Six Strings
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Greensleeves

Traditional English song from the 16th century, in the public domain.

A Renaissance melody played as arpeggios, in three-four time. Six chords, one picking-hand pattern: the perfect song to feel a waltz under your fingers.

Difficulty
Beginner
Chords
Am, C, G, Em, F, E
Time signature
3/4, quarter note = 96
Length
2 min 02 s at full speed
Before you start
Barre chords

Play the song

Amnext: C
Bar 1 / 65 · 3/4
VerseAm1C2G3Em4Am5F6E7E8Am9C10G11Em12Am13E14Am15Am16ChorusC17C18G19Em20Am21F22E23E24C25C26G27Em28Am29E30Am31Am32VerseAm33C34G35Em36Am37F38E39E40Am41C42G43Em44Am45E46Am47Am48ChorusC49C50G51Em52Am53F54E55E56C57C58G59Em60Am61E62Am63Am64EndingAm6502101230101030030000000002101212111201000101000102101230101030030000000002101201000102101202101230101030101030030000000002101212111201000101000130101030101030030000000002101201000102101202101202101230101030030000000002101212111201000101000102101230101030030000000002101201000102101202101230101030101030030000000002101212111201000101000130101030101030030000000002101201000102101202101202210
Speed75 %
Verse
Chorus
Verse
Chorus
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

Greensleeves is in three-four time: count “1 and 2 and 3 and,” leaning a little on the 1. Each bar has six notes, one per eighth note.

  • On the 1, the bass note of the chord: A string for Am and C, low E for G, Em, F and E.
  • Then, always the same strings: G, B, high E, then B and G, up and back.

Your fretting hand puts down the whole chord at the start of the bar and holds it to the end, so the notes blend together.

Fingerstyle, your thumb plays the bass, your index the G string, your middle finger the B and your ring finger the high E. With a pick, go down to the high E, then come back up.

How to learn it

  1. Strum the chords once per bar over the first eight bars: Am, C, G, Em, Am, F, E, E.
  2. Learn the arpeggio on Am alone, counting out loud, until it runs on its own.
  3. Loop bars 1 to 4 at 60% in the player, then go up 5% each time it’s clean.
  4. Move on to the whole verse, then the chorus, which starts on C.
  5. Play the whole song at the speed where you never stop.

The tricky spots

  • From G to Em: lift all your fingers and put your middle and ring fingers on the 2nd fret, on the A and D strings. Picture the Em shape before you leave G.
  • From Am to F: your index stays on the 1st fret and flattens out to make the barre. Get the barre ready during the last two notes of Am.
  • From F to E: this is the hardest moment. Release the barre all at once, and drop into E while keeping the shape of your hand.

F barre chord still a struggle? Swap it for F major 7: four strings, no barre, and the arpeggio sounds almost the same.

Chord chart

Verse
Chorus
Verse
Chorus
Ending

▶ Play it in the Studio

Text tab

Verse

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

Chorus

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

Verse

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

Chorus

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

Ending

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