Rod Argent wrote “Time of the Season” in 1967, the Zombies recorded it at Abbey Road, the band broke up — and then over a year later it hit #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 as if nothing had happened. That hypnotic E minor groove was too good to stay buried. In this lesson, Marty Schwartz breaks down the iconic bass line, the main chord progression, and how to put it all together whether you’re a beginner or want to work in some electric guitar flavor.
The Key and the Iconic Bass Line
The song lives in E minor, and Marty starts with the bass line because it’s the heart of the track. There are two spots on the neck where you can play it, and he shows both.
The first position sits higher on the neck — seventh fret on the low E string, fifth fret on the A string, then back to seventh fret on the A string. That last note is the root, the E. The second position is lower and a little easier for beginners: second fret on the A string, open D string, then second fret on the D string.
Marty also walks the same riff up to a higher position on the neck for a brighter take on the phrase.
Both versions nail that punchy, clipped feel — the same quality that made Chris White’s bass line so instantly recognizable when the record came out.
The E Minor and C Chords
After the bass line, Marty moves to the chord content. The core move is E minor resolving to C, with a pickup note on D. As a beginner, you can keep it simple: D to C to E minor.
That D-C-Em motion is the bread and butter of the verse groove. Marty plays it clean and shows how even the stripped-down beginner version captures the feel of the song.
G to E Minor — The Main Progression
The next section Marty covers is a G major chord moving to E minor, repeated. It’s a simple two-chord move, but the rhythm is where it lives — that slow, deliberate swing between the two shapes gives the progression its mood.
Marty plays G to E minor, G to E minor, and then runs through a quick E minor, D, C sequence to finish the phrase.
C Over B and the A Minor to E Major Move
There’s a C over B shape in there that Marty makes easy to understand — it’s just a regular C chord with the ring finger lifted off. The middle finger holds down the second fret of the A string, giving you that bass note on B. It’s a small adjustment but it changes the feel of the chord completely.
Then comes one of the more interesting moments in the lesson: A minor to E major. Marty points out that these two chords share the same physical shape on the neck — the fingering is identical, just moved to a different string set. Once you have A minor down, you already have E major.
That A minor to E major movement adds a little lift to the progression — E major has a brighter sound than E minor, and the contrast is noticeable.
Putting It Together as a Beginner
Marty lays out a clean beginner path through the whole song. Start with E minor, move to C, back to E minor. Then add the G to E minor section, run through it twice, and finish with the quick E minor, D, C turnaround. That’s the core of the song right there — playable on day one with a few basic chord shapes.
Once those transitions feel comfortable, Marty shows how you can start weaving in pieces of the bass line alongside the chords. That’s where the electric guitar version comes in — you’re not just strumming chords anymore, you’re playing some of that groove the song is built on.
Why This Song Works on Guitar
The original recording didn’t lean on guitar as its signature sound — that was Rod Argent’s Hammond organ and Chris White’s punchy Precision Bass doing the heavy lifting. But those two instruments were essentially playing a guitar-friendly E minor vamp, which is exactly why this song translates so well to the fretboard.
The E minor chord is one of the easiest shapes to play, the chord moves are small and logical, and the riff sits in a spot on the neck that’s comfortable for most players. It’s the kind of song that sounds impressive from the first day you can play it through, and that’s a rare thing.
That durability — a two-chord E minor core that’s been sampled in hip-hop, pop, and film scores for decades — starts right here with the shapes Marty walks through in this lesson.
Keep Going
Whether you work through the beginner chord version first or jump straight to combining the bass line with the chords, this song rewards the time you put into it. The groove is patient — it lets you find your way into it at your own pace.
