I Heard It Through The Grapevine Chords | Marvin Gaye Guitar Lesson

In this guitar lesson, you’ll get the chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a full chord chart, TAB, backing track, and video guitar lessons to guide you as you learn I Heard It Through The Grapevine by Marvin Gaye!

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Chords + Lyrics | I Heard It Through The Grapevine


Intro

||: Ebm7 (Ebm Gb6) | Ebm7 (Ebm Gb6 Fm7) :|| x5

Verse 1

| Ebm | Ebm | Bb Ab | Ab6 Ab |
I bet you’re wonderin’ how I knew, ’bout your plans to make me blue.
| Ebm | Ebm | Bb Ab | Ab7 |
With some other guy, you knew before, between the two of us guys you know I loved you more.

Bridge 1

| Cm | Ab5 |
It took me by surprise I must say (took me by surprise I must say).
| Ebm | Ab |
When I found out yesterday (when I found out yesterday).

Chorus 1

| Ebm | Ebm Ebm7 | Ab7 | Ab Ab7 |
Don’t you know that I heard it through the grapevine, not much longer would you be mine.
| Ebm | Ebm Ebm7 | Ab7 | Ab Ab7 |
Oh I heard it through the grapevine, oh I’m just about to lose my mind.

Chorus tag 1

| Ebm7 (Ebm Gb6) | Ebm7 (Ebm Gb6 Fm7) | Ebm7 (Ebm Gb6) | Ebm7 (Ebm Gb6 Fm7) |
Honey, honey bell (I heard it through the grapevine not much longer would you be my baby).

Verse 2

I know a man ain’t supposed to cry, but these tears I can’t hold inside.
Losin’ you would end my life you see, ’cause you mean that much to me.

Bridge 2

You could have told me yourself (you could have told, me yourself).
That you loved someone else (that you loved, someone else).

Chorus 2

Instead, I heard it through the grapevine, not much longer would you be mine.
Oh, I heard it through the grapevine, and I’m just about to lose my mind.

Chorus tag 2

Honey, honey bell (I heard it through the grapevine not much longer would you be my baby).

Instrumental

||: Ebm7 (Ebm Gb6) | Ebm7 (Ebm Gb6 Fm7) :||

Verse 3

People say: Believe half of what you see, son, and none of what you hear.
But I can’t help but be confused, if it’s true please tell me, dear.

Bridge 3

Do you plan to let me go (do you plan to let me go).
For the other guy, you loved before? (For the other guy you loved before?)

Chorus 3

Don’t you know I heard it through the grapevine, not much longer would you be mine.
Baby, I heard it through the grapevine, oh, just about to lose my mind. Honey, honey heh.

Outro (as chorus tag)

||: Ebm7 (Ebm Gb6) | Ebm7 (Ebm Gb6 Fm7) :||
(I heard it through the grapevine, not much longer would you be my baby yeah yeah yeah yeah).
Honey, honey I know that you let me go.
(I heard it through the grapevine, not much longer would you be my baby yeah yeah yeah yeah).
Said I hear it through the grapevine, Oh oh, I heard it through the grapevine.
(I heard it through the grapevine, not much longer would you be my baby).


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I Heard It Through The Grapevine Backing Track | Chord Analysis


Above is a live-in-the-studio backing track I recorded with a full band—minus the guitar. Use this along with the chord chart below to prepare for playing I Heard It Through The Grapevine in a live band setting.

In the course, we’ve looped each section so you can refine how you approach the verse, bridge, chorus, and instrumental parts.


Chord Progression – What’s Going On?

In I Heard It Through The Grapevine, Ebm feels like the home chord in a minor blues. While the structure doesn’t follow a classic 12-bar format, the tonality hints at a bluesy underpinning.

Verse

Here’s the verse progression:

| Ebm (Im) | Ebm | Bb (V) Ab (IV) | Ab6 Ab |
| Ebm | Ebm | Bb Ab | Ab7 |

However, the emotional colour of this tune feels different from other minor blues standards like Ain’t No Sunshine or The Thrill Is Gone, which sit comfortably in Aeolian mode (chord VI as tonic). Grapevine feels more like a major blues—but with a minor I chord.

You might hear it instead as a II – V progression (EbmAb), giving it a Dorian flavour, with Bb functioning as a passing chord. This reading aligns well with tunes like Good Times, I Wish, or Mad World, which also explore II – V ideas.

