It starts with that sound. You know the one—that aggressive, staccato sawtooth synthesizer blast that basically defined 1983. It’s "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)." While everyone remembers the music video for its... let’s say unique air-keyboarding on a brick wall, musicians know this track is a masterclass in arena rock composition. If you’re trying to figure out the separate ways journey chords, you aren't just looking for a simple campfire strum-along. You're trying to capture a very specific, driving energy that relies as much on palm muting as it does on music theory.
Honestly, the song is a bit of a trickster. It sounds massive, but the actual harmonic structure is surprisingly lean. It’s built on a foundation of E Minor, but it’s the way Jonathan Cain and Neal Schon weave the keys and guitar together that makes it feel like a freight train.
The Core Progression: It’s All About the E Minor
Most people sit down at a piano or grab a guitar and immediately hunt for the big chords. For this track, you’re looking at a primary loop of Em, C, D, and G. But wait. If you just strum those like a folk song, it’ll sound terrible. It’ll sound like you're covering "Leaving on a Jet Plane" but with a bit more angst.
The "Separate Ways" vibe comes from the power chords and the rhythmic chugging. On the guitar, Neal Schon isn't playing full open chords. He’s using E5, C5, and D5.
The verse structure follows a fairly standard i - VI - VII pattern in the key of E Minor.
- Verse: Em | D | C | D
- Pre-Chorus: C | D | Em | Em
- Chorus: Em | C | G | D
Check out the rhythm. It’s driving eighth notes. If you aren't palm muting those E5 chords during the verse, you’re missing the tension that makes the chorus feel so explosive when it finally hits.
That Iconic Keyboard Riff vs. The Guitar
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: the Roland Jupiter-8. That’s what Jonathan Cain used for the main riff. If you’re a guitar player trying to cover those separate ways journey chords, you have to decide if you’re going to mimic the synth or stick to the rhythm.
The riff itself is actually centered around an E minor arpeggio, but it hits the 2nd (the F#) and the 4th (the A) to give it that suspended, searching feeling. On a guitar, you can play this by pedaling off the open low E string while hitting the higher notes on the D and G strings. It’s a finger-twister if you aren't used to that kind of "pedal point" playing.
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Interestingly, Neal Schon often doubles the synth line during live performances to give it more "weight." He isn't just playing chords; he's playing the melody inside the chords. This is a classic Journey move. It’s why their songs sound so much "thicker" than your average 80s hair metal band.
The Nuance in the Bridge
Eventually, the song shifts. You get to the "Someday love will find you" part. This is the emotional payoff. The chords here don't change drastically, but the voicing does. You’re moving from that tight, palm-muted verse into wide-open, ringing chords.
- C Major: Let it ring. Use a full barre chord here to get the low end.
- D Major: Again, let it breathe.
- G Major: This is the peak.
- B7 or B Major: This is the "turnaround." This chord is crucial. It acts as the dominant chord (the V) that "pulls" the listener back into the E Minor of the chorus. If you skip this B chord or play it as a minor, the whole tension of the song collapses. It’s the "secret sauce" in the separate ways journey chords list.
Why Your Cover Might Sound "Off"
If you’re playing the right chords but it still doesn't feel like Journey, it’s probably your "pocket." Steve Smith’s drumming on this track is incredibly precise. He’s hitting the snare on 2 and 4 with a lot of crack, but the bass drum is locked in with the rhythm of the guitar's E5 chord.
Also, consider your gain. In 1983, Neal Schon was moving away from the super-fuzzy 70s tones into something more compressed and "shimmery." If you use too much distortion, the notes in your chords will turn into mud. You want enough "crunch" to feel the power, but enough clarity so that when you play a C Major, you can actually hear the major third.
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Breaking Down the Solo Section
The solo doesn't strictly follow the verse chords. It’s more of a modal workout. Neal Schon is famous for his melodic phrasing—he doesn't just shred for the sake of shredding. He’s playing over an E Minor backdrop, but he’s pulling notes from the E Aeolian and E Phrygian scales to give it that slight "dark" edge.
If you're backing a soloist on this part, keep the rhythm steady. Don't try to get fancy with the chords. Just hold that E5/C5/D5 progression like a rock. The contrast between the steady, driving rhythm and the fluid, soaring lead is what makes the solo section "pop."
Taking It to the Stage
When you’re performing this, remember that Steve Perry’s vocal range is legendary. The chords are set in E Minor because it sits in that "sweet spot" for a high tenor. If your singer can't hit those high notes, you might be tempted to transpose the chords down to D Minor or C Minor.
Be careful if you do that.
The song loses some of its "bite" when you move away from the E string. The open E string on a guitar has a specific resonance that's hard to replicate at other pitches. If you must transpose, try using a capo or tuning your whole guitar down, rather than changing your fingerings. This keeps the relationship between the open strings and the fretted notes intact.
Practical Next Steps for Learning
To truly master the separate ways journey chords, stop looking at basic chord charts and start listening for the "internal" melodies.
- Isolate the Bassline: Listen to Ross Valory. He often plays the root notes, but during the chorus, he adds a bit of a walking feel that moves the song forward.
- Practice the "Chug": Spend ten minutes just working on your palm muting on the E5 power chord. It needs to be metronomic. If you’re even slightly off-beat, the song loses its "mechanical" 80s energy.
- Focus on the B Major Turnaround: Make sure you're hitting that B chord hard before the chorus. It's the "bridge" that makes the E Minor feel earned.
- Check Your Synth Patches: If you're a keyboardist, don't just use a generic "brass" preset. You need a sawtooth wave with a quick attack and a bit of "grit" to cut through the guitar.
The beauty of Journey’s writing is that it’s accessible but difficult to perfect. You can learn the basic chords in five minutes, but you can spend a lifetime trying to match the energy and precision of the original recording. Start with the E5, find that rhythm, and let the song breathe.