Amazing Grace

Learn these first. The dots are where your fingers go, numbered 1 (index) to 4 (little finger); an open circle means play that string open, and × means don’t play it.

About this tune

Three beats in a bar, the jazz waltz. Strum on beat 1 a little stronger, then lightly on beats 2 and 3. The melody is slow, with long notes to let ring, and it uses the same four chords as When the Saints, so the hands already know them. The tune starts on the last beat of the first bar (“A-”), on the open G string; that first bar is the pickup, and we count it as bar 1.

How to practise it

Strum the chords with Chords only: ONE two three, ONE two three. Feel the bar as one long swing, not three separate beats.
Learn the tune. The curved lines (slurs) join two notes sung to one syllable; pick the first and let your fretting finger hammer or slide to the second if you can, or just pick both softly.
Let the long notes ring for their full length. Count them: the high G in bars 8 and 9 is five beats, over two bars.
When you know it, find it by ear starting from a different note. Moving a tune around the neck is how you learn the fretboard.

A short history

John Newton, a former slave-ship captain who became a clergyman and later campaigned against the slave trade, wrote the words for a New Year’s Day sermon in 1773; they were published in Olney Hymns in 1779.

The tune, “New Britain”, is an American folk melody first printed in 1829. William Walker joined it to Newton’s words in The Southern Harmony in 1835, and that pairing is the one sung today.

Gospel singers and jazz players have long played it slowly with rich chords, which is how we’ve set it here.

Where the tune comes from

Melody as on our kids’ piano page for Amazing Grace (John Chambers’ ABC collection, compared with two other settings), moved up an octave for guitar notation. Chords ours.

Quick facts

Tune: Tune “New Britain” (American, 1829); words John Newton, 1779
Key: C major
Time signature: 3/4
Length: 16 bars, plus a pickup bar
Tempo: Slow jazz waltz, crotchet = 76
Chords: C, C7, Fmaj7, G7
What it teaches: Three beats in a bar: the jazz waltz
Place in the course: Tune 4 of 10 (Your first tune)

Questions and answers

Which chords are in Amazing Grace?

C, C7, Fmaj7, G7. The chord boxes above show where to put your fingers, and each has a Hear it button.

Is Amazing Grace free to use?

Yes. Amazing Grace is a traditional tune that is out of copyright (Tune “New Britain” (American, 1829); words John Newton, 1779). The guitar arrangement and chords here are ours, free for personal and classroom use.

How do I read the TAB under the music?

The six lines are the guitar’s strings, the high E string on top. A number is the fret to press (0 means play the string open). The music above it shows the rhythm, and is written an octave higher than the guitar sounds, as all guitar music is.

How fast should I play it?

Slowly at first. Press Slower to hear it at 70% of the speed, and only speed up when it feels easy. The full tempo is Slow jazz waltz, a crotchet (quarter note) = 76.

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The chords

The music