Hey all,
This is probably my favourite song of all time. Please note that this is my first tab ever (so go easy on me, if you spot any mistakes).
You can also strum the song with a simple up down up down pattern if you prefer.
However there are a couple of signature hooks that you will recognize right away (assuming you know this song. If you're my age "44", this song should be ingrained into your memory), that is worth working out.
All in all it's a pretty simple song. You should also note that you don't have to actually play every chord as is (as the G Chord in the Chorus. I use a bar chord as it is a little smoother transition from F and it gives a bigger sound).
Cheers, KennyImagine
John Lennon
Chords
C Cmaj7 F
x C E G C E x C E G B E F C F A C F
================ ================ ================
| | | | (1) | | | | | | | ( ) | | | (1)( )
+--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+
| | (2) | | | | | (2) | | | | | | (2) | |
+--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+
| (3) | | | | ( )(3) | | | | | (3)(4) | | |
+--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
+--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Am Dm G
x A E A C E x x D A D F G B D G B G
================ ================ ================
| | | | (1) | | | | | | (1) | | | | | |
+--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+
| | (2)(3) | | | | | (2) | | | (1) | | | |
+--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+
| | | | | | | | | | (3) | (2) | | | | (3)
+--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
+--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
E E7
E B E Ab B E E B D Ab D E
================ ================
| | | (1) | | | | | (1) | |
+--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+
| (2)(3) | | | | (2)( ) | | |
+--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+
| | | | | | | | | | (4) |
+--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+
| | | | | | | | | | | |
+--+--+--+--+--+ +--+--+--+--+--+
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Song
Verse
C Cmaj7 F C Cmaj7 F
|---------------------|--------------------||---------------------|1---1----------------|
|---------------0-----|-----------------0--||-1---1---1-----------|1---1---------0------|
|---0---0---0---0-----|-2---2---2---2h3----||---------------------|2---2-----2h3--------|
|---2---2---2---------|-3---3---3----------||-2---2---2----2------|3--------------------|
|-----3---3---3---3---|---3---3---3--------||-3---3---3----3------|3--------------------|
|---------------------|--------------------||---------------------|---------------------|
Imagine there's no heave - en.
C Cmaj7 F C Cmaj7 F
|---------------------|1---1----------------|---------------------|1---1----------------|
|-1---1---1-----------|1---1---------0------|-1---1---1-----------|1---1---------0------|
|---------------------|2---2-----2h3--------|---------------------|2---2-----2h3--------|
|-2---2---2----2------|3--------------------|-2---2---2----2------|3--------------------|
|-3---3---3----3------|3--------------------|-3---3---3----3------|3--------------------|
|---------------------|---------------------|---------------------|---------------------|
It's easy if you try______ No hell__ below___ us.
