How to play Shady Lane by Pavement
Shady Lane by Pavement is one of the singles from their 1997 album Brighten The Corners and makes a fun song for developing players. Whilst not a big hit while the band was together it has maintained an enduring appeal and it’s medium tempo blend of simple power chords and open-position chords make it a fun choice for electric and acoustic guitars.
Chords: G5 E5 B5 C5 D5 G Em C Cmaj7 Am D
Pick or Fingers? Pick is best ; the original recording is electric guitars played with a pick. If you’re learning on a nylon-string guitar you could adapt it to simple finger style.
Acoustic or Electric? The guitars on the recording are electric but acoustic steel-strings will also work well. Nylon-strings won’t have the same jangle but if that’s what you are learning on Shady Lane will work for you.
Lead guitar : This chart is primarily for the chord accompaniment parts of Shady Lane but it’s worth mentioning there are two guitars on the recording and both the lead guitar and the vocal add some notes that make the harmonies more complex. Add to that Pavement’s slightly-out-of-tune sound and you get the chaotic jangle of their style, the effect of which makes it tricky to nail their sound and leaves some of the chord choices open to interpretation.
Are the chords correct? Yes but it’s worth pointing out the original recording is not at A = 440 ; it is slightly flat. You will need to tune to the recording to be able to play along.
Relevant pages in Modern Guitar Chord Styles 1 : To learn more about the chords and rhythms used in Shady Lane see pages 8, 10, 12 - 14, 20 - 21, 24 and 28.
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.
