Today we’re going to learn The Wonder Of You by Elvis Presley. We’ll start with an easy version and then I’ll show you ways to spice it up a bit.
I like to teach this song because it has a great example of a common chord progression. Specifically the I-vi-ii-V (one-six-two-five). Let’s look at the main chords.
The first chord is a G and I’m going to use the 3 finger G with my pinky:
This is my second favorite way to play this chord. My favorite is the 4 finger G chord, but you’ll see why I’m using this version in just a minute. (hint: it has to do with easier chord changes)
The second chord is an E minor (Em):
This is a nice and easy change from the G. You keep your middle finger planted on the 5th string 2nd fret. Then just bring your ring finger over to the 4th string 2nd fret.
From there we move to an A minor (Am):
This is another easy change. From the Em, just move your middle and ring fingers up a string and fret the 1st fret of the 2nd string with your index finger.
Lastly, a D Major chord:
The first progression will go like this:
G-Em-Am-D
Each chord will be played for half a measure, or two beats. This is a great progression to practice changing between chords that typically go together.
Jump to 3:49 to play along with the words.
The second half has a couple more chords. The first chord we’ll add is a C chord.
This is your standard Folk-style C Major.
The next chord is an E7 chord:
It’s like an E Major chord but a little easier. You can start by playing an E Major and lift your ring finger.
Once you're comfortable with the E7 let's complete the chord progression. Here' what it looks like:
(Two strums per chord)
G-Em-Am-D
G-Em-Am-D
G-G
(One strum per chord)
C-D-Em-E7
(back to two strums per chord)
C-D-G-G
That’s basically the entire song! To start you can use a simple down strum. If you’re ready to spice it up, jump to 6:19 in the video for a different strum pattern.
Spicing Up Wonder Of You
In addition to the strum pattern, another upgrade you can do is a D7 in place of a standard D. Here’s the D7 chord:
It’s kind of like a backwards D chord. You can use this in place of every D chord and it sounds great. You can also choose on your own when to use either chord.
Another upgrade is to use a G7 chord. But this is more specifically placed. First, here’s the G7 chord:
There’s a place in the third line where we play G a couple times:
G-Em-Am-D
G-Em-Am-D
G-G
You can replace that second G with a G7:
G-Em-Am-D
G-Em-Am-D
G-G7
The G7 is a bit of a stretch. So if it’s a little too challenging for now just stick with the G.
Put It All Together
Jump to 9:27 to play along with the full song. Before you start, decide if you’re going to use a D7 and/or G7 or if you’ll use the standard chords. Once you’re ready, go ahead and play along!
Song Sheet Download
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I’m hoping you stick around… but if not, the 2 weeks should be enough to make great progress on your guitar.
Many thanks for the song and chords for the wonder of you, I’ve managed to play it through but need to get a good tempo
going now.
Looking forward to other songs and chords from you, as a beginner I’m chuffed in the simplicity of your teaching.
Regards
Eric.