Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen is an immensely popular tune that everyone should learn! Its easy chords and strumming pattern makes this piece perfect for beginners; alternatively, its beautiful sound works great when finger picked!
Chords and melody work hand in hand to create music. If the chords don’t go with the melody, it could end up sounding horrible.
1. C Major
C Major is an ideal place to begin when learning how to play guitar, being one of the most widely utilized chords in modern popular music, such as that used by Carly Rae Jepsen, The Bloodhound Gang and Cee Lo Green among many others.
Step one to playing C Major on guitar is understanding its place within the chromatic scale and then identifying its root note. Once that has been accomplished, chord spellings will become apparent as will which fingers to place on which frets.
Next, it is essential that you identify an effective strumming pattern for Hallelujah. While this can be challenging at first, with practice you will soon become adept at playing this classic song. Please be aware that this document only represents its author’s interpretation and should only be used as educational materials.
2. G Major
G Major chords create an air of peace and relaxation in any song, as well as being popular for fast uptempo dance floor fillers.
Playing the guitar can be accessible to most people as there is only one sharp (F). To identify which key you are in, read your key signature which indicates how many sharps and flats there are in its scale.
To play in the key of G, use an open chord shape similar to C Major with one key exception – its root note should now reside on the 5th string instead of 2nd string. This change affects how many downward strums per measure are possible per measure and thus influences overall rhythm of song.
3. D Major
D Major is often one of the first chords guitarists learn. Consisting of D, F# and A notes, it forms a major chord because its intervals correspond with those found within D major scale.
To play this chord, place your index finger on the 2nd fret of the G string and your other three fingers on various frets of B and A strings; middle finger on third fret B string and fourth fret A string respectively – make sure that low E and A strings don’t sound.
Strum this chord for four beats before transitioning to either G or A major chord and returning back to D major for another four-beat cycle. This provides an ideal way of practicing different shapes while creating chord progressions.
4. Em Major
Beginners may benefit from learning Hallelujah in the key of G, as its chord progression makes practicing less strenuous than learning it in C.
Note: A chord written with only capital letters represents a major chord; adding the lowercase “m” signifies that it is actually minor chord.
Strumming Pattern for This Song – Once you become comfortable with the pattern, experiment by adding more strums whenever it sounds good to you and varying its dynamics as desired – that will add authenticity and life to the music! Enjoy! -This file represents solely the author’s interpretation of this song; therefore it should not be used commercially.
5. F Major
F Major chord is one of the more difficult chords for newcomers to learn; its barred F shape requires your first finger to reach over all six strings – it might feel as though your guitar is trying to escape your grasp at first!
However, this is just an expected part of learning a new chord. Additionally, it is crucial to keep in mind that every Major chord has an associated Minor chord which complements it – for instance G and C are both Major chords – and knowing how to use a Harmonic Mixing Wheel will enable you to easily switch between them on the chart – helping your music making process faster and better!