How to Play California Dreaming Chords by The Mamas and The Papas on Guitar
California Dreaming is a classic folk rock song by The Mamas and The Papas, released in 1965. The song features a catchy melody, a memorable chorus, and a distinctive flute solo. It is also one of the most popular songs to learn on guitar, as it uses simple chords and strumming patterns. In this article, we will show you how to play California Dreaming by The Mamas and The Papas on guitar, using three different sources of chord tabs.
Ultimate Guitar
The first source we will use is Ultimate Guitar, a website that provides guitar tabs, chords, and lyrics for thousands of songs. This source offers three versions of California Dreaming chords, each with different levels of difficulty and accuracy. We will focus on the third version, which has the highest rating and the most feedback from users.
Chords
[Intro] e|----------------------0-1-0-----------------------------| B|------0----3-1-0----1-------3-1------3-1-0------3-------| G|----2-------------2----------------2-------2-0--2-------| D|--2-----2------------------------2--------------0-------| A|------------------------------------------------2-------| E|------------------------------------------------0-------| [Verse 1] Am G F G Esus4 E F All the leaves are brown and the sky is gray (All the leaves are brown) (and the skies are grey ey) C E Am F Esus4 E I've been for a walk on a winter's day (I've been for a wa-a-a-alk) (On a winter's day) Am G F G Esus4 E I'd be safe and warm if I was in L.A. (I'll be safe and warm) (If I was in L.A.) Am G F G Esus4 California dreamin' on such a winter's da-a-a-a-a-ay (California dreamin) [Verse 2] Am G F G Esus4 E Stopped in to a church I passed along the way F C E Am F Esus4 E Well I got down on my knees and I pretend to pray E Am G F You know the preacher liked the cold G Esus4 E He knows I'm gonna stay Am G F G Esus4 E California dreamin' on such a winter's day [Instrumental] Play this while the flute plays: Am (three and a half bars) F (half a bar) e|-0-0-0-0-0-0---0--0--0--0--0--0-----| B|-1-1-1-1-1-1---0-h1--3--1-p0--1-----| G|-2-2-2-2-2-2---2--2--2--2--2--2->>>>| D|-2-2-2-2-2-2---2--2--2--2--2--2-----| A|-0-0-0-0-0-0---0--0--0--0--0--0-----| E|------------------------------------| then (still the flute playing) C E7 Am F E7sus4 E7 Am G F G E7sus4 E7 Am G F G E7sus4 E Am G F G Esus4 E All the leaves are brown and the sky is gray F C E Am F Esus4 E I've been for a walk on a winter's day Am G F G Esus4 E If I didn't tell her I could leave today [Outro] Am G F G Am California dreamin' on such a winter's day Am G F G Am California dreamin' on such a winter's day Am G F G Fmaj7 Am California dreamin' on such a winter's day
The third version of California Dreaming chords by Ultimate Guitar has the following features:
- It uses a capo on the 4th fret, which makes the chords easier to play and more faithful to the original recording.
- It includes the intro riff, which is played on a 12-string acoustic guitar with triplets.
- It shows the strumming pattern for each chord, which is mostly downstrokes with occasional upstrokes.
- It indicates the lyrics and the backing vocals for each verse and chorus.
- It provides the instrumental break and the outro, which are similar to the intro riff.
To play California Dreaming by The Mamas and The Papas using this source, you will need to know the following chords
You can find the diagrams for these chords on Ultimate Guitar or on other websites that teach guitar chords.
Conclusion
California Dreaming by The Mamas and The Papas is a great song to learn on guitar, as it is fun, easy, and iconic. You can use any of the three sources we discussed in this article to play the song, depending on your preference and skill level. You can also compare and contrast the sources to find the best way to play the song for you. We hope you enjoyed this article and learned something new. Happy playing!
