Chords of: American Pie by: Don McLean. (G, Em, D, D6) are the main chords of the song. The chords are displayed instantly in real-time with a YouTube player, four synced views, instrument diagrams, loop practice and a built-in vocal-remover mixer.
“American Pie” by Don McLean is in D Major and runs at about 138 BPM, giving it an upbeat, driving pulse. Our analysis found 33 different chords across 350 chord changes; the ones that carry the song are G, Em, D, D6.
Em is the chord you will hold longest — roughly 16% of the 8:27 the chords were tracked for. The song opens with Em → D → Em → Cmaj7 → Em → D → Em → Am. Play the timeline above to hear each change land in real time.
Difficulty: advanced — 9 main chords with 5 extended, altered or slash voicings. Guitarists can play it as written — D Major sits in open-chord territory, no capo needed.
| Chord | Time held | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Em | 1:21 | 16% |
| D | 1:16 | 15% |
| G | 1:13 | 14% |
| C | 0:52 | 10% |
| D6 | 0:28 | 5% |
| Cmaj7 | 0:28 | 5% |
| Em7 | 0:25 | 5% |
| Am7 | 0:23 | 4% |
G – D – Em – Am – Cmaj7 – C6 – F# – Em – D – G – D – Em – Am – Cmaj7 – Em – C/G – Am – D – Em – Am – Em – Am – C – G/B – Em – Am – Cmaj7 – D – G – Bm – Em – Am – Cmaj7 – Bm – D – G – D6 – Em – C – D7 – D – G – C – G – D – G – C – G – …
