in 1976 and later performed by Taylor Swift in 2009. 

Do you hear the 7 chords in this song?

1. D = D/DF#A

2. E7 = E/DEG#B


3. G = G/GBD, then G7 = G/BDFG


4. A7 = A/GAC#E


5. Em = E/EGB


6. A = A/C#EA , then Asus4 = A/EAD


7. Bm = B/BDF#

Taylor Swift - American Girl (Tom Petty cover) New single 2009

Watch the best YouTube version Tom Petty American Girl Live 1985

American Girl

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

	D
Intro:  manic strumming on

	D/F#	D/E	D	D/E
then	-	-	-	(2x)

	D	E
	Well she was an	American girl

	G	A
	Raised on	promises

	D	E
	She couldn't help	thinking that there was

	G	A
A	little more to life	somewhere else

	D
After all it was a	great big world

	G	Em
	With lots of places to	run to

	A
	Yes and if she had to die trying she'd

that's one real promise she was gonna keep

	G	A
	Oh yeah,	allright

	D	Bm
	Take it easy baby,	make it last all night

	G	A	D
	She was,	an American	girl

	D	E
	Well it was kinda	cold that night

	G	A
	She stood alone on her	balcony

	D	E
	She could hear the	cars roll by

	G	A
Out on	441 like	waves crashing on the beach

	D
And for one desperate	moment baby

	G	Em
	He crept back in her	memory

	A
	God it's so painful when something is so close

But still so hard to reach

	G	A
	Oh yeah,	alright

	D	Bm
	Take it easy baby,	make it last all night

	G	A	D
	She was,	an American	girl

RIFF NOTES G G G G G# A D 3X THEN G G G A A A

Young people and mostly my piano students have requested this song, so thank you

!

 Have fun with it in 4/4 time.

Do you know your chords? You might want to check out Chords101 & 102 Collection

Best,
LadyD

"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B.King

How To Play A Suspended Chord

Image via Wikipedia

The suspended chord (sometimes called a suspended 4th chord) is constructed from the major scale using the first (1), fourth (4), and fifth (5) notes of the scale. The symbol for this is the letters sus (or sus4), placed after the letter name of the chord. There are two inversions for each suspended chord that you should practice and become familiar with, using both left and right hands. This is a major chord with the fourth substituted for the third.

In root position:

Symbol Notes in Chord

Dsus D G A
Asus A D E
Gsus G C D
Fsus F Bb C

Unlike the V7th chord, which leads back (resolves) to the I chord (In the key of C, G7 resolves back to C), the suspended chord resolves to the same major chord it is derived from. Gsus resolves to G, Dsus resolves to D, regardless of the key of the chord progression. Sus chords are useful for making accompaniment more interesting when there are long passages of a song using one chord. Instead of playing a C chord for eight bars, you could add a few Csus chords.

So, here are more sus4 chords in root, first and second inversion.

Dsus4 = D G A
Dsus4 = G A D (first inversion)
Dsus4 = A D G (second inversion)

Then, we have:

Dbsus4 = Db Gb Ab
Dbsus4 = Gb Ab Db (first inversion)
Dbsus4 = Ab Db Gb (second inversion)
D9sus4 = D G A C E

Now, we have:

Esus4 = E A B
Esus4 = A B E (first inversion)
Esus4 = B E A (second inversion)

You can listen to suspended notes in use in songs like Free Falling by Tom Petty. They are useful when you have a song that makes use of one chord for a long time. You can also listen to suspended tones in worship songs like Jesus Mighty God.

Suspended second chords are merely inversions of suspended fourth chords. These chords are often found in folk music & popular music. A jazz sus chord is a dominant seventh chord with an added fourth (Gsus, for example), & may be written as a slash chord (F/G, or even Dm7/G) so as to show its function in II-V-I progressions.

Give it a try. The suspended triad will provide a cool tension and spice to your playing.
Ezine Article-Suspended Chords 

Tom Petty: Free Fallin' Chord Chart:

INTRO
D/Dsus   Dsus/D/Asus (x2)
(simply put, this is the chord pattern for the ENTIRE song)

        D    Dsus  Dsus  D   Asus
she's a good girl, loves her mama
      D  Dsus    Dsus D  Asus
loves Je-sus and America too
        D    Dsus  Dsus  D   Asus
she's a good girl, crazy 'bout Elvis 
      D   Dsus        Dsus  D      Asus
loves hors-es and her boy - friend too

(intro again 1x)

       D    Dsus  Dsus   D    Asus
it's a long day   livin' in Reseda
          D    Dsus  Dsus  D           Asus
there's a free-way runnin' through the yard
          D   Dsus        Dsus   D    Asus
and i'm a bad boy, cause i don't even miss her
      D   Dsus    Dsus     D   Asus
i'm a bad boy for breakin' her heart


CHORUS 
        D-Dsus Dsus-D-Asus
now i'm free                  
     D-Dsus Dsus-D-Asus
free fall-in'
       D-Dsus Dsus-D-Asus
ya i'm free                  
     D-Dsus Dsus-D-Asus
free fall-in'
http://www.azchords.com/p/pettytom-tabs-5458/freefallin-tabs-112674.html

Jesus Mighty God

Gsus  G
Jesus

Gsus  G 
Mighty God
 
Gsus  G             Our Rock Our Fortress Our  
 
C
Defense

Gsus            G Your conquering arm 
Gsus         G
will be our strength

Gsus    G                

O God of power and 

 C

righteousness

Am             C  

Every foe will tremble at Your
 

G

           

name             

Am             C

Every foe will tremble at Your 

G

name

Related posts: 

 mixolydian-mode-and-sus-chord

 http://ladydpiano.blogspot.com/2008_09_01_archive.html

I play lots of suspended chords in worship songs. 
It really gives the musician something to do besides just laying on a chord. 
Vamping on a major chord and then back to a suspended chord is used a lot in an introduction to a song. 
It sets things up and then you're ready to break into your song. 
It's pretty easy to incorporate the suspended chord into your piano playing.

All the best,

-- LadyD          

"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B.King

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