A-Z Songbook, Advanced Acoustic, Ballads & First Dances

Get Here chords by Oleta Adams

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Get Here | Chords + Lyrics (capo 3)

Intro

||: Csus2 | G/B Amadd2/E | Am7 D13sus4:||

Verse 1

Verse 2

Bridge 1

Solo

Bridge 2

Verse 3

Outro

Get Here Chords: Learn the progressions

When playing Get Here on one acoustic guitar, it totally makes sense to add a capo on fret 3 and think in the key of G.

All chords now become seemingly easy open-position chords, just with lots of extensions.

We have two sections to deal with here, the verse moves IV – I/3 – VI, followed by II – V – VI. However, as there are so many extensions, it looks a lot more complicated than that.

For example, the first time we play the VI chord, we add so many intervals it makes more sense to call it an Amadd2/E, rather than an Em7sus4(b6)!

This is also what happens during the intro by the way and since the chords are so big, maybe you should hop over to the TAB lesson and have a look, here’s a link: Get Here – Guitar Lesson with TAB.

Once we stop putting all those notes in, just an Em7 will do and Get Here’s verse chords become this:

||: Csus2 (IV) | G/B (I) Em7 (VI) |
|1. Am7 (II) D7sus4 (V) | Bm7/E (III) Em7 (VI) :||
|2. Am9 (II) D7sus4 (V) | G (I) Gsus2/4 :||

Before we go to the bridge we play the last line of the verse (“hills and mountains..”) like this:

| Am9 (II) D7sus4 (V) | G (I) F/A (bVIIIx/3) G/B (I/3) |

The bridge chords are many and much more complex theoretically than the verse which was mainly just a lot of extensions. Here are the chords:

That opening maj9 is a lovely Lydian release, there’s TAB for how to incorporate all the intervals in this section. That D/C is very Gospel-sounding but at least easy to play on the guitar.

Bm7 – D5 are chords III – V. Em7 and Em7/D are just chord VI with a falling bass.

The last two bars Cmaj9 – D/E are kind of IV – V although D/E could be seen as E11. Am11 – Dsus2/4 is a II – V and never before has something sounded so complex but been so easy to play – it’s all open strings apart from fret 1 on string 2!

Here’s a chord chart you can bring to the gig to remember all of Get Here’s chords.

Get Here Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro

Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Get Here Chord Chart PDF.

This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, here’s a link to that file: Get Here iReal Pro. Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key.

Get Here – The Stockholm connection!

Get Here originates, in a way, from the city I departed, Stockholm.

Initially written by Brenda Russell in the city, she released it as a single and title track of her fourth album in 1988. It didn’t achieve significant success at the time.

Later, while in Stockholm (!), Oleta Adams encountered the song playing in a record store and decided to feature it on her album Circle Of One in 1990. Produced by Tears For Fears‘ Roland Orzabal, it eventually became a major hit.

I came across the song during a performance in Stockholm by a duo named Chapter 2. I believe both members of that duo, Johan Norbert and Nils Landgren, reside in Stockholm.

The only connection unrelated to Stockholm I found regarding this song is Jessie J covering it with Jools Holland; I’m certain that performance took place in London.

All mentioned versions of Get Here are available in the playlist at the top of this page.

Get Here Chords | Related Pages

Get Here | Guitar Lesson + TAB

In this lesson, you get the TAB for how to play Get Here‘s intro, verse, and bridge on just one acoustic guitar.

| Csus2 | G/B Amadd2/E |
You can reach me by railway, you can reach me by railway…

Five similar tunes | Chords + Lyrics

When you can play Get Here's chords, try these five tunes from the songbook.

Oleta Adams tunes

After two solo albums with no impact, Oleta Adams was discovered in a nightclub by a band member of Tears For Fears.

Her best tunes include Get Here, Don’t Let The Sun Go Down, Woman In Chains, New York State Of Mind, and The Greatest Love Of All.

Oleta Adams on the web

Brenda Russell tunes

Starting out in musical Hair as a teenager, Brenda Russell would go on to release several solo albums and produce big stars in the ’80s and ’90s.

Her best tunes include Get Here and Piano In The Dark. She also wrote the score for The Color Purple.

Brenda Russell on the web

About me | Dan Lundholm

Dan Lundholm wrote this guitar lesson and TAB for Get Here.

This was a guitar lesson about Get Here chords, by Dan Lundholm. Discover more about him and how you can learn guitar with Spytunes.

Most importantly, find out why you should learn guitar through playing tunes, not practising scales, and studying theory in isolation.