A short instructional YouTube video by Lauren Bateman teaching how to play 'Imagine' by John Lennon on guitar. The lesson emphasizes simple chord shapes (mostly C, F, G with occasional Am, Dm/Dm7, A, E, E7), an eighth-note down-strumming pattern with accents on beats 2 and 4, and the song structure: verse (alternating C and F measures), chorus (F → Am → Dm7 → F → G → C → G hold), and an end/bridge sequence of half-measure chords (F, G, C, E7) repeating and ending on a full C.
Chapters
Hey, welcome to this Imagine video, which is a song that was written by John Lennon. Pretty simple song. We've got mostly C chords, F chords and G chords for this song. We do also have A, E, the E7 that pops in, and a D minor that also pops in. So what we're gonna do for this song, if you don't know your full barre chord, I'm gonna use the bar chord for this song. So but if you don't know the full F barre chord, what you can do is you can take your C chord and you can take the top two fingers and you can move them down one string each. So you're gonna have a finger on first string or, sorry, second string, first fret, third string, second fret, and fourth string, third fret. Kinda like an F major 7 chord. But you don't. It'll get you out of having to play a barre chord if you really want to play this song. So what we're going to do for the strumming pattern for this song is we're going to use an eighth note down strum, but we're going to accent the two and the four. What do I mean by that? Well, if I play a C chord, it's going to be 1 and 2.
And 3 and 4. And 1 and 2 and 3 and 4.
So on the strumming, I'm kind of just tapping the eighth notes. And then on two and four, I'm giving it a good full strum to get even these higher strings to ring out.
One and two and three and four. And one and two and three and four.
So let's start with the verse to this song. So the verse is pretty easy. We're just going back and forth between C and F. And that's pretty much what our verse is.
Until we transition into the chorus. So the verse is just C and.
F.
C, c and f. 2, 3, 4 and c.
And.
So that is our verse. It's going one measure of C and one measure of F. And we're going back and forth. And we do that 1, 2, 3, 4 times.
Once we get through the C and F parts of the verse, we're gonna go F for half a measure, A minor for half a Measure, D minor 7 for half a measure. F for half a measure. We're gonna go G for three beats on this one.
Living for today.
1, 2, 3, 4.
G.
And then it goes.
So we kind of get to hold that G on that Last measure of the chorus. So let's go through this piece by piece on this chorus part. So we're going to start with an F chord for two beats. F, F. Then we're going to switch to A minor for two beats. A minor, A minor, then D minor.
Then F for two beats.
Then we have G for three beats. 1, 2, 3, C for one beat. And then back to G, which we're going to strum and hold. So it'll sound like this from. From the beginning.
F and 2 and 3 and 4. And 1 and 2 and 3 and 4. And 1 and 2 and 3 and 4.
And 1, 2, 3, 4.
Let me do that for you one more time. Starting at F Again, all eighth notes. I'll go a little bit slower. 1, 2, 3, 3, 4.
1 and 2 and 3 and 4. And 1 and 2 and 3 and 4. And 1 and 2 and 3 and four. And 1, 2, 3, 4.
And then once that happens, you go right back to the verse, which is just single.
So we have 1 and 2 and 3 and 4. And 1, 2 and 3 and 4. And one and two and three and four. And 1, 2, 3, 4. Back to C, 2, 3, 4. F 2, 3, 4. And C 2, 3, 4. And F 2, 2, 3, 4.
Imagine all the people.
So that is kind of what we have going on here. So I'm going to play this through just a little bit for you so that you can hear what it sounds like verse through the chorus.
O hell below us.
Above a stormy sky.
Imagine all the people.
Living.
Day 2, 3, 4.
Verse.
So that is your verse and chorus for this song. Now, there is a part that goes towards the end, the part that goes.
You may say I'm a dreamer.
So after we play our chorus part.
When we get the living life in peace.
So once we get that part. Sorry, that was horrible singing. So once we get through that. So we're gonna do a verse all the way through. We're gonna do a little chorus part. We're gonna do another verse through. And on that second part, after we come through the second chorus, we've got that G.
Living, living life in peace.
We'Re gonna go to F for half measure. U may and then G for half measure. Then C for half measure. Dreamer and then E7.
Then back to F for half measure, then G for half measure.
And then C again for half measure.
E7.
And then again, same pattern, F.
G.
C, E7.
And then F.
G. And then a.
Whole measure of C2,3,4.
So if we go to that kind of after chorus part or this you may say I'm a dreamer part?
We've got living life in peace?
Yoo?
You may say I'm a dreamer?
But I'm not the only one?
Someday o join us.
And the world is one?
So not a bad change the chord. The progression is a half measure of F, a half measure of G, a half measure of C, and a half measure of E7. And then that repeats 1, 2, 3 times, and then the last time through. Instead of going to that C and E7 measure, it just ends with the full measure of C. So when you download or when you go look at the chord progression or the chord chart for this song, you'll be able to see it a lot clearer. But in general, that's how we play through the verse and the chorus parts of the song. Imagine.
