You Go To My Head - Rod Stewart

[jp2558]

My wife requested we learn this but I'm not talented enough to transcribe this one as it is very complex, and my ears just don't have that talent, even after all these years... I did look on youtube and found nothing there and I did find one tab online but to my ears only a few of the chords provided sound correct.

Does anyone have any tips or a simple tab that would suffice to get this one under my belt?

[Kittoon]

Oh boy, jazz chords. You are courting a different dimension!

[JonPR]

You could try this site: https://www.jazzstudies.us/
Scroll down the list on the right to find the title, then choose the key (drop down menu on top).

Rod's version is in the very un-guitar-friendly key of Ab major, but - if you want to play along in his key to check - you could make it easier by selecting G major as the key and putting a capo on fret 1.

I just checked quickly against the first part of Rod's version and it seems close enough (although I think the first bar is all Gmaj7, no Bm7).

I don't have time now, but I may come back with a fuller check of Rod's chords, and suggestions for simplification if possible. But the song just won't sound as good if you simplify it too much.

Tips on the symbols:
Δ7 = maj7
"-7" = m7
Ø7 = m7b5
o7 = dim7
Ignore anything in brackets

[Glennwillow]

Originally Posted by JonPR

You could try this site: https://www.jazzstudies.us/
Scroll down the list on the right to find the title, then choose the key (drop down menu on top).

Rod's version is in the very un-guitar-friendly key of Ab major, but - if you want to play along in his key to check - you could make it easier by selecting G major as the key and putting a capo on fret 1.

I just checked quickly against the first part of Rod's version and it seems close enough (although I think the first bar is all Gmaj7, no Bm7).

I don't have time now, but I may come back with a fuller check of Rod's chords, and suggestions for simplification if possible. But the song just won't sound as good if you simplify it too much.

Tips on the symbols:
Δ7 = maj7
"-7" = m7
Ø7 = m7b5
o7 = dim7
Ignore anything in brackets

This is great information Jon! What great site!

- Glenn

[jp2558]

Thank you very much! Looking forward to giving this a shot.

[JonPR]

OK, reporting back...

Rod's chords are a little simpler than in that chart, but there are still a few key changes requiring barres - but if you're not fazed by barre shapes for min7s and dom7s, you should be fine.

it looks like a lot of chords, but essentially its just two 8-bar sections, [A] and [B], with three different endings for the [A], and two variations of [B], the second being different enough to get called [C].

Here are the changes for key of G (capo 1 for his key):

A1
|Gmaj7 - |Cm7 F7 |Bbmaj7 - |Am7 D7#5 |
|Gm9 - |Am7 D7#5 (b5)|Gmaj7 Em7 |Am7 D9 |
A2
|Gmaj7 - |Cm7 F7 |Bbmaj7 - |Am7 D7#5 |
|Gm9 - |Am7 D7#5 (b5)|Gmaj7 Em7 |Dm7 G7 |
B
|Cmaj7 - |A7/C# F#7 |Gmaj7 D+ |Gmaj7- |
|C#m7 F#7 |D#m7 G#m7 |C#m7 F#7 |B7 Bb7 Am7 D9b5 |
A3
|Gmaj7 - |Cm7 F7 |Bbmaj7 - |Am7 D7#5 |
|Gm9 - |Am7 D7#5 (b5)|G7sus4 G7 |G7 - |
C
|Cmaj7 - |F7 - |Gmaj7 Am7 |Bm7 E7 |
|Am7 - |D9 D13 |Gmaj7 Em7 |Am7 D9 |

Those altered D7 chords (#5, b5) could all be played as plain D7 if you want. And the 2nd bar in [B] might be easier with the original dim7 chord (C#dim7) all the way.

Some of those look a lot friendlier in A major (below), but if you still want Rod's key you'd need to tune down a half-step.

Here are the chords in A, with a few more simplifications (ignore the ones in brackets if you want, if it sounds smoother without). There's obviously some nasty ones in the second half of [B], but everything else is not too bad. The maj7s are especially nice shapes in this key.

A1
|Amaj7 - |Dm7 G7 |Cmaj7 - |Bm7 E7 |
|Am7 - |Bm7 E7 |Amaj7 (F#m7) |Bm7 E7 |
A2
|Amaj7 - |Dm7 G7 |Cmaj7 - |Bm7 E7 |
|Am7 - |Bm7 E7 |Amaj7 (F#m7) |Em7 A7 |
B
|Dmaj7 - |D#dim7 - |Amaj7 (E+) |Amaj7 - |
|Ebm7 Ab7 |Fm7 Bbm7 |Ebm7 Ab7 |Db7 C7 Bm7 E7 |
A3
|Amaj7 - |Dm7 G7 |Cmaj7 - |Bm7 E7 |
|Am7 - |Bm7 E7 |A7sus4 - |A7 - |
C
|Dmaj7 - |G7 - |Amaj7 Bm7 |C#m7 F#7 |
|Bm7 - |E7 - |Amaj7 (F#m7) |Bm7 E7 |

[jp2558]

THANK YOU for this Jon! It is excellent!!!