Here is the latest Easy Song Lesson for you. This time, we are checking out the Darius Rucker version of the song “Wagon Wheel.” There are only four chords in the entire song, but I’ll run through a few different strumming patterns that you can choose from depending on your current skill level. As usual, the PDF and jam track are available for you to download.
This tune is in the key of A major, but we will be using a capo on the 2nd fret and using chords as if we were in the key of G major. This will allow us to avoid using bar chords and sound as close to the original recording as possible.
The chords we are using are G major, D major, E minor, and C major. There is only one eight-bar chord progression that repeats over and over again for the entire song. The progression is G - D - E minor - C - G - D - C - C, and each chord gets one full measure.
Since we are thinking about the key of G major (even though we are really in the key of A), we can think of this progression as a 1 - 5 - 6 - 4 - 1 - 5 - 4 - 4 progression. Here is the key of G major written out for your reference 1GM 2Am 3Bm 4CM 5DM 6Em 7F#dim.
I have a few different strumming patterns that you can use for this song. Pick any of them that are covered in this lesson and it can get you through the entire song.
The toughest part of this song is probably the swing feel that you need to use for any of the strumming patterns that you choose to use. I like to think of a swing feel as the sound of a flat tire rolling down the road. The strums on the numbers are longer and the strums on the “&s” are shorter. If you need a more detailed explanation of the swing feel, you can check out the video or the final module of the Strumming Dr. course when it is available.
Have fun with this one, and let us know if you have any questions or suggestions for future Easy Song Lessons.
Nate & Chelsea