Happy Birthday is an excellent song to begin learning on guitar, featuring open major chords and a simple melody with pickup notes.
This song is in 3/4 time (waltz), which means each measure consists of three beats and each quarter note counts for one count. This allows vocals to begin on “Hap-py”, followed by guitar chords on “Birthday”.
Make use of an alternating downstroke/upstroke pattern when playing guitar.
G Major
G Major is one of the most frequently-used keys in music, featuring often in hymns and religious songs; however, it can also be heard in popular, rock, country and dance genres like Drum n Bass and Trap. G Major can also provide songs with emotional or spiritual undertones, like Ed Sheeran’s Hearts Don’t Break Around Here and Taylor Swift’s Shake It Off by Ed Sheeran or Taylor Swift respectively.
G chord is the easiest chord to use when singing Happy Birthday, yet for added variation use C major open chord instead of G major as this produces similar melodies but at lower pitches; this can create more drama but can be difficult to sing because each syllable must match up perfectly with its respective rhythm of each chord.
C Major
C Major is an ideal chord to start learning the guitar with because its melody is very easy and features pickup eighth notes – this makes it great for beginner guitarists! Most newcomers tend to learn this song as their first tune on guitar.
C major is composed of three chord notes connected by triads. Each note in a triad has its own character: for example, G major’s has a minor third while C major features major thirds.
Sometimes one chord may work perfectly for one song but not another. That’s why having a capo can come in handy; it allows you to raise the pitch of your guitar by half steps at a time.
For this particular song, a capo on the second fret of your guitar will help ensure you play G chords without raising your voice too high.
D Major
Few people around the world don’t recognize or enjoy singing the classic birthday tune Happy Birthday. This timeless piece can easily add cheer and celebration at family gatherings and special events alike.
The key of D Major features two sharps and is a diatonic scale with pitches D, E, F#m, G, A, B and C#mb5. This scale is very easy for beginners to learn and has been used by popular artists such as Creedence Clearwater Revival and Bryan Adams in many songs.
As with other scales and chords, D Major can be played using various inversions or methods – often called inversions. One common way of playing D Major involves starting in root position by playing D, F#m, G then adding A by moving your hand up one finger position onto finger number three on second string – thus minimising leaping. This also gives the chord an open sound.
E Major
Few people worldwide don’t recognize the song Happy Birthday. It is a timeless tune perfect for family celebrations and very easy to learn; using only three chords it makes an ideal song for beginners playing guitar chords happy birthday.
Beginners often start off in E Major, as it is relatively straightforward and has few problems; plus the melody of Happy Birthday fits nicely with this chord. If singing in E Major is uncomfortable for you, using a capo can allow you to change its key and customize its chords according to your vocal range.
Starting on the B7 chord of Happy Birthday begins with two Bs – on both A string second fret and open B string – making its initial melody pitch coincide with your chords is something that requires practice – yet is a great way to start learning this song!