Fast And Easy Ventura Highway Chords & Guitar Lesson

Behold… an epic song about the dreamy California lifestyle and all its glory.

There are many guitars on the recording that create the sound you hear. But below I’m going to show you some tips for playing in this style and also getting a full sound with one guitar. 

You only need a handful of chords to play it. And, you get to blend together RHYTHM and LEAD.

So grab your axe, and let’s dive into this “Ventura Highway” chords and guitar lesson! 

Who Wrote Ventura Highway?

"Ventura Highway" was written by Dewey Bunnell, a founding member and singer-songwriter for the folk-rock band America. It reflects the spirit and vibe of the Calfornia lifestyle in the early 1970s. 

The lyrics of "Ventura Highway" are deliberately abstract. There are phrases like “purple rain” and “alligator lizards in the air.” These lines are meant to evoke imagery and feelings rather than tell a linear story. The "alligator lizards in the air" reference has puzzled listeners for decades. According to Bunnell, it was inspired by cloud shapes he saw as a child, which reminded him of reptiles floating in the sky.

“Ventura Highway” was recorded in 1972 at The Record Plant in Los Angeles, California. America produced the album themselves, aiming for a more polished sound compared to their debut. 

Upon its release, "Ventura Highway" became one of America's biggest hits. It peaked at number 8 on the Billboard singles chart and number 3 on the adult contemporary chart. The album Homecoming reached number 9 on Billboard's Pop Albums Chart and was certified platinum by the RIAA. 

Now, you may be wondering…

What is the tuning for Ventura Highway?

The tuning for "Ventura Highway”, as recorded by America is standard tuning. Standard tuning for a guitar is spelled out as EADGBE. 

Here are the strings:

• E (6th string, lowest pitch) 
• A (5th string) 
• D (4th string) 
• G (3rd string) 
• B (2nd string) 
• E (1st string, highest pitch)  

Next, let’s take a look at the…

Ventura Highway Chords

There are 5 main chords you’ll need to know to play “Ventura Highway” they are G/D, Dmaj7, F#m11, Em, and Gmaj7. Let’s take a look at a few ways the “Ventura Highway” chords can be played on the fretboard:  

G/D is played on the middle strings muting the low 6th and high 1st strings like so:

Dmaj7 is a jazzier version of an open D chord which goes like this:

F#m11 is a beautiful open chord played in 2nd position like this:

Em is another great chord which is played using all 6 strings like this:

Finally, Gmaj7 continues the jazzier vibe and is played like so:

If you’ve struggled to understand the fretboard and want to learn it the simplest and fastest way. Then get your hands on my free fretboard guide PDF right here now:  

All right! Now that you know the "Ventura Highway” chords, let’s next talk about…

What key is Ventura Highway in?

"Ventura Highway" as recorded by America is in the key of D major. The main scale for the song is the D major scale which uses the notes: D - E - F# - G - A - B - C#.

If you looked at that scale in the form of intervals it would be:

Whole, Half, Whole, Whole, Half, Whole, Whole

Here’s a simple way to play this scale on the fretboard in 9th position:

Here’s a quick breakdown of how each chord functions in the key:

G/D (G major chord with D in the bass)

• Notes: G - B - D
• Scale Degree: IV (4th degree)
• In the key of D major, G is the IV chord, which is a major chord based on the 4th note of the D major scale. The G/D chord is a G major chord with a D as the bass note. This creates a second inversion G major chord. It functions as a subdominant chord in the key of D major. The bass note (D) serves to reinforce the home key (D major) while still giving a "lift" to the harmony as it moves to other chords. The chord voicing emphasizes the strong connection between the IV chord and the tonic (D major).

Dmaj7 (D major 7th)

• Notes: D - F# - A - C#
• Scale Degree: I (tonic)
• This is the I chord (the tonic) in the key of D major. It is a major chord with an added 7th (C#), which gives it a rich, jazzy feel. The Dmaj7 chord is the "home" chord, and it functions as the point of resolution in a progression.
• Since this is the tonic, it gives a sense of stability and closure, and you’ll often find it as the starting or ending chord in progressions in the key of D major.

F#m11 (F# minor 11th)

• Notes: F# - A - C# - E - G# - B
• Scale Degree: iii11 (minor 11th chord)
• In D major, F# is the 3rd note of the scale, so F#m is the iii chord. The m11 means it’s an extended version of the minor chord with the 7th (E), 9th (G#), and 11th (B) added.
• The F#m11 chord gives the harmony a more complex, atmospheric sound. 

Em (E minor)

• Notes: E - G - B
• Scale Degree: ii (supertonic)
• The Em chord is built on the 2nd degree of the D major scale (E). It is a minor chord, and as the ii chord, it has a common function of preparing for the dominant (V chord) or acting as a passing chord.
• The ii chord often leads to the V (A major in D major), and in many cases, it resolves to the I (D major) in a ii-V-I progression. It's a common choice in jazz and pop progressions. However, in “Ventura Highway” this chord progresses up to the iii chord (F#m11) 

And finally we have the…

Gmaj7 (G major 7th)

• Notes: G - B - D - F#
• Scale Degree: IVmaj7 (IV major 7th)
• The Gmaj7 is based on the IV chord in the key of D major. Adding the 7th (F#) to the G major chord gives it a lush, more complex sound, often used in jazz or 

So that’s the theory, but all that info doesn’t mean a thing without a good…

Ventura Highway Groove & Strumming Pattern

The strumming pattern and groove for “Ventura Highway” is a bit tricky. It uses a combination of chunking staccato 8th notes. 16th notes, and rests. In 4/4 time, 8th notes divide each beat into two equal parts. 

Counting 8th notes out loud should be solid and even: 

1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

The numbers (1, 2, 3, 4) represent the main beats in the measure.

The "&" represents the subdivision between each beat. 

When counted out loud, it sounds like:

"One-and, Two-and, Three-and, Four-and."

16th notes on the other hand, divide each beat into four equal parts. Counting 16th notes out loud should be steady and even: 

1 e & a 2 e & a 3 e & a 4 e & a

The numbers (1, 2, 3, 4) represent the main beats in the measure.

The "e," "&," and "a" represent the subdivisions between each beat.

When counted out loud, it sounds like:

"One-ee-and-uh, Two-ee-and-uh, Three-ee-and-uh, Four-ee-and-uh."

Here is an example in the style of a “Ventura Highway” strumming pattern: 

Conclusion

There you have it – A simple breakdown of the guitar style behind “Ventura Highway” one of America’s greatest hits.  

Keep practicing, and if you want to learn songs faster, better understand the fretboard, and not waste years spinning your wheels with guitar, grab my free fretboard guide PDF right here now:   

Jon MacLennan