C Cmaj7 F Am Dm F
|---------------------|1----1----1----1-----|1-----------0---0----|-------------1---1---|
|-1---1---1-----------|1----1----1----1-----|1----1---1-----------|----3--------1---1---|
|---------------------|2----2----2----2-----|2--2---2-------------|-------------2---2---|
|-2---2---2----2------|3--------------------|---------------------|---------------------|
|-3---3---3----3------|3--------------------|---------------------|---------------------|
|---------------------|---------------------|---------------------|---------------------|
above us on - ly sky. Imagine all the peo - ple
Verse
C Cmaj7 F C Cmaj7 F
|---------------------|-------0---3------0--|---------------------||--------------------|
|0--0----0------1----3|--------------------3|-1---1---1-----------||1-----1---------0---|
|0--------------------|---------------------|---------------------||2-----2------2h3----|
|---------------------|---------------------|-----2---2------2----||3-----3-------------|
|---------------------|---------------------|-----3---3------3----||3-----3-------------|
|---------------------|---------------------|---------------------||--------------------|
Living for to - day.___ ah.____________ 1. Imagine there's no countries
2. Imagine there's no possessions,
C Cmaj7 F C Cmaj7 F
|---------------------|1---1----------------|---------------------|1---1----------------|
|-1---1---1-----------|1---1---------0------|-1---1---1-----------|1---1---------0------|
|---------------------|2---2-----2h3--------|---------------------|2---2-----2h3--------|
|-2---2---2----2------|3--------------------|-2---2---2----2------|3--------------------|
|-3---3---3----3------|3--------------------|-3---3---3----3------|3--------------------|
|---------------------|---------------------|---------------------|---------------------|
it isn't hard_ to do._________ nothing to kill or die for
I won - der if you can; No need for greed or hunger,
C Cmaj7 F Am Dm F
|---------------------|1----1----1----1-----|1-----------0---0----|---------------------|
|-1---1---1-----------|1----1----1----1-----|1----1---1-----------|----3--------1---1---|
|---------------------|2----2----2----2-----|2--2---2-------------|-------------2---2---|
|-2---2---2----2------|3--------------------|---------------------|-------------3---3---|
|-3---3---3----3------|3--------------------|---------------------|-------------3---3---|
|---------------------|---------------------|---------------------|---------------------|
and no religion too._______ Imagine all the peo - ple
a brotherhood of man. Imagine all the peo - ple
Chorus
G C G F G C Cmaj7 E E7
|---------------------|-------0--3--------0-|-1---1---1---3-------|---------------------|
|3---0----0---1--3----|--------------------3|-1---1---1---3-------|1----------------4---|
|4--------------------|---------------------|-2---2---2---4-------|------------1----1---|
|5--------------------|---------------------|-3---3---3---5-------|2----2------2--------|
|5--------------------|---------------------|-3---3---3---5-------|3----3------2----2---|
|---------------------|---------------------|-1---1---1---3-------|---------------------|
living life in peace.___ You, ___________ you may say__ I'm a dreamer.
sharing all the world.__
F G C Cmaj7 E E7 F G C Cmaj7 E E7
|-1---1---1---3-------|---------------------|-1---1---1---3-------|---------------------|
|-1---1---1---3-------|1----------------4---|-1---1---1---3-------|1----------------4---|
|-2---2---2---4-------|------------1----1---|-2---2---2---4-------|------------1----1---|
|-3---3---3---5-------|2----2------2--------|-3---3---3---5-------|2----2------2--------|
|-3---3---3---5-------|3----3------2----2---|-3---3---3---5-------|3----3------2----2---|
|-1---1---1---3-------|---------------------|-1---1---1---3-------|---------------------|
but I'm not the only one._____ I hope some day__ you'll join us___
F G C C
|-1---1---1---3-------|2--------------------|---------------------||--------------------|
|-1---1---1---3-1--3--|--1--1---------------|---------------------||--------------------|
|-2---2---2---4-------|---------------------|---------------------||--------------------|
|-3---3---3---5-------|---------------------|---------------------||--------------------|
|-3---3---3---5-------|--------------0---2--|3--------------------||--------------------|
|-1---1---1---3-------|---------------------|---------------------||--------------------|
and the world____ will be as one.
Thanks for posting this. At first look it looks fairly simple. When tried the first time it feels absolutely impossible. Nothing new there :). Hopefull in a couple of months I'll be able to play this :)
Thanks again.
Oktay
Hi oktay,
If the tabs are screwing you up (as it can happen, until you play a song a few times).
Just strum the chords out, to get the rhythm of the song down first. I find that it easier to learn a new song (especially if you're not familar with it), to just play the basic chords with a simple up down up down strumming pattern.
Once you've learned the chord changes, it gets easier (I know that's said a lot on this forum, but it's true).
And most of all, have a good time.
Kenny
excellent tab of Lennon's Imagine, similiar to the original piano part but arranged to suit guitar. One slight note - in the chorus "Imagine all the people, living for today..." Lennon plays Dm and then Dm/C to create a descending bass line. This arrangement plays the vocal melody in that space, but it might be interesting to combine that with the bass line, or maybe play partial chords if you feel like it. Great tab!
Hey Shrunkenhead145,
thanks for the comments...
can you tell me if the Dm/C is the following?
e - 1
b - 3
g - 2
d - 0
a - 3
e - 0
I would like to try and it too see how it will sound. It's always nice to have option to play something different.
thanks, Kenny
Hi Kenny, I love that song. I have a stupid question though. I only understand how to read basic tabs with only 6 lines on them. When I saw yours with 12 lines, I was thrown for a loop. :shock: I know it's probably something totally elementary but I've just never seen it done like that before. UMMM, what's it for? Or what's it mean? I'm learning with an electric if that matters. :) Thanks, Shannon
Salvation is the best gift that exists and it's free.
Use a 12 string for the 12 line tabs.
Just kidding! It's just the way it is displayed on your monitor. If you print it out, it will be fine.
:lol: Thanks.
I updated my PC to XP and now my printer isn't compatible anymore. I was going to paste the tab to a word ducument. Uhhh maybe I can just try to ignore the extra lines. Well thanks, Shannon
Salvation is the best gift that exists and it's free.
Hi Shannon77
Yes that is right, depending on your monitor resolution, the tabs will resize around the view.
To view or print it out properly, cut and paste the tab into something like Notepad and use a plain Courier font.
You should then be able to view properly and print it out on one page.
Or you can enlarge your monitor resolution to 1280 by 1024 to view in this forum.
Kenny
Thanks I have a student that love John Lennon he will have a blast.
Big Apple Music Westcoast
[email protected]
Hey I do hope he has fun with it...
You may also note that David Hodge has a complete lesson on this song as well.
https://www.guitarnoise.com/article.php?id=493
While mine is just a tab, David gives a whole lesson plan.
enjoy...
I also recently picked up John Lennon's Acoustic CD. His version of the song (Live) is basically straight strumming. The liner notes also has the chords for all of the songs on the CD as well. Probably Yoko's best contribution ever to John Lennon fans.
Hey all, been playing around with this song myself.
Couple of ideas I'm foolin' around with on this line:
F- - - - - - - - - -Dm - - G - --Gsus-G7+12(?)
Imagine all the people, living for today, ah-ah.
I skip the Am after the full barred F and slide up to a barred Dm (Am form at 5th fret).
Then go to open G - 2 strums, Gsus - 2 strums, and end on G7+11 -strum and pause
Gsus is 3x2013, G7+12 is 3x0031
Also been playing around with sliding down to xxx053 over the ah-ah?
whaddya think?
Hey Jeff,
One thing that I just recently learned is that "There are no hard and fast rules on how you play a song".
This only just dawned on me in the last couple of months from learning songs from a song book and from learning the same songs from websites such as this one.
As long as you get the essence of the song, you can probably add or take away as much you like. Having learned this song from a book (and several tabs) and then buying the John Lennon Acoustic album, I was quite surprised to hear that Lennon strummed straight chords pretty much through out the song.
So Long as it makes you happy when you're playing, that's all that really counts.
Hey all,
New member here.
I play this song a little different, a little simpler too i think. I just play a straight C, Cmaj7, F for the verses and intro. Something like this: (C) D/dud (Cmaj7) U (F) UD/dud/U/U/D and back to C. Uppercase strokes are emphasized, play them a little harder than the lowercase. Also, I seem to play it a little different each verse, so many things you can do with it. Cmaj7 is 032000, just lift your ring finger.
The "imagine all the people" part is F, Am, Dm, F, G, C/G and G7, in that order. C/G is 332010, G7 is 330001.
The "You say I'm a dreamer.." part is C, Cmaj7, E, E7, F, G, C and E7. E7 is 020100.
Play around with it, you'll catch on.
I meant index finger, sorry. Also, the slashes mean there is a slight pause in playing.