Bridge

The bridge is where the genius of this song shines. We move to Cm—had we been in Eb major, this would be a classic I – VI shift. This implied change from Ebm to a phantom Eb major chord creates a wonderfully bittersweet moment: a lift from minor to major, then a drop to the emotionally loaded chord VI. It’s a masterstroke in songwriting.

For me, going from Ebm to Cm in this way is one of the greatest chord moves of all time.

Chorus

The chorus progression—Ebm7 to Ab7—strengthens the II – V interpretation. So rather than thinking of Ebm as chord I in a minor key, it might be more useful to think of it as chord II in a Dorian landscape, with Bb acting as a colourful diversion.

Here’s a chord chord. Check those intro chords out!


I Heard It Through The Grapevine chord chart.

I Heard It Through The Grapevine Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download


This is one of those songs where, if you’ve done your homework, the chord chart is simply a helpful reminder. Let’s start with the intro:

It’s Ebm7 – Gb6, not EbmG. This difference is subtle but vital—Ebm7 to Gb6 outlines a smooth voice-leading move from Db to Eb. If you play EbmGb instead, you’ll reverse that line (Eb to Db), and the effect is lost.

In the chart, I’ve outlined the verse, bridge, chorus and instrumental sections. I haven’t detailed the exact order—just follow the singer (or, if absolutely necessary, memorise the form!).

You can quickly transpose the key using iRealPro, which may come in handy, as singers often ask for key changes last minute—especially on this song!

Below, you’ll find a full playthrough of me performing the tune live with the band, followed by a preview of the course.


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I Heard It Through The Grapevine TAB | Course Preview


In the course, we explore multiple ways to play the verse chords all over the neck. By varying your approach, you’ll be able to improvise your rhythm parts—making the tune much more enjoyable to play long-term.

Here’s example 1 from the course, shown in TAB:

I Heard It Through The Grapevine chords and TAB, verse example 1

In the full lesson, we work through four more variations, each with dedicated play-along loops and full TAB. By internalising these examples, you build the skills needed to create your own rhythm parts—rather than relying on memorised shapes.

This method not only prepares you to adapt to any band setup, but also sharpens your songwriting chops. The more you explore the fretboard, the easier it becomes to generate fresh ideas.

You should learn I Heard It Through The Grapevine because it’s a staple in the Soul repertoire—but also because the harmony is incredibly satisfying to solo over. We cover all of this in the course using live loops and interactive examples.

In Step 8, you’ll perform the complete song with the backing track.

Here’s a link to the 8 step-by-step guitar lessonsI Heard It Through The Grapevine – Guitar Lessons with TAB.


Barrett came up with the lyrics from overhearing people in the street

I Heard It Through The Grapevine is a single by Marvin Gaye from 1968 although it had already been a hit for Gladys Knight & The Pips in 1966. The Miracles (Smokey Robinson) also released a version before Marvin.

Still, when Marvin dropped his version as the third single from the album In The Groove (1968), he made it his own and this is the one all bands refer to when it’s called on stage last minute for sure.

One more version deserves a mention, the one by Creedence Clearwater Revival.

Written by Barrett Strong and producer Norman Whitfield, it has become known as one of Motown’s signature songs.

The tune started with Barrett overhearing people use the expression “hearing it through the grapevine” as he was walking around the streets of Chicago. He thought that expression must have a song in it, so he teamed up with Norman and the rest is music history.

The lyrics are genuinely great and the chord progression (as discussed above) is genius. All that’s missing to complete the picture then is a great band (Funk Brothers) and a genuine vocal performance

In the playlist above, after my version, you’ll find the “original”, a backing track for you to play along with, as well as an isolated Marvin Gaye vocal.

Make sure you listen to the video of Marvin without the band, it is truly mindblowing.


I Heard It Through The Grapevine Chords: Continue Learning


I Heard It Through The Grapevine 8 step by step guitar lessons.

When playing I Heard It Through The Grapevine, we get a great chance to vary our guitar parts in subtle ways.

For the instrumental section, we improvise by finding different chord shapes and adding licks using the minor pentatonic.

Start learning with the full lesson series: I Heard It Through The Grapevine – Guitar Lessons with TAB.

Alternatively, here are five similar tunes you might enjoy:


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