Happy Birthday Easy Guitar Chords
After playing guitar for 20 years, I would say that if I had to name 1 song that I’ve played most often in front of kids, it would be Happy Birthday.
If you want to learn how to play Happy Birthday on the guitar, I have great news for you.
It involves playing just a few simple beginner chords on your guitar.
And singing of course. Can’t help you there, I’ve been told on occasion that my singing voice stings ears like needles
Let’s get to it.
Here are the chords, after which I’ll also give you the strumming pattern I use, then a surprise at the end.
Contents
Get The Happy Birthday Guitar Tab
To make it easier for you to practice this song. , and start playing Happy Birthday today.
Now you have everything you need to play this song. I remember as a kid how special birthdays were. Friends playing pin the tail on the donkey, bobbing for apples. Then came the next best thing to Christmas . The time for everyone to sing Happy Birthday.
At one moment in time you suddenly became the center of attention. All eyes were on you! Everyone gathers around the table to celebrate, and wish you a Happy Birthday.
Even sweeter than the cake that you are about to eat. Sweeter than blowing out the candles on top of the cake. That moment when everyone is singing to you.
Then you blow the candles out. Yeah! Such fun and excitement, everyone should get the joy of experiencing.
Now you will be able to give that same joy to a little one Or maybe a Friend, Mother, Grand parent. That special someone on their Birthday. What a great gift to be able to play, and sing happy Birthday for your loved one.
Do You Know Barre Chords If So Try This
If you know how to make barre chords, it is even easier to play Happy Birthday on guitar. All you have to do is convert the chords we are using into numbers according to the chart above.
E major is the I chord and A major is the IV chord, so if you use the open E major shape chord as your I chord, then the A major-shaped barre chord located at the same fret is the IV chord. You dont even have to move your hand up the neck!
Wherever your IV chord is, move it up two frets, and youve found your V chord.
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Guitar Chords For Happy Birthday
Are you looking for an easy way to play happy birthday on guitar? If yes then you have landed in the best place. This is the only lesson you will need to learn to play happy birthday.
The best part of this lesson is it is completely beginner-friendly. The only three chords you need is G-D-C to play the whole happy birthday song.
Note: If everything seems confused to you then simply watch the video lesson I have mentioned at the end of this post.
Bonus Change The Key To Fit Your Voice
For many people the key of G works for their vocal range. But sometimes youll find that a key is either too low or too high for your voice.
If its too low were going to use something called a capo. A capo lets you raise the pitch of your guitar one fret at a time. You play the chord shapes the same but theyll sound higher in pitch.
If you have a capo, put it on the second fret and play the song. Youre still using the G, C, and D chord shapes. But the actual chords are different since youre a full step up .
But what if the song is too high for you without a capo? You cant make the capo lower than your standard tuning. What youd do is use the capo and sing an octave lower. Keep moving it up until you find a spot that works for your voice.
Try it on the second fret. If singing it an octave lower sounds too low, move it up a couple frets and try that. Keep doing this until you find a key that works for you.
Get The Download Here
Was it helpful to show you how to change the key of the song with a capo? Let me know in the comment field below, and let me know what key works best for your voice!
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Why You Need To Know How To Play Happy Birthday On Guitar
If your friends or family know that you own a guitar, at some point, someone is going to ask you if you can play Happy Birthday on guitar.
Such is the life of a musician!
So brush up on the chords you need to know and youll be comfortable playing Happy Birthday when the inevitable moment arrives.
Easy Happy Birthday For Guitar
Happy Birthday is a great song to learn, and one that everyone can put to use.
Begin with an easy version like the one presented here, then add bass-line runs or additional chords as your skills improve.
The chord forms are shown at the top of the music. If they don’t make sense to you, read an explanation at Common Guitar Chords.
The G chord used here is a simplified version that uses only two fingers. The chord diagram shows the fifth string muted, but you can also let it ring. It sounds fine either way.
The melody is shown in the musical notation. For a quick intro to reading music, the article on Basic Music Theory might help.
The lines and numbers under the lyrics are guitar TAB for playing the melody if you would like to, otherwise you can simply strum the chords where shown. See the Guitar TAB Guide for a complete explanation of TAB.
In October of 2010 I updated the song and used the key of C. This simplified the song, and allows you to expand the song without worrying about sharps and flats. In addition, a PDF version of the Easy Happy Birthday song is available for download, simply click on the image to open a dialog box that will allow you to save the PDF file to your computer .
The F-Chord is optional, but does add a nice touch to the song as you sing the person’s name.
Finally, insert your favorite name in place of “Jimmy” -)
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Second Chord In The Song
Now lets take a look at the D chord, and how to position your fingers.
By the way click here if you want to learn3 Ways to Play the D Chord on Guitar
The Last chord we are going to have a look at is the C chord. All three chords are played in thousands of songs. Once you learn these you will be well on your way.
Happy Birthday Guitar Pdf
Download a printable PDF of Happy Birthday here: Happy Birthday Guitar. For more information on the song Happy Birthday To You, visit: Wikipedia Happy Birthday.
Want to learn more chords? Download our . This comprehensive guitar reference book contains a large number of chords suitable for playing all styles of music.
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Embellish Your I Iv Or V Chords To Add Spice To Happy Birthday
You dont have to go bananas to make your chords sound cool.
A simple chord embellishment is all you need.
Adding a 7th to the chord, or even a 6th, will make the chord sound jazzy. Itll also start to make you sound like you know what youre doing.
Take your basic I, IV, V arrangement and play the same chords, but try adding a b7 to your V chord.
Youll experience more tension with your V chord that will have a stronger pull to the I chord.
Try adding a 6th to your I chord.
If it sounds good, then thats all that