A Midnight Oil classic from their break-through 1982 album 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 , U.S. Forces typifies the high energy anthems of the Oz Rock era and makes a great rhythm track for both acoustic and electric players.
Chords: C/G D/F# Em (B C# D#m) A A2 Esus7 B7 Am7 Bm/F# E11 Co7 F# F#m D F G
Pick or Fingers? Only the pick will produce the punchy, full tone rhythm style of the original. Use a firm pick and donβt be afraid to strike the strings with reasonable strength. Picks of around .88 to 1.25 gauge are best for rhythm work ; strong picks that have some flex.
Acoustic or Electric? The rhythm part on the original is played on steel-string acoustic with a very strong tone. It also works well on electric but is not a good choice for nylon-strings.
Is the C diminished 7th correct? Yes because the bass is playing a C. Other sources describe this chord as an Eβo7, and you can play that but the bass note is an important part of the overall sound and the guitar chord is better being a Co7
What is going on with the intro? Good question! The tuning of the four-bar chord is a semitone lower but the rest of the song is in standard tuning! Why only the intro is tuned down is not clear but it actually sounds okay to just play the whole chart at concert pitch.
How can I play with the recording? You have two choices; Stay in standard tuning and play B - C# - D#m in the intro. Everything from there on is as written. OR, if you are tuned down a semitone play the chords as indicated (C/G - D/F# - Em) and then quickly attach a capo at the 1st fret whilst hearing the first line of the verse. Itβs a little unusual but it works!
Do I have to include bar-chords? Yes, the F#, F#m and Bm/F# bass are chords that donβt have easy open-position alternatives. The F and G will sound best as bar-chords. You could use their open-position versions but the F really does sound best as a bar-chord because we get the low F bass on the 6th string and the tone of it matches the other chords.
Relevant pages in Modern Guitar Chord Styles 1 : To learn more about the chords and rhythms used for U.S. Forces see pages 5, 8, 10, 12, 14 - 15, 20 - 21, 24 32 - 35
Need a bit of help?
Modern Guitar Chord Styles 1 is the perfect companion for our song guides. It will teach you how to read the rhythm slash notation used in our charts (and in professional theatre and studio charts) and is specially designed to help beginners speed up their chord changes, master strumming patterns, and many other techniques.
