John Lennon - Imagine
Hello! Below you'll find my "Imagine" chords & lyrics chart as well as a tutorial video on how to play the piano accompaniment.
In my opinion, this song by John Lennon is one of the greatest songs of all time. In the video, I teach a very accurate version to the way John played it on the original recording.
Enjoy!
Imagine Piano Tutorial
Here's a piano tutorial video for Imagine:
Imagine Chords & Lyrics
[Intro]
| C / / Cmaj7 | F |
| Cadd9 / / Cmaj7 | F |
| C / / Cmaj7 | F |
| Cadd9 / / Cmaj7 | F |
**IMPORTANT NOTE: All verses are the same as playing 4 times through the second line of the intro. Cadd9 / / Cmaj7 has been shortened to just "C" because otherwise the sheet looked overwhelmingly busy.
[Verse 1]
C F C F
Imagine there's no heaven It's easy if you try
C F C F
No hell below us above us only sky
[Bridge 1]
F Am/E Dm7 F/C G C/G G7
Imagine all the people living for to - day a-haaaa
F Am/E Dm7 F/C G C/G G7
Imagine all the people living for to - day a-haaaa
[Verse 2]
C F C F
Imagine there's no countries it isn't hard to do
C F C F
Nothing to kill or die for and no religion too
C F C F
Imagine there's no countries it isn't hard to do
C F C F
Nothing to kill or die for and no religion too
[Bridge 2]
F Am/E Dm7 F/C G
Imagine all the people
F Am/E Dm7 F/C G
Imagine all the people
C/G G7
Living life in peace - yooohoooo
Living life in peace - yooohoooo
[Chorus]
F G Cadd9 Cmaj7 E E7
You may say I'm a dreamer
F G C* E* (same as above)
But I'm not the only one
F G C* E*
I hope some day you'll join us
F G Cadd9
And the world will be as one
F G Cadd9 Cmaj7 E E7
You may say I'm a dreamer
F G C* E* (same as above)
But I'm not the only one
F G C* E*
I hope some day you'll join us
F G Cadd9
And the world will be as one
[Verse 3]
C F C F
Imagine no pos - sessions I wonder if you can
C F C F
No need for greed or hunger a brotherhood of man
C F C F
Imagine no pos - sessions I wonder if you can
C F C F
No need for greed or hunger a brotherhood of man
[Bridge 3]
F Am/E Dm7 F/C
Imagine all the people
F Am/E Dm7 F/C
Imagine all the people
G C/G G7
Sharing all the world - yooohoooo
[Chorus]
F G C* E*
You may say I'm a dreamer
F G C* E*
But I'm not the only one
F G C* E*
I hope some day you'll join us
F G Cadd9
And the world will be as one
F G C* E*
You may say I'm a dreamer
F G C* E*
But I'm not the only one
F G C* E*
I hope some day you'll join us
F G Cadd9
And the world will be as one
This document is the author's own work and represents his interpretation of this song. It's intended solely for private study, scholarship or research.
This chord chart is here only to support online learning. We recommend buying official transcripts from a licensed and reputable publisher.
Imagine Piano Tips
1. Take It Slow: It's counterintuitive, but the quickest way to get comfortable and sound great playing a song is to practice it very slowly at first. Steady rhythm and counting are crucial to sounding like a pro, so let yourself get used to feeling the beat at a slow, easy tempo. Once you can nail "Imagine" slowly, *gradually* speed it up. You'll sound much better than if you jumped in at full speed!
2. Use The Pedal Wisely: Utilize the sustain pedal to connect the chords smoothly, timing your lifts with the arrival of a new chord. For help with sustain pedal timing, check out this video.
3. Simplify if need be: "Imagine" still sounds great even if you simply hold out the chords and ignore most of the rhythm patterns and extra details in the tutorial video. Feel free to keep it simple, especially if you sing while playing. As you get comfortable, you can always add the fancy stuff later.
