How to Play Willow by Taylor Swift Chord on Guitar
Taylor Swift is one of the most popular and influential singers of our time. She has won numerous awards, sold millions of albums, and inspired countless fans with her catchy songs and heartfelt lyrics. One of her latest hits is Willow, a folk-pop song from her ninth studio album Evermore. Willow is a romantic and whimsical song that expresses the singer’s devotion to her lover, who is like a willow that bends to her wind. The song has a simple but beautiful melody, and it is easy to play on guitar with some basic chords and strumming patterns. In this article, we will show you how to play Willow by Taylor Swift on guitar, using the chords and tabs from Ultimate-Guitar.Com.
What You Need
To play Willow by Taylor Swift on guitar, you will need:
- A guitar (acoustic or electric)
- A capo (optional)
- A tuner
- A pick (optional)
The Chords
The chords for Willow by Taylor Swift are Em, D, C, G, Am, and Bm. These are all common chords that you can find in many songs, and they are easy to learn and play. Here are the diagrams for each chord:
[Intro] Em D Em D e|-----3---2------2---0------3---2------2---0--| B|---------------------------------------------| G|-----4---2------2---0------4---2------2---0--| D|------------0---------------------0----------| A|---------------------------------------------| E|-0---------------------0---------------------| Em D C e|-----3---2------2---0------2p0--0---------------| B|------------------------------------------------| G|-----4---2------2---0------0----0--5p4---4-5----| D|------------0--------------------------7--------| A|-----------------------3------------------------| E|-0----------------------------------------------| [Verse 1] Em D Em D I'm like the water when your ship rolled in that night Em D C Rough on the surface but you cut through like a knife Em D And if it was an open/shut case Em D Em I never would've known from the look on your face D C Lost in your current like a priceless wine [Chorus] G D Am The more that you say, the less I know Em G Wherever you stray, I follow D Am I'm begging for you to take my hand Em Wreck my plans, that's my man [Verse 2] Em D Em D Life was a willow and it bent right to your wind Em D C Head on the pillow, I could feel you sneakin' in Em D As if you were a mythical thing Em D Em Like you were a trophy or a champion ring D C And there was one prize I'd cheat to win [Chorus] G D Am The more that you say, the less I know Em G Wherever you stray, I follow D Am I'm begging for you to take my hand Em G Wreck my plans, that's my man D Am You know that my train could take you home Em G Anywhere else is hollow D Am I'm begging for you to take my hand Em Wreck my plans, that's my man [Bridge] Bm Em Am G Bm Em Life was a willow and it bent right to your wind Am G Bm Em They count me out time and time again Am G Bm Em Life was a willow and it bent right to your wind Am G But I come back stronger than a 90's trend [Verse 3] Em D Em D Wait for the signal and I'll meet you after dark Em D C Show me the places where the others gave you scars Em D Now this is an open/shut case Em D Em I guess I should've known from the look on your face D C Every bait-and-switch was a work of art [Chorus] G D Am The more that you say the less I know Em G Wherever you stray, I follow D Am I'm begging for you to take my hand Em G Wreck my plans, that's my man D Am You know that my train could take you home Em G Anywhere else is hollow D Am I'm begging for you to take my hand Em G Wreck my plans, that's my man D Am The more that you say the less I know Em G Wherever you stray, I follow D Am I'm begging for you to take my hand Em G Wreck my plans, that's my man D Am You know that my train could take you home Em G Anywhere else is hollow D Am I'm begging for you to take my hand Em Wreck my plans [Outro] G D That's my man Am Em Hey, that's my man G D That's my man Am Yeah, that's my man Em G Every bait-and-switch was a work of art D Am That's my man Em G Hey, that's my man D Am I'm begging for you to take my hand Em Wreck my plans, that's my man
The Capo
A capo is a device that you can attach to the neck of your guitar to change the pitch of the strings. By using a capo, you can play songs in different keys without changing the chord shapes. For example, if you put a capo on the first fret and play an Em chord, it will sound like an Fm chord. A capo can also make it easier to play some songs that have difficult chords or high notes.
