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!

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
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
Gloria Gaynor tunes
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
About me | Dan Lundholm
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.