Chords + Lyrics | Rather Be
Intro
||: G#m D#m | Eadd9 B/D# F#/A# :|| x3
| Emaj7 Emaj7/C# N.C | N.C |
Oh, Woah, Ooh, ooh, yeah.
Verse 1
||: G#m D#m | Eadd9 B/D# F#/A# :||
We’re a thousand miles from comfort,
we have travelled land and sea.
But as long as you are with me,
| Emaj7 Emaj7/C# N.C | Emaj7 B6 |
there’s no place I’d rather be.
Verse 2
I would wait forever,
exalted in the scene.
As long as I am with you,
my heart continues to beat.
Bridge 1
| Emaj7 | D#m7 | G#m11 | G#m11 |
With every step we take, Kyoto to The Bay, strolling so casually.
| Emaj7 | D#m7 | G#m11 | G#m11 B F# |
We’re different and the same, get you another name, switch up the batteries.
Chorus 1
||: G#m F#6 | Emaj7 B F# :||
If you gave me a chance I would take it.
It’s a shot in the dark but I’ll make it.
Know with all of your heart, you can’t shake me.
| Emaj7 | Emaj7/C# D#m7 |
When I am with you, there’s no place I’d rather be.
Chorus tag 1
||: G#m7 D#m7 | Eadd9 Gdim :||
No-no-no, no, no, no place I’d rather be.
No-no-no, no, no, no place I’d rather be.
| Emaj7 Emaj7/C# N.C | Emaj7 B6 |
No-no-no, no, no, no place I’d rather be. woah, oh.
Verse 3
We set out on a mission,
to find our inner peace,
Make it everlasting,
so nothing’s incomplete.
Verse 4
It’s easy being with you,
sacred simplicity.
As long as we’re together,
there’s no place I’d rather be.
Bridge 2
With every step we take, Kyoto to The Bay, strolling so casually.
We’re different and the same, get you another name, switch up the batteries.
Chorus 2
If you gave me a chance I would take it.
It’s a shot in the dark but I’ll make it.
Know with all of your heart, you can’t shake me.
When I am with you, there’s no place I’d rather be.
Chorus tag 2
| G#m7 D#m7 | Eadd9 Gdim :||
No-no-no, no, no, no place I’d rather be.
No-no-no, no, no, no place I’d rather be.
No-no-no, no, no, no place I’d rather be.
| N.C | N.C |
When I am with you, there’s no place I’d rather be, yeah.
Instrumental
||: G#m D#m | Eadd9 B/D# F#/A# :|| x3
| Emaj7 Emaj7/C# N.C | Emaj7 B6 |
Beeeeeeeeee, oooooooh, oh. Be [x9]
Yeah-e-yeah-e-yeah-e-yeah-e-yeah, yeah, yeah!
Chorus 3
If you gave me a chance I would take it.
It’s a shot in the dark but I’ll make it.
Know with all of your heart, you can’t shake me.
When I am with you, there’s no place I’d rather be.
Chorus tag
No-no-no, no, no, no place I’d rather be.
No-no-no, no, no, no place I’d rather be.
No-no-no, no, no, no place I’d rather be. woah, oh.
| Emaj7 Emaj7/C# N.C | Emaj7 |
When I am with you, there’s no place I’d rather be.
Rather Be Backing Tracks | Chord Analysis
Above, you’ll find backing tracks to use when learning Rather Be. I’ve used stem separation to extract the Vocal while keeping the production intact. Theer is also a version with vocals but no production.
After studying the chords and TAB, use my backing tracks to prepare for playing this tune with a band.
Should you want to play along with the original recording instead, you need to tune your guitar sharp to 441Hz. In the backing tracks, I’ve done this job for you by tuning it to 440Hz.
Chord Progressions – What’s Going On?
Rather Be is primarily a keyboard-driven song, but everything can be played on the guitar with the right approach.
Intro + Verse
The intro follows this progression:
||: G#m (VI) D#m (III) | Eadd9 (IV) B/D# (I/3) F#/A# (V/3) :||
The I and V chords at the end feature the 3rd in the bass.
These chords continue through the verse, ending like this:
Emaj7 – Emaj7/C# – Emaj7 – B6
Here, Emaj7 represents chord IV, and instead of the expected C#m (II), we get a variation with Emaj7/C#. The B6 is chord I.
Bridge
Next, in the bridge (“With every step we take, Kyoto to The Bay…”), the progression shifts:
| Emaj7 (IV) | D#m7 (III) | G#m11 (VI) | G#m11 |
| Emaj7 | D#m7 | G#m11 | G#m11 B (I) F# (V) |
In the TAB you learn the super intricate piano part – on the guitar! Keep scrolling to find it.
Chorus
The chorus mirrors the intro, with D#m and F#6 being closely related:
||: G#m (VI) F#6 (V) | Emaj7 (IV) B (I) F# (V) :||
| Emaj7 (IV) | Emaj7/C# (IV/3) D#m7 (III) |
Chorus Tag
A chorus tag follows, with the repeated “no-no-no-no…” phrase:
G#m7 – D#m7 – Eadd9 – Gdim.
This section resembles previous parts but introduces small harmonic variations.
Despite its complexity, Rather Be never actually leaves the key of B. The final chord pattern highlights this:
||: G#m7 (VI) D#m7 (III) | Eadd9 (IV) Gdim (bVIdim) :||
This section repeats and eventually resolves like the verse, with a stop the second time.
After working through my TAB and playing along with the backing track, this chord chart will be a handy reference for the gig.
Rather Be Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
If you’d like to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Rather Be chord chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro—here’s the file: Rather Be iReal Pro. With the iReal Pro app, you can easily change the key. If you decide to do this, I highly recommend writing out the TAB as well!
Rather Be | TAB
If you stick with it, you can figure out how to play the keyboard part for Rather Be on the guitar.
Here’s what I came up with for the main riff. Since it’s quite complex, start slowly before bringing it up to speed and playing with the backing tracks.
Rather Be Chords: Continue Learning
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