Complicated

Avril Lavigne

Key: F majorNo capo4/4~78 BPM

Standard tuning

F: low to high 1, 3, 3, 2, 1, 1IFDm: low to high muted, muted, 0, 2, 3, 1viDm××B♭: low to high muted, 1, 3, 3, 3, 1IVB♭×C: low to high muted, 3, 2, 0, 1, 0VC×Gm: low to high 3, 5, 5, 3, 3, 3iiGm3

Verse / bridgeRepeating cycle

One chord per bar. Verse: two cycles; vocal bridge after the second chorus: one cycle. Suggested strumming, not a transcription.Gentle suggestion · 1, 2 &, & 4 &

4 bars · ×2
Progression bars 1–4IFviDmIVB♭VC1&2&3&4&1&2&3&4&1&2&3&4&1&2&3&4&Gentle suggestion · 1, 2 &, & 4 &STRUMone full bar · repeat as needed1&2&3&4&

Pre-chorusOne-time passage

One bar per chord. Build intensity; on C, strike beat 1 and let it ring into Dm. Suggested acoustic approach.

4 bars
Progression bars 1–4IVB♭viDmIVB♭VC1234123412341234

ChorusOne-time passage

Bars 1–6: change on beats 1 and 3. Bars 7–8: Gm then B♭, four beats each. Continue to F for the verse/bridge, or Dm for the repeated final chorus.Fuller suggestion · eighth notes, accents on 2 and 4

8 bars
Progression bars 1–8viDmIVB♭IFVCviDmIVB♭IFVCviDmIVB♭IFVCiiGmIVB♭1&2&3&4&1&2&3&4&1&2&3&4&1&2&3&4&1&2&3&4&1&2&3&4&1&2&3&4&1&2&3&4&Fuller suggestion · eighth notes, accents on 2 and 4STRUMone full bar · repeat as needed1&2&3&4&

Song ending: resolve to F and let it ring; final duration is free.

Additional tips

Sound & touch Suggestion: keep the verse light, then widen the chorus strum without speeding up. The suggested eighth notes support an acoustic accompaniment; they do not reproduce the layered guitars on the record.

Grips & transitions F and Gm use the same movable barre family, with a minor third for Gm. For B♭, barre fret 1 and fret the inner strings at 3; retain the high D on the B string. Open Dm and C add resonance: mute the low strings marked ×.

Improvising in F F major: F, G, A, B♭, C, D, E. Target A over F, F over Dm, D over B♭ and E over C; over Gm, try B♭ or D. For a settled landing, resolve B♭ to A over F and F to E over C.

Two colours, one scale Suggestion: D minor pentatonic (D, F, G, A, C) gives a more melancholic colour. Add B♭ over Gm and B♭, and E over C. This reduction contains no borrowed chords; F major and D natural minor share the same scale notes.