I Will Survive (Gloria Gaynor) Guitar Lesson with TAB

I Will Survive Guitar Lesson + TAB
In this guitar lesson, there's an analysis and TAB of how you could turn this into an exercise, when you play it live!


I Will Survive | TAB


Did somebody say epic? Gloria Gaynor’s worldwide smash hit I Will Survive really does feel like it goes on forever, especially if you’re playing it!

Centered around this cycle of 4th chord progression:

||: Am | Dm7 | G7 | Cmaj7 |
| Fmaj7 | Bm7b5 | Esus4 | E :||

You have an excellent opportunity here to practice both your rhythm playing, and the ability to find all your chords in every area of the neck.

Try this:

  • Pick a rhythm that you will play all the way through the entire tune
  • Start in the lowest area of the neck and play all chord shapes here
  • When a new verse starts, move up to the next position
  • When you can’t go any further, go down the neck again, one verse at a time

I do this myself at gigs when I play I Will Survive’s chords.

Here’s a rhythm you could consider, your job is to translate this concept to all other areas of the neck!

I Will Survive TAB exercise.

As you can see in this example, I’m borrowing from the next-door position sometimes. You don’t have to be perfectly strict like my chord exercises, you just have to be in the area.



I Will Survive TAB | Related Pages


I Will Survive | Chords + Lyrics

I Will Survive chords lesson.

You can learn to play I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor using chords, lyrics, chord analysis, a chord chart, and the original recording.

| Am | Dm7 |
At first, I was afraid, I was petrified…


Five similar tunes | Chords + Lyrics

When you can play I Will Survive's chords, try these five tunes from the songbook.


Gloria Gaynor tunes

Gloria Gaynor wrote I Will Survive.

Starting out on the club circuit, Gloria Gaynor got signed in 1971 and started to release disco versions of famous songs in 1975.

Her best tunes include Never Can Say Goodbye, I Will Survive, You’re All I Need To Get By, and Stop in the Name of Love.


Gloria Gaynor on the web

Listen to Gloria Gaynor on Spotify.


About me | Dan Lundholm

Dan Lundholm wrote this guitar lesson and TAB for I Will Survive.

This guitar lesson by Dan Lundholm featuring TAB covers I Will Survive. Discover more about him and how you can learn guitar with Spytunes.

Most importantly, find out why you should learn guitar through playing tunes, not practising scales, and studying theory in isolation.


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