007 Shanty Town by Desmond Dekker is a ska/reggae classic and is in the key of Ab and has the chords Ab, Db and Eb. “007 (Shanty Town)” was written and performed by Desmond Dekker and released in 1967. It became one of his breakthrough hits and is a classic of the rocksteady era, helping to bring Jamaican music to a wider international audience.
Why it works on guitar
This song works really well for early intermediate guitarists. It uses a small number of chords and a steady rocksteady groove, making it great for locking in timing and learning to play rhythm guitar in a band-style feel.
In this lesson
We’ll break down the chords used in the song and focus on the rocksteady strumming pattern, paying particular attention to playing on the off-beats and keeping the rhythm tight and controlled.
007 Shanty Town guitar lesson-
This file is the author’s own work and represents her interpretation of this song. It’s intended solely for research or private study. We do not distribute printable chord and lyrics charts. These chord charts are here only to support online learning. We highly recommend buying music from a reputable online sheet music store.