How to Play Layla Chords by Eric Clapton on Guitar - Guiterly (2024)

Layla is a rock song by Eric Clapton, first recorded with his band Derek and the Dominos in 1970. The song was inspired by Clapton’s love for Pattie Boyd, the wife of his friend George Harrison. The song features two distinct sections: a fast and hard rock part, and a slow and soft piano part. The song is considered one of Clapton’s greatest works, and one of the best guitar songs of all time. In this article, we will show you how to play Layla by Eric Clapton on guitar, using three different sources of chord tabs.

Chords

[Intro]Dm Bb C Dm x5Dm Bb C A C [Verse 1]C#m7 G#7 What will you do when you get lonely?C#m7 C D E E7No one waiting by your sideF#m B E AYou've been runnin' and hiding much too longF#m B EYou know it's just your foolish pride [Chorus]A Dm BbLaylaC Dm Dm BbGot me on my knees, Layla C Dm Dm BbI'm beggin' darling please, LaylaC Dm Dm Bb C A CDarling won't you ease my worried mind? [Verse 2]C#m7 G#7I tried to give you consolationC#m7 C D E E7Your old man he let you downF#m B E ALike a fool, I fell in love with youF#m B EYou turned my whole world upside down [Chorus]A Dm BbLayla C Dm Dm BbYou've got me on my knees, Layla C Dm Dm BbI'm beggin' darling please, LaylaC Dm Dm Bb C A CDarling won't you ease my worried mind? [Verse 3]C#m7 G#7Make the best of the situationC#m7 C D E E7Before I finally go insaneF#m B E APlease don't say we'll never find a wayF#m B ETell me all my love's in vain [Chorus]A Dm BbLayla C Dm Dm BbYou've got me on my knees, Layla C Dm Dm BbI'm beggin' darling please, LaylaC Dm Dm Bb C DmDarling won't you ease my worried mind?  Dm BbLayla C Dm Dm BbYou've got me on my knees, Layla C Dm Dm BbI'm beggin' darling please, LaylaC Dm Dm Bb C DmDarling won't you ease my worried mind? [Instrumental]Dm Bb C Dm x8 [Chorus] Dm BbLayla C Dm Dm BbYou've got me on my knees, Layla C Dm Dm BbI'm beggin' darling please, LaylaC Dm Dm Bb C DmDarling won't you ease my worried mind?  Dm BbLayla C Dm Dm BbYou've got me on my knees, Layla C Dm Dm BbI'm beggin' darling please, LaylaC DmDarling won't you ease my worried mind?

Ultimate Guitar

The first source we will use is Ultimate Guitar, a website that provides guitar tabs, chords, and lyrics for thousands of songs. This source offers four versions of Layla chords, each with different levels of difficulty and accuracy. We will focus on the first version, which has the highest rating and the most feedback from users.

The first version of Layla chords by Ultimate Guitar has the following features:

• It uses standard tuning, which means no capo is needed.
• It includes both the fast and the slow parts of the song, with separate tabs for each section.
• It shows the chord shapes and fingerings for each chord, which are mostly barre chords and power chords.
• It indicates the lyrics and the backing vocals for each verse and chorus.
• It provides the solo and the outro, which are played with electric guitar effects such as distortion and wah-wah.

E-Chords

The second source we will use is E-Chords, another website that provides guitar tabs, chords, and lyrics for many songs. This source offers one version of Layla chords, which is similar to the second version by Ultimate Guitar.

The version of Layla chords by E-Chords has the following features:

• It uses a capo on the 3rd fret, which makes the chords easier to play and more faithful to the original recording.
• It includes both the fast and the slow parts of the song, with separate tabs for each section.
• It does not show the chord shapes or fingerings, but it suggests a tempo of 120 bpm (beats per minute) for the fast part and 60 bpm for the slow part.
• It indicates the lyrics for each verse and chorus, but not the backing vocals.
• It does not provide the solo or the outro, but it repeats the chorus at the end.

YouTube

The third source we will use is YouTube, a video-sharing platform that hosts millions of tutorials, lessons, and covers for various songs. This source offers many videos of people playing Layla by Eric Clapton on guitar, with different styles, techniques, and tips. We will focus on one video that has over 2.8 million views and positive feedback from viewers.

Conclusion

Layla by Eric Clapton is a great song to learn on guitar, as it is challenging, versatile, and iconic. You can use any of the three sources we discussed in this article to play the song, depending on your preference and skill level. You can also compare and contrast the sources to find the best way to play the song for you. We hope you enjoyed this article and learned something new. Happy playing!