The ULTIMATE “Have You Ever Seen The Rain?” Chords & Guitar Lesson

Here’s a song that's sure to have your audience singing along.

It blends 5 chords with rhythm and blues, rock, and folk in a special way.

Below, I’m going to share with you some insider tips on the guitar style behind it.

So grab your axe, and let’s dive into this “Have You Ever Seen The Rain” chords and guitar lesson!

Who Wrote Have You Ever Seen The Rain?

“Have You Ever Seen the Rain” was written by the legendary John Fogerty of the American rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival, sometimes abbreviated as CCR, or simply Creedence. It was released in 1971 on their album Pendulum and features the classic sound the group is known for. Creedence consists of 4 members: John Fogerty, his brother, and fellow guitarist Tom Fogerty; the bassist Stu Cook; and the drummer Doug Clifford. 

The song has a catchy groove and was written during a time of musical success for the band. But it also hints at the drama and chaos the band was enduring as well. With opening lines like:

Someone told me long ago

There's a calm before the storm

I know, it's been comin' for some time…

You see, just before the release of this album, tensions were boiling in the band. Tom was getting frustrated with his brother, John. He wanted more input and creative freedom, but the dynamic within the band made that difficult. Tom ended up leaving the band in early 1971, shortly before the recording of Pendulum.

“Have You Ever Seen The Rain” was recorded at Wally Heider Studios in San Francisco, a studio where CCR did much of their work. The production was simple yet iconic, featuring driving drums, bass, piano, electric guitar, and Fogerty’s raspy vocals. The confidence in the groove and rhythm is unmistakable.  

Upon its release, “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” became a commercial hit, reaching number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States and charting highly in multiple countries. Over time, it has become one of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s most beloved songs. It’s also been covered by a ton of famous artists like Joan Jett, Rod Stewart, and Bonnie Tyler. 

Now, you may be wondering…

What is the tuning for Have You Ever Seen The Rain?

The tuning for "Have You Ever Seen The Rain” is standard tuning. While many Creedence songs have alternate tunings, for this one, they kept things simple. Standard tuning is spelled: E, A, D, G, B, and E. 

Here are the strings:

• E (6th string, lowest pitch)
• A (5th string)
• D (4th string)
• G (3rd string)
• B (2nd string)
• E (1st string, highest pitch)

All right! 

Now that you know the tuning for “Have You Ever Seen The Rain,” let’s next talk about…

Have You Ever Seen The Rain Chords

To play “Have You Ever Seen The Rain”, as recorded by Creedence Clearwater Revival, you only need to know 5 main chords they are Am, F, C, G, and C/B. These chords are a blend of open chords and 1 bar chord. If bar chords are giving you all kinds of aches and pains, and you haven’t yet discovered how to play them effortlessly, go here: https://www.jonmaclennan.com/barchords

Let’s take a look at a few ways these shapes might show up on the fretboard.

Am kicks off the song from the 5th string down like this:

F is a bar chord in 1st position and uses all 6 strings like so:

C is played in a standard (campfire) style from the 5th string down like this:

G I play in a folk-style using all 6 strings like so:

Finally, we have C/B. This chord is a slash chord. A slash chord is where a standard chord is written with a slash followed by a bass note that is different from the chord’s root. This is part of a descending chord progression in the chorus. I play it like this:

If you’ve struggled to understand the fretboard for RHYTHM and LEAD guitar, and want to discover the easiest and fastest way. Then get your hands on my free Fretboard Guide PDF right here now:  

Is Have You Ever Seen The Rain hard to play on guitar?

I would say playing “Have You Ever Seen The Rain” on guitar is going to require an intermediate skill level. The song only has 5 chords, all of which are open except 1, the F chord. Because of the F, it starts to push into an intermediate skill level. Also if you want to add in the licks and keep a steady flowing groove (like what you hear on the record) this is going to be more difficult. So, take your time with this one. 

What key is Have You Ever Seen The Rain in?

“Have You Ever Seen The Rain”, as recorded by CCR, is in the key of C major. The primary scale would be the C major scale, which is built using the notes C, D, E, F, G, A, and B.

Let’s take a closer look at how all these chords relate in the key of C major. Starting with…

Am

Notes: A, C, E

Function: This is the vi chord in C major, a minor chord built on the sixth degree of the scale. It’s the first chord in the song and often referred to as the relative minor. 

F

Notes: F, A, C

Function: This is the IV chord in C major, a major chord built on the fourth scale degree. It often acts as a pre-dominant chord, leading nicely to the dominant (G) or back to the tonic (C). F major shares the notes A and C with Am, which connects these chords in a smooth way.

C

Notes: C, E, G

Function: This is the I chord, the tonic chord of C major, it’s “home”. All chord progressions in C major ultimately feel resolved when returning here. 

G

Notes: G, B, D

Function: This is the V chord, the dominant chord in C major. Its primary function is to create tension that wants to resolve back to the tonic (C). The B note, the leading tone, pulls strongly toward C, giving the progression forward motion. 

C/B

Notes: B, C, E, G

Function: This is a slash chord. It’s a C major chord with B in the bass. In the key of C major, it often functions as a passing chord. This creates a smooth descending bass line from C (C) to Am (A) by walking down the scale.

Together, these chords make up some of the most common sets of chords in popular music.

Millions of songs use them… 

All right!

That’s my theory breakdown. 

Next, let’s look at…

What is the strumming pattern for Have You Ever Seen The Rain?

The main underlying groove for “Have You Ever Seen The Rain” is an 8th note rock feel. In 4/4 time, 8th notes divide each beat into two equal parts, creating a driving, steady rhythm like this:

1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 

The numbers (1, 2, 3, 4) represent the main beats in the measure, while the "&" represents the offbeats that add energy and momentum.

When counted out loud, it sounds like: 

"One-and, Two-and, Three-and, Four-and."

This gives a strong and consistent forward motion to the tune. 

So that’s the overall feel. Here’s an example of a strumming pattern that uses 8th notes in the style of “Have You Ever Seen The Rain”:

Conclusion

To wrap it up, here’s a quote from John Fogerty about this song:

“I wrote this song in a melancholy mood. It’s actually about Creedence, breaking up; the writing surely was on the wall by then. What young musicians really need is a strong manager or a father or somebody to take them all by the collar until they get over it. Everybody’s got an ego and power and girlfriends and all the rest, so it ends up a mess sometimes, and that’s what the song was written about.  But these days, the song reminds me of the blessing that I have, the fans out there that have singing all these songs all these years. There is a rainbow in the song, and I guess I'm arriving there now." 

Keep practicing, and if you want to learn songs way faster, better understand the fretboard for lead and rhythm, and not waste years spinning your wheels with guitar, grab my free fretboard guide here right now: 

Jon MacLennan