Six Strings Ballad
Original Six Strings composition, free to use.
A slow ballad over pop’s most melancholy progression, Am, F, C, G, with a chorus that climbs to E. Eight notes per bar, always the same arpeggio.
- Difficulty:
- Beginner.
- Chords:
- Am, F, C, G, E.
- Time signature:
- 4/4, quarter note = 72.
- Length:
- 2 min 00 s at full speed.
- Before you start:
- Barre chords.
Play the song
Amnext: F
Bar 1 / 36 · 4/4
Speed
Verse 1
Chorus
Verse 2
Chorus
Ending
Last chord
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 four-four time, slow. Count “1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and”: eight notes per bar.
- On the 1, the bass note: A string for Am and C, low E for F, G and E.
- Then: G, B, high E, B, G, then B and high E.
How to learn it
- Strum the progression Am, F, C, G once per bar, on a loop.
- Learn the arpeggio on Am, then go from Am to F without stopping.
- Loop the verse at 60%, then the chorus.
- Play the whole song: the ending goes back through F, G and Am, then you strum one last Am.
The tricky spots
- From Am to F: the barre shows up as early as the second bar. Keep your index close to the 1st fret during Am to save time.
- From C to E, at the end of the chorus: E announces the return to Am. Play it with conviction: it’s what makes you want to start again.
F barre chord still a struggle? Swap it for F major 7 while you get used to it.
Chord chart
Text tab
Verse 1
e|----------0-----------0-|----------1-----------1-|----------0-----------0-|----------3-----------3-|----------0-----------0-|----------1-----------1-|----------0-----------0-|----------3-----------3-| B|-------1-----1-----1----|-------1-----1-----1----|-------1-----1-----1----|-------0-----0-----0----|-------1-----1-----1----|-------1-----1-----1----|-------1-----1-----1----|-------0-----0-----0----| G|----2-----------2-------|----2-----------2-------|----0-----------0-------|----0-----------0-------|----2-----------2-------|----2-----------2-------|----0-----------0-------|----0-----------0-------| D|------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|------------------------| A|-0----------------------|------------------------|-3----------------------|------------------------|-0----------------------|------------------------|-3----------------------|------------------------| E|------------------------|-1----------------------|------------------------|-3----------------------|------------------------|-1----------------------|------------------------|-3----------------------|
Chorus
e|----------1-----------1-|----------3-----------3-|----------0-----------0-|----------0-----------0-|----------1-----------1-|----------3-----------3-|----------0-----------0-|----------0-----------0-| B|-------1-----1-----1----|-------0-----0-----0----|-------1-----1-----1----|-------1-----1-----1----|-------1-----1-----1----|-------0-----0-----0----|-------1-----1-----1----|-------0-----0-----0----| G|----2-----------2-------|----0-----------0-------|----2-----------2-------|----2-----------2-------|----2-----------2-------|----0-----------0-------|----0-----------0-------|----1-----------1-------| D|------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|------------------------| A|------------------------|------------------------|-0----------------------|-0----------------------|------------------------|------------------------|-3----------------------|------------------------| E|-1----------------------|-3----------------------|------------------------|------------------------|-1----------------------|-3----------------------|------------------------|-0----------------------|
Verse 2
e|----------0-----------0-|----------1-----------1-|----------0-----------0-|----------3-----------3-|----------0-----------0-|----------1-----------1-|----------0-----------0-|----------3-----------3-| B|-------1-----1-----1----|-------1-----1-----1----|-------1-----1-----1----|-------0-----0-----0----|-------1-----1-----1----|-------1-----1-----1----|-------1-----1-----1----|-------0-----0-----0----| G|----2-----------2-------|----2-----------2-------|----0-----------0-------|----0-----------0-------|----2-----------2-------|----2-----------2-------|----0-----------0-------|----0-----------0-------| D|------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|------------------------| A|-0----------------------|------------------------|-3----------------------|------------------------|-0----------------------|------------------------|-3----------------------|------------------------| E|------------------------|-1----------------------|------------------------|-3----------------------|------------------------|-1----------------------|------------------------|-3----------------------|
Chorus
e|----------1-----------1-|----------3-----------3-|----------0-----------0-|----------0-----------0-|----------1-----------1-|----------3-----------3-|----------0-----------0-|----------0-----------0-| B|-------1-----1-----1----|-------0-----0-----0----|-------1-----1-----1----|-------1-----1-----1----|-------1-----1-----1----|-------0-----0-----0----|-------1-----1-----1----|-------0-----0-----0----| G|----2-----------2-------|----0-----------0-------|----2-----------2-------|----2-----------2-------|----2-----------2-------|----0-----------0-------|----0-----------0-------|----1-----------1-------| D|------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|------------------------| A|------------------------|------------------------|-0----------------------|-0----------------------|------------------------|------------------------|-3----------------------|------------------------| E|-1----------------------|-3----------------------|------------------------|------------------------|-1----------------------|-3----------------------|------------------------|-0----------------------|
Ending
e|----------1-----------1-|----------3-----------3-|----------0-----------0-| B|-------1-----1-----1----|-------0-----0-----0----|-------1-----1-----1----| G|----2-----------2-------|----0-----------0-------|----2-----------2-------| D|------------------------|------------------------|------------------------| A|------------------------|------------------------|-0----------------------| E|-1----------------------|-3----------------------|------------------------|
Last chord
e|-0----------------------| B|-1----------------------| G|-2----------------------| D|-2----------------------| A|-0----------------------| E|------------------------|