American Pie, the chords. If you go by the sheet music of American Pie, Don McLean has gone through something unconventional. He has changed just the arrangement of the chords and every verse just so that it is not consistently the same thing. I do not play it that way, I am showing you how to do it simple, so it is not confusing. Do the same thing every time it sounds the same. I have listed the sheet music for the site so you guys could see the way he did it but the way I play the drive D is as simple as possible. Anyway, it is a G, and then a G and a B and here is a G. Hit the F sharp to the E minor. It is a nice thing you hear than lots of songs do it, G, F sharp, E minor and then A minor, and then back to E minor and then D, F. watch this D, do a suspended D so you are going with the full of D, open D but take your fourth finger. Just practice with that just to give it a little more flare. Same thing on the second verse here, it is the second part of that verse rather. G, F sharp, E minor, A minor, C, then E minor, with a C, full C right? Again with a D suspended, that “February made me shiver” beat it is an E minor, A minor, E minor, A minor, then C like that. Step down to the A minor and then C. You are going to D here. So you are going to C, step down to A minor, C step down to D then do, and then again, G to E minor. And just C, D, and D. Remember that D suspended? That is why I told you to play it open G with the third and fourth finger like so, so you can—and of course just G, C and D with caption at the end and so C, G, D, G, C, G, D, G, C, D, E and then it is E minor and then A7. Okay A7 not A. You can do it if you want with A7—and then E minor and then D then go to suspended D again. Now when you get to the verse, now every verse is exactly the same. Just play them all over and you will be alright. All right, G, A, E minor, C, A minor, E minor, D. You might be a kittle risk on D. So you can play around with D and make a little plan. And then G, E minor, C, step down to A minor, E minor, A7 that is the “can you tell me how to dance real slow” then with E minor and D sing that again, D minor, B, C, step down to A minor, C, step down to D. Okay, then “I was lonely” down there and then G, E minor. It is a very long song but it is pretty cool. Everybody knows it and once you get those chord progressions down you will be right to it.
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