The Straight Version Of Black Magic Woman Chords And Lyrics
Most people looking for the Black Magic Woman chords and lyrics are trying to learn the Fleetwood Mac version. It's one of those songs that sounds simple but trips up beginners because of the way the rhythm sits. I've had dozens of people ask me about it over the years. Here's how it actually works. The song is in E minor. The main progression is Em, Am, G, D, and it repeats. That's basically it. The strumming pattern is where people mess up. It's not a straight down-down-up-up-down-up thing. It's more syncopated. Listen to the track and figure out where the guitar hits land. I usually tell people to just play along with the record at half speed first. That saves a bunch of time versus trying to nail it cold. The lyrics are straightforward. It's a vocal-driven song with a verse-chorus structure. The chorus repeats the title line. There are three verses. I'd paste the full lyrics here but that's a copyright issue and honestly, they're easy to find on any lyrics site. Move on.
Here's something most tutorials don't mention. The original recording uses a Fender Stratocaster through a Vox AC30 with the treble rolled off a bit. That's why the tone sounds so clean but warm. If you're playing on an electric, try that. If you're on acoustic, the chord shapes are the same but you'll need to mute the low E string more aggressively when you move between Em and Am. I learned that the hard way when I was recording a cover and the low string was cluttering up the mix. Just palm mute it lightly. One edge case. Some tab sites list the chord after the first bar of the verse as Em7 instead of plain Em. Both work. The Em7 version sounds slightly more open. I prefer it for live playing because your fingers have less ground to cover. But if you're tracking along with the record exactly, stick to plain Em. The bridge section changes things up. It's D, G, D, G, then back to Em. It's short. Four bars. Don't overthink it.
If you want the complete lyrics, search for it directly. They're widely available. The chord chart above covers everything you need to play along. The song is about 4 minutes and 15 seconds. Learn the progression, lock in the strumming, and you're done.
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