Ben Howard – Rookery Chords on Piano & Ukulele

Ben Howard – Rookery Chords on Piano & Ukulele

Updated

ChordsCC/DAmFGG/CG6Fmaj7

Key
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[Verse 1]
C          C/D          Am
Birch tree lost its branch one
         C/D         C
day in violent winter
C              C/D
I said it was grieving,
             Am          C
you said it don't feel nothing
  F           G         C
I bet you think everything's
                  Am
in its rightful place
    C              G         C
That sentiment is man's disgrace

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[Verse 2]
C          C/D           Am
Well the rooks in the trees,
     C/D           C
they don't half bother me
F              G/C
Clawing at my mind with
      G       C
every given opportunity
F              G         C      Am
It's spring outside, a perilous sky
           C        G/C        Am
and that terrible clattering sound
C
"Go ahead,
            G           Am
you should go shoot them down"
Am
That's what you said,
    G                       F
"you should go shoot them down"

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[Verse 3]
 G             Am
So hey, that's me
C                                G6
Shooting at a hundred-year-old rookery
G           Am
Oh, look at me
Fmaj7         G/C       F
The definition of futility
F
That's what they'll say anyway
F
Won't they, babe?

[Verse 4]
C          C/D        Am
So I'll go back to working through
      C      C/D           C
the gentle hours of the evening
C             F            Am
Where the weather and the wine and
      G/C               C
the company treat me easily
F            G          C
Unknowing am I of the wind
             Am
that took my eye
F           G/C        C
Unknowing am I of the wind

Feel free to use our free Chord Shape Generator to see every chord in this song on guitar, ukulele and piano.

[Outro]
F            G          C
Unknowing am I of the wind
             Am
that took my eye
C            G          C
Unknowing am I of the wind

How to play Rookery: key, chords and progression

These are the chords for Rookery by Ben Howard on Piano, Ukulele, Guitar, and Keyboard

Rookery by Ben Howard is built around C major (no sharps or flats), with 8 chords in all: C, C/D, Am, F, G, G/C, G6 and Fmaj7.

The backbone of the song is C – F – G – C (I – IV – V – I in C major), the I–IV–V–I, the backbone of gospel, blues and folk. In solfa, that is doh – fah – soh – doh. Practise these 4 changes until they feel natural and you can play most of it.

Easier on guitar: put a capo on the 5th fret and play the shapes G, Em, C, D, D6, Cmaj7 (100% of the chords become easy open shapes, against 67% without a capo). It sounds exactly the same.

Chord diagrams

C chord on guitar (x32010)
CC E G
Am chord on guitar (x02210)
AmA C E
F chord on guitar (133211)
FF A C
G chord on guitar (320003)
GG B D
G6 chord on guitar (320000)
G6G B D E
Fmaj7 chord on guitar (xx3210)
Fmaj7F A C E

Rookery chords: questions

What key is Rookery in?

Rookery by Ben Howard is centred on C major (no sharps or flats).

What chords are in Rookery?

Rookery uses 8 chords: C, C/D, Am, F, G, G/C, G6, Fmaj7.

What is the chord progression of Rookery?

The main progression is C – F – G – C (I – IV – V – I), the I–IV–V–I, the backbone of gospel, blues and folk.

Is Rookery easy to play on guitar?

Yes, with a capo: put a capo on the 5th fret and play the shapes G, Em, C, D, D6, Cmaj7 (100% of the chords become easy open shapes, against 67% without a capo).

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