How to Play Listen to the Music Chords by The Doobie Brothers on Guitar
“Listen to the Music” is a classic rock song by The Doobie Brothers, released in 1972 as the first single from their second album Toulouse Street. The song is a celebration of music and its power to bring people together. It features a catchy guitar riff, a groovy rhythm, and a sing-along chorus.
If you want to learn how to play this song on guitar, you will need to know some basic chords, a capo, and a strumming pattern. Here are the steps to follow:
Tune Your Guitar and Put on a Capo
The original recording of the song is in the key of E major, but you can play it in any key that suits your voice. However, if you want to play along with the record, you will need to tune your guitar down a half step (Eb Ab Db Gb Bb Eb) and put a capo on the first fret. This way, you can use open chords in the key of D major and sound like you are playing in E major.
Chords
The song uses only six chords: D, G, Em, A, Bm, and F#7. Here are the chord diagrams for each chord:
[Intro] |E | A |E | A | / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / |E | A |E | A | / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / [Verse] E A Don’t you feel it growin’, day by day E C#m People gettin’ ready for the news B A Some are happy, some are sad A Oh, we got to let the music |E | A | / / / / / / / / play mm mm E What the people need A Is a way to make ’em smile E C#m It ain’t so hard to do if you know how B Gotta get a message A Get it on through E Oh now mama, don’t you ask me why [Chorus] C#m7 A Whoa oh whoaaa listen to the music C#m7 A Whoa oh whoaaa listen to the music C#m7 A Whoa oh whoaaa listen to the music F#7 A All the tiiii- i-i- iiime [Instrumental] |E | A |E | A | / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / [Verse] E Well I know, you know better A Everything I say E C#m Meet me in the country for a day B We’ll be happy A And we’ll da-a-ance A Oh, we’re gonna dance our blues |E | A | / / / / / / / / away E And if I’m feelin’ good to you A And you’re feelin’ good to me E C#m There ain’t nothin’ we can’t do or say B A Feelin’ good, feeling fine A E Oh, baby, let the music play [Chorus] C#m7 A Whoa oh whoaaa listen to the music C#m7 A Whoa oh whoaaa listen to the music C#m7 A Whoa oh whoaaa listen to the music F#7 A All the tiiii- i-i- iiime [Bridge] E D/E Like a lazy flowing river A/E E Surrounding castles in the sky E D/E And the crowd is growing bigger A List’nin’ for the happy sounds A And I got to let them fly [Chorus] C#m7 A Whoa oh whoaaa listen to the music C#m7 A Whoa oh whoaaa listen to the music C#m7 A Whoa oh whoaaa listen to the music F#7 A All the tiiii- i-i- iiime C#m7 A Whoa oh whoaaa listen to the music C#m7 A Whoa oh whoaaa listen to the music C#m7 A Whoa oh whoaaa listen to the music F#7 A All the tiiii- i-i- iiime C#m7 A Whoa oh whoaaa listen to the music C#m7 A Whoa oh whoaaa listen to the music C#m7 A Whoa oh whoaaa listen to the music F#7 A All the tiiii- i-i- iiime
Learn the Riff
The song starts with a distinctive guitar riff that repeats throughout the song. The riff is based on the D chord and uses some notes from the D major scale. Here is how to play the riff:
e|—————–|—————–| B|—–3—–3—–|—–3—–3—–| G|—2—–2—–2-|—2—–2—–2-| D|-0—–0h4—0—|-0—–0h4—0—| A|—————–|—————–| E|—————–|—————–|
e|—————–|—————–| B|—–3—–3—–|—–3———–| G|—2—–2—–2-|—2————-| D|-0—–0h4—0—|-0—————| A|—————–|—————–| E|—————–|-3—————|
The h stands for hammer-on, which means you pluck the string once and then press down another fret without plucking again. You can also add some palm muting to make the riff more percussive.
Learn the Strumming Pattern
The strumming pattern for the song is fairly simple and consistent. You can use a down-up-down-up-down-up-down-up pattern for each chord, with some accents on certain beats. Here is an example of how to strum the verse:
D G Em A
D U D U D U D U 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
Bm G A D
D U D U D U D U 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
The D stands for downstroke and the U stands for upstroke. The numbers indicate the beats of the measure. The + signs indicate the off-beats or eighth notes. The bold strokes indicate where you should accent or emphasize the strum.
You can also vary the strumming pattern slightly for different parts of the song, such as adding some syncopation or skipping some strokes. The important thing is to keep the groove and follow the rhythm of the song.
Put It All Together
Now that you know the chords, the riff, and the strumming pattern, you are ready to play the song. You can follow this structure for each section of the song:
[Intro] Riff x4
[Verse] D G Em A Don’t you feel it growin’, day by day Bm G A D People gettin’ ready for the news Bm G A Some are happy, some are sad A D G Oh, we got to let the music play
[Chorus] Bm A Whoa oh whoaaa listen to the music Bm A Whoa oh whoaaa listen to the music Bm A Whoa oh whoaaa listen to the music F#7 A All the tiiii- i-i- iiime
[Instrumental] Riff x4
[Verse] D G Em A Well I know, you know better Everything I say Bm G A D Meet me in the country for a day Bm G A We’ll be happy and we’ll da-a-ance A D G Oh, we’re gonna dance our blues away
[Chorus] Bm A Whoa oh whoaaa listen to the music Bm A Whoa oh whoaaa listen to the music Bm A Whoa oh whoaaa listen to the music F#7 A All the tiiii- i-i- iiime
[Bridge] D D/A G/D D Like a lazy flowing river D D/A G/D D Surrounding castles in the sky D D/A G/D D And the crowd is growing bigger G D/A A List’nin’ for the happy sounds A D G And I got to let them fly
[Chorus] Bm A Whoa oh whoaaa listen to the music Bm A Whoa oh whoaaa listen to the music Bm A Whoa oh whoaaa listen to the music F#7 A All the tiiii- i-i- iiime
[Outro] Riff x4 (fade out)
Conclusion
“Listen to the Music” is a fun and easy song to play on guitar. It only requires six chords, a capo, and a simple strumming pattern. You can also learn the catchy guitar riff that makes the song stand out. By following these steps, you can play this song and enjoy its uplifting message. Remember to have fun and let the music play!
