Amazing Grace is a song worthy of learning, whether performed by a large choir or played solo on guitar. Join us in this free lesson as we examine both its chords and melody!
Block and broken chords will also be explored; block chords consist of pressing all strings together while broken chords involve plucked single strings with an index finger, then using its base to hammer-on notes from another string.
1. G Major
Amazing Grace is one of the most beloved spiritual songs outside its religious context and should be on every guitarist’s must-know repertoire list!
G Major chord is an accessible starter chord to learn on guitar for beginners, helping build finger strength while also decreasing distance between chords – an invaluable skill!
To play a G chord, start by placing your thumb on the E string with your index finger playing A and B respectively with two other fingers. Finally, slide your thumb underneath your middle finger to play C before using pinky finger to play D with its pinkie finger.
2. C Major
Amazing Grace is one of the most well-known spiritual songs for guitar. This timeless hymn about redemption and divine grace has long been revered across faiths.
This song’s chords and fingerings are straightforward, while there’s quite a bit of work involved with playing scales in this key. Therefore, make sure you practice before trying this tune for real!
All major scales can be broken down into two major tetrachords (four note patterns with 2-2-1 and whole step, half step progressions), which are essential in musical theory to understanding how notes interact to form chords and melodies. Solfege makes this easy as you quickly memorize scale degrees such as tonic, supertonic, mediant, subdominant, dominant submediant leading note tone octave etc.
3. D Major
D major does not contain any flats, but contains two sharps – C and F sharp – making this scale particularly suitable for songs that exude triumphant, confident songs like Hallelujahs or marches. D Major includes these notes:
Major scales can be divided into two major tetrachords, or four note segments with the pattern 2-2-1 (or whole step, half step and whole step), which makes them much simpler to remember than longer sequences of seven or eight notes.
To play the D major scale on guitar, begin by practicing on the white keys (D-E-F#-G-A-B). Next, tuck your thumb underneath to reach the black keys (C-sharp and F-sharp). Repeat these steps when ascending or descending notes are being played; also practice with a metronome until you can comfortably perform this scale with good rhythm.
4. E Major
Amazing Grace is an inspirational classic song, beloved in many genres. Its power shines whether performed with full band or as an instrumental fingerpicking arrangement.
This lesson utilizes E Major for chord progression. This key is ideal for beginners as it only contains sharps and flats – making counting out notes much simpler!
Every position of the E Major scale features its own root note pattern. For example, position 2 starts with a low root note on string 4 while position 1 features its lowest root on string 6’s 12th fret – always bear this in mind when learning chord progressions!
5. F Major
Amazing Grace is a beloved spiritual song that can also be played outside a religious setting, making it one of the first pieces that all musicians should learn to play on guitar.
F Major chords can be challenging for newcomers to master due to requiring your third finger to bar across two strings with its thumb and index fingers. Mastering this chord requires some hand strength and coordination – with practice however, you’ll soon become adept!
Note also that this chord offers multiple inversions; an inversion refers to playing the same chord but in different octaves – music theory refers to this practice as minimising distance between chords – an invaluable skill when switching between chords. Captain Chords offers several practice inversions of F Major chords so you can hone this skill further when switching.