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Roberta Flack - First Time Ever I Saw Your Face Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsDm, G, G7, C, Am, Em7, F, Bb
Strumming↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.

  • Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram
  • Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
  • Guitar G7 chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-1Guitar G7 chord diagram
  • Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
  • Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram
  • Guitar Em7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-0-0-0-0Guitar Em7 chord diagram
  • Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
  • Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: x-1-3-3-3-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram

[Opening]
[Dm] [G]
The [Dm]first time [G7]ever I [C]saw your face,
[Am]I thought the sun [Em7]rose in your ey[F]es.
And the [C]moon and sta[G7]rs were the [C]gifts you gave,
To the [Bb]dark and the endless [C]sky, my love.

[verse 2]
[Dm]And the first time [G]ever I [Em7]kissed your [G]mouth,
[Am]I felt the earth [Em7]move in my [C]ha[F]nds.
[G]Like the trembling [F]hea[C]rt [G7]of a [C]captive [G]bird
[Bb]That was there at [C]my [G7]com[C]mand [G]my love

[verse 3]
[Dm]And the first time [G]ever I [Em7]laid [C]with [G]you,
[Am]I felt your heart [Em7]so close to [C]mi[F]ne.
And [G]I know our [F]jo[C]y [G7]would [C]fill the [G]earth,
[Bb]And last [C]till the end of time, [G]my love.

[Closing]
[Dm]The first time ever I [C]sa[G]aw [C]your face,
[Bb]your face, [C]your [F]fa[Bb]ce,
Your [C]face

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SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookDiscover the most-used three-chord combinations in songs and build real command on guitar.
14,015 TRANSITIONS ANALYZED#1 at 23%: Which Transition?Master guitar today with the most repeated high-impact chord transitions.
ArtistRoberta Flack
AlbumFirst Take
GenresR&B, Soul
Year1969
KeyDm

How to play First Time Ever I Saw Your Face on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Roberta Flack - First Time Ever I Saw Your Face on guitar requires 8 chords and 16 core chord transitions. You can find the full step-by-step guide below. Before you start, tune your instrument. The song uses the ↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑ pattern; practice it muted first, or simplify to downstrokes while you learn the changes.

First Time Ever I Saw Your Face uses these transitions most often: C → G (6), Bb → C (5), and G7 → C (5). These transitions may feel a little challenging at first, but with steady practice you can play this song quickly.When you are ready, begin with Dm - G chord transition.

1. Dm → G chord transition

Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram
Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram

To move from Dm to G;

  1. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
  3. Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.
Dm to G

2. Dm → G7 chord transition

Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram
Guitar G7 chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-1Guitar G7 chord diagram

To move from Dm to G7;

  1. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
  3. Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 1.
Dm to G7

3. G7 → C chord transition

Guitar G7 chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-1Guitar G7 chord diagram
Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram

To move from G7 to C;

  1. Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to D string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from E string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 3.
G7 to C

4. C → Am chord transition

Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram

To move from C to Am;

  1. Keep index finger on B string fret 1.
  2. Keep middle finger on D string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 2.
C to Am

5. Am → Em7 chord transition

To move from Am to Em7;

  1. While playing Am, first lift your index finger and ring finger.
  2. Lift your middle finger from D string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 2.

6. Em7 → F chord transition

To move from Em7 to F;

  1. Lift your middle finger from A string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
  2. Place index finger on E string fret 1.
  3. Place ring finger on A string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on D string fret 3.

7. F → C chord transition

To move from F to C;

  1. While playing F, lift your pinky from D string fret 3.
  2. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on B string fret 1.
  3. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to D string fret 2.
  4. Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.

8. C → Bb chord transition

To move from C to Bb;

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger on D string from fret 2 to fret 3.
  3. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on B string fret 3.

9. C → Dm chord transition

To move from C to Dm;

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on B string fret 3.

10. G → Em7 chord transition

To move from G to Em7;

  1. While playing G, first lift your index finger and ring finger.
  2. Lift your middle finger from E string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 2.

11. G → Am chord transition

To move from G to Am;

  1. Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to D string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from E string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 2.

12. Em7 → C chord transition

To move from Em7 to C;

  1. Lift your middle finger from A string fret 2 and place it on D string fret 2.
  2. Place index finger on B string fret 1.
  3. Place ring finger on A string fret 3.

13. F → G chord transition

To move from F to G;

  1. While playing F, lift your pinky from D string fret 3.
  2. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
  3. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
  4. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.

14. C → G chord transition

To move from C to G;

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
  3. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.

15. G → Bb chord transition

To move from G to Bb;

  1. Slide your index finger on A string from fret 2 to fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to D string fret 3.
  3. Lift your ring finger from E string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on B string fret 3.

16. F → Bb chord transition

To move from F to Bb;

  1. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to D string fret 3.
  3. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 3.
  4. Slide your pinky from D string fret 3 to B string fret 3.

First Time Ever I Saw Your Face chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.

  • First Time Ever I Saw Your Face includes 58 chord transitions, 16 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • First Time Ever I Saw Your Face contains 4 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how First Time Ever I Saw Your Face connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After C, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).
    • C → G: 35%
    • C → F: 16%
    After G, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).
    • G → C: 25%
    • G → Am: 13%
SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookThe 200 most popular three-chord chains from real songs. See which songs use each chain and expand your repertoire with patterns that actually matter.