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Donovan - Mellow Yellow Chords

ChordsC, F, G, F#, G7, C7
Strumming↓-↓↓↑

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

  • Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
  • Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
  • Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
  • Guitar F# | G♭ chord diagram Fingering: 2-4-4-3-2-2 Barre at fret 2.Guitar F# | G♭ chord diagram
  • Guitar G7 chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-1Guitar G7 chord diagram
  • Guitar C7 chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-3-1-0Guitar C7 chord diagram


[C]I’m just mad about [F]Saffron, [C]Saffron’s mad about [G]me [F#] [F]
I’m just mad about Saffron, [G7]She’s just mad about me


They call me mellow [C7]yellow [F]
[G7]They call me mellow [C7]yellow [F]
[G7]They call me mellow [C7]yellow [F] [G7]


[C]I’m just mad about [F]Fourteen, [C]Fourteen’s mad about [G]me [F#] [F]
I’m just mad about Fourteen, [G7]She’s just mad about me


They call me mellow [C7]yellow [F]
[G7]They call me mellow [C7]yellow [F]
[G7]They call me mellow [C7]yellow [F] [G7]


[C]Born high forever [F]to fly, [C]Wind velocity [G7]nil [F#] [F]
[F]Wanna high forever to [G7]fly, [G]If you want your cup o’er [G7]fill


They call me mellow [C7]yellow [F]
[G7]They call me mellow [C7]yellow [F]
[G7]They call me mellow [C7]yellow [F] [G7]


[C]Electrical banana, Is [F]gonna [C]be a sudden [G7]craze [F#] [F]
[F]Electrical banana, Is [G7]bound to [G]be the very next [G7]phase


They call me mellow [C7]yellow [F]
[G7]They call me mellow [C7]yellow [F]
[G7]They call me mellow [C7]yellow [F] [G7]


[C]I’m just mad about [F]Saffron, [C]Saffron’s mad about [G7]me [F#] [F]
[F]I’m just mad about [G7]Saffron, [G]She‟d just mad about me


They call me mellow [C7]yellow [F]
[G7]They call me mellow [C7]yellow [F]
[G7]They call me mellow [C7]yellow [F] [G7]

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ArtistDonovan
AlbumMellow Yellow
GenresFolk
Year1967
KeyC

How to play Mellow Yellow on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Donovan - Mellow Yellow on guitar requires 6 chords and 11 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.

Mellow Yellow uses these transitions most often: F → G7 (20), C7 → F (15), and G7 → C7 (14). 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 C - F chord transition.

1. C → F chord transition

To move from C to F;

  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. Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on D string fret 3.
C to F

2. 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.
C to G

3. G → F# chord transition

To move from G to F#;

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

4. F# → F chord transition

To move from F# to F;

  1. Slide your index finger on E string from fret 2 to fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger on G string from fret 3 to fret 2.
  3. Slide your ring finger on A string from fret 4 to fret 3.
  4. Slide your pinky on D string from fret 4 to fret 3.
F# to F

5. F → G7 chord transition

To move from F to G7;

  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 1.

6. G7 → C7 chord transition

To move from G7 to C7;

  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.
  4. Place pinky on G string fret 3.

7. C7 → F chord transition

To move from C7 to F;

  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. Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
  4. Lift your pinky from G string fret 3 and place it on D string fret 3.

8. G7 → C chord transition

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.

9. G7 → F# chord transition

To move from G7 to F#;

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

10. G7 → G chord transition

To move from G7 to G;

  1. Keep index finger on A string fret 2.
  2. Keep middle finger on E string fret 3.
  3. Slide your ring finger on E string from fret 1 to fret 3.

11. G → C7 chord transition

To move from G to C7;

  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 A string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on G string fret 3.

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Mellow Yellow.

  • Mellow Yellow includes 84 chord transitions, 11 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Mellow Yellow contains 2 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Mellow Yellow connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After F, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (40%), G (21%), and Am (11%).
    • F → C: 40%
    • F → G7: 3%
    After G7, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (69%), C7 (5%), and F (5%).
    • G7 → C: 69%
    • G7 → C7: 5%