The original key of Willow by Taylor Swift is Em, which means that you don’t need a capo to play it. However, if you want to sing along with the song, you may find that the key is too low or too high for your voice. In that case, you can use a capo to adjust the key to suit your vocal range. For example, if you put a capo on the fifth fret and play the same chords as before, you will be playing in the key of Am, which may be more comfortable for some singers.
To find out which fret to put your capo on, you can use this table:
| Original Key | Capo Fret | New Key |
|---|---|---|
| Em | 0 | Em |
| Em | 1 | Fm |
| Em | 2 | F#m |
| Em | 3 | Gm |
| Em | 4 | G#m |
| Em | 5 | Am |
| Em | 6 | A#m |
| Em | 7 | Bm |
| Em | 8 | Cm |
| Em | 9 | C#m |
| Em | 10 | Dm |
| Em | 11 | D#m |
| Em | 12 | Em |
You can experiment with different capo positions until you find the one that suits your voice best.
The Strumming Pattern
The strumming pattern for Willow by Taylor Swift is fairly simple and consistent throughout the song. You can use a pick or your fingers to strum the strings. The basic pattern is:
1 & 2 &
D D U D U
Where D means downstroke and U means upstroke.
You can also add some variations to the pattern to make it more interesting and expressive. For example, you can skip some strums, accent some beats, or add some palm muting. Here are some examples of possible variations:
1 & 2 &
D U D U
1 & 2 &
D D D U
1 & 2 &
D D U U
1 & 2 &
D U U
The most important thing is to keep the rhythm steady and match the mood of the song.
The Tabs
The tabs for Willow by Taylor Swift show you how to play the melody and some of the embellishments that are in the song. The tabs are based on the chords and tabs from Ultimate-Guitar.Com, but they are simplified and adapted for beginners. You can play the tabs along with the chords, or you can play them separately as a solo. Here are the tabs for each part of the song:
[Intro]
e|—–3—2——2—0——3—2——2—0–| B|———————————————| G|—–4—2——2—0——4—2——2—0–| D|————0———————0———-| A|———————————————| E|-0———————0———————|
e|—–3—2——2—0——2p0–0—————| B|————————————————| G|—–4—2——2—0——0—-0–5p4—4-5—-| D|————0————————–7——–| A|———————–3————————| E|-0———————————————-|
[Verse 1]
Em D Em D I’m like the water when your ship rolled in that night e|————————————————-| B|————————————————-| G|————————————————-| D|————————————————-| A|-2-2-2-2-3-3-3-3-5-5-5-5-7-7-7-7—————–| E|————————————————-|
Em D C Rough on the surface but you cut through like a knife e|————————————————-| B|————————————————-| G|————————————————-| D|-9p7h9p7h9p7h9p7h9p7h9p7h9p7h9p7h9p7h9p7h9p7h9p7–| A|-10———————————————-| E|————————————————-|
Em D Em D And if it was an open/shut case e|————————————| B|————————————| G|-12b13r12b13r12b13r12b13r12b13r12b13r12b13r12b13r12b13r12b13r12b13r12b13r12b13r12–| D|-14———————————————————————————-| A|————————————————————————————-| E|————————————————————————————-|
Em D C I never would’ve known from the look on your face e|—————————————————-| B|-8/10/8/10/8/10/8/10/8/10/8/10/8/10/8/10/8/10/8/10/8–| G|-9/11/9/11/9/11/9/11/9/11/9/11/9/11/9/11/9/11/9/11/9–| D|-10————————————————–| A|—————————————————–| E|—————————————————–|
Lost in your current like a priceless wine e|————————————| B|-8h10p8h10p8h10p8h10p8h10p8h10p8h10p8h10p8h10p8h10p8h10p8h10p8h10–| G|-9——————————————————————| D|-10—————————————————————–| A|——————————————————————–| E|——————————————————————–|
[Chorus]
G D Am The more that you say, the less I know e|-3–3–3–3–3–3–3–3–3–3–3–3–3–3–3–3–3–3–3–3–3–3—-2—-0—-0—-0—-0—-0—-0—-0—-0—-0—-0—-0—-0—-0—-0—-0—-0—-0—-0—-0—-0—-0—| B|-3–3–3–3–3–3–3–3–3–3–3–3–3
