Let It Be: walking to the next chord

C, G, A, F, then C, G, F, C, two beats each, and our chart has it at 72 beats a minute. Learn the roots first.

The notes

• C: A string, 3rd fret
• G: E string, 3rd fret
• A: open A string
• F: E string, 1st fret

The new idea: walking

In the key of C, there are no sharps or flats, so any open or fretted note from the C major scale fits. That means you can walk from one root to the next through the notes in between.

Try it from C down to A, the move from the end of a verse into the chorus. C is the A string, 3rd fret. B is the A string, 2nd fret. A is the open A string. Play C, B, A, one note per beat.

And from A down to F: A, then G on the E string, 3rd fret, then F on the E string, 1st fret.

The rule that keeps this sounding right: land on the new root exactly when the chord changes. The note just before can be almost anything nearby.

Don't overdo it

Try one walk per line at most, and leave the rest on the roots. Too many walks get messy.

You're done when: you can add one walk and still land on time.

This is a root-note version with your own walks, not a transcription of the record's bass part.