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River

by Ed Sheeran • Lesson #117 • Dec 30, 2017

Video lesson

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Note about capo and tuning

To play this song in standard tuning with no capo, you’ll need many difficult barre chords (shown below). You can make the song easier in two ways:

  1. Use a capo on the 4th fret
  2. Tune all your guitar strings down 1/2 step

Most of what I show in this lesson is for the capo 4th fret approach, though I’ll explain the no-capo-standard-tuning version too.

Intro tab

Capo 4

E –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
B –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
G –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
D ––––––––––––––––––2–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––2–––––––––––4––––
A ––2–––––––––––2–––3–––––––––––2–––2–––––––––––2–––3–––––––––––5––––
E ––0–––––––––––3–––––––––––––––3–––0–––––––––––3––––––––––––––––––––
    Em          G   C           G   Em          G   C           D   
    1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +

No capo (standard tuning)

E –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
B –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
G –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
D –––––––––––––––––(9)–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––(9)–––––––––11––––
A ––6–––––––––––9–––11––––––––––9–––6–––––––––––9–––11––––––––––––13–
E ––4–––––––––––7–––0–––––––––––7–––4–––––––––––7–––0––––––––––––––––
    G#m         B   E           B   G#m         B   E           F#
    1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +

E –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
B –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
G –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
D –––––––––––––––––(9)–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––(9)––––––––––4––––
A ––6–––––––––––9–––11––––––––––9–––6–––––––––––9–––11––––––––––4––––
E ––4–––––––––––7–––0–––––––––––7–––4–––––––––––7–––0–––––––––––2––––
    G#m         B   E           B   G#m         B   E           F#
    1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +

Verse chord timing

Capo 4

1  2  3  4  1  2  3  4  1  2  3  4  1  2  3  4  
Em .  .  G  C  .  .  D  Em .  .  G  C  .  Am .

No capo (standard tuning)

1  2  3  4  1  2  3  4  1  2  3  4  1  2  3  4  
G#m      B  E        F# G#m      B  E     C#m

Strumming pattern

I like to do this three times:

1   +   2   +   3   +   4   +   
D       D   D U   U D   D U D U

Followed by this one once:

1   +   2   +   3   +   4   +   
D       D   D U   U   U   U D U

See my lesson for reference! I know this may seem tricky.

Enjoy!

Let me know if you have questions. I hope this is helpful!

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