Amazing Grace

American hymn: words by John Newton (1779), melody “New Britain” (1829). Public domain.

Three chords from step 2, a slow waltz: your first fingerpicked song. If you can switch between G, C and D, you can play it today.

Difficulty:: Very easy.
Chords:: G, C, D.
Time signature:: 3/4, quarter note = 84.
Length:: 1 min 45 s at full speed.
Before you start:: Changing chords without stopping.

Play the song

Gnext: G

Bar 1 / 49 · 3/4

Speed75 %

Loopfrom to

Metronome Count-in

Verse 1

Verse 2

Verse 3

Ending

Keyboard: Space play or pause, ← → previous or next bar, − + speed, B loop.

The chords

Click a chord to hear it.

The picking-hand pattern

The song is in three-four time, slow. Count “1 and 2 and 3 and”: six notes per bar, one per eighth note.

On the 1, the bass note: low E for G, A string for C, D string for D.
Then: G, B, high E, then B and G.

Hold the chord down for the whole bar: the notes should keep ringing together.

How to learn it

Strum the chords once per bar over the first verse. It’s a good review of the lesson Changing chords without stopping.
Learn the arpeggio on G alone, slowly, counting.
Loop bars 1 to 8 at 70%, then speed up.
Play all three verses in a row, without stopping between them.

The tricky spots

From G to C: your ring finger moves from the high E to the 3rd fret of the A string, your middle finger drops from the low E to the D string, and your index moves from the A string to the 1st fret of the B string. Move all three fingers together, in one motion.
From D to G (bars 14 and 15): the change comes just before the end of the verse. Start leaving D on the last two notes of the bar.

Chord chart

Verse 1

Verse 2

Verse 3

Ending

▶ Play it in the Studio

Text tab

Verse 1

e|----------3-------|----------3-------|----------0-------|----------3-------|----------3-------|----------3-------|----------2-------|----------2-------|----------3-------|----------3-------|----------0-------|----------3-------|----------3-------|----------2-------|----------3-------|----------3-------|
B|-------0-----0----|-------0-----0----|-------1-----1----|-------0-----0----|-------0-----0----|-------0-----0----|-------3-----3----|-------3-----3----|-------0-----0----|-------0-----0----|-------1-----1----|-------0-----0----|-------0-----0----|-------3-----3----|-------0-----0----|-------0-----0----|
G|----0-----------0-|----0-----------0-|----0-----------0-|----0-----------0-|----0-----------0-|----0-----------0-|----2-----------2-|----2-----------2-|----0-----------0-|----0-----------0-|----0-----------0-|----0-----------0-|----0-----------0-|----2-----------2-|----0-----------0-|----0-----------0-|
D|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|-0----------------|-0----------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|-0----------------|------------------|------------------|
A|------------------|------------------|-3----------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|-3----------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|
E|-3----------------|-3----------------|------------------|-3----------------|-3----------------|-3----------------|------------------|------------------|-3----------------|-3----------------|------------------|-3----------------|-3----------------|------------------|-3----------------|-3----------------|

Verse 2

e|----------3-------|----------3-------|----------0-------|----------3-------|----------3-------|----------3-------|----------2-------|----------2-------|----------3-------|----------3-------|----------0-------|----------3-------|----------3-------|----------2-------|----------3-------|----------3-------|
B|-------0-----0----|-------0-----0----|-------1-----1----|-------0-----0----|-------0-----0----|-------0-----0----|-------3-----3----|-------3-----3----|-------0-----0----|-------0-----0----|-------1-----1----|-------0-----0----|-------0-----0----|-------3-----3----|-------0-----0----|-------0-----0----|
G|----0-----------0-|----0-----------0-|----0-----------0-|----0-----------0-|----0-----------0-|----0-----------0-|----2-----------2-|----2-----------2-|----0-----------0-|----0-----------0-|----0-----------0-|----0-----------0-|----0-----------0-|----2-----------2-|----0-----------0-|----0-----------0-|
D|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|-0----------------|-0----------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|-0----------------|------------------|------------------|
A|------------------|------------------|-3----------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|-3----------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|
E|-3----------------|-3----------------|------------------|-3----------------|-3----------------|-3----------------|------------------|------------------|-3----------------|-3----------------|------------------|-3----------------|-3----------------|------------------|-3----------------|-3----------------|

Verse 3

e|----------3-------|----------3-------|----------0-------|----------3-------|----------3-------|----------3-------|----------2-------|----------2-------|----------3-------|----------3-------|----------0-------|----------3-------|----------3-------|----------2-------|----------3-------|----------3-------|
B|-------0-----0----|-------0-----0----|-------1-----1----|-------0-----0----|-------0-----0----|-------0-----0----|-------3-----3----|-------3-----3----|-------0-----0----|-------0-----0----|-------1-----1----|-------0-----0----|-------0-----0----|-------3-----3----|-------0-----0----|-------0-----0----|
G|----0-----------0-|----0-----------0-|----0-----------0-|----0-----------0-|----0-----------0-|----0-----------0-|----2-----------2-|----2-----------2-|----0-----------0-|----0-----------0-|----0-----------0-|----0-----------0-|----0-----------0-|----2-----------2-|----0-----------0-|----0-----------0-|
D|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|-0----------------|-0----------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|-0----------------|------------------|------------------|
A|------------------|------------------|-3----------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|-3----------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|------------------|
E|-3----------------|-3----------------|------------------|-3----------------|-3----------------|-3----------------|------------------|------------------|-3----------------|-3----------------|------------------|-3----------------|-3----------------|------------------|-3----------------|-3----------------|

Ending

e|-3----------------|
B|-0----------------|
G|-0----------------|
D|-0----------------|
A|-2----------------|
E|-3----------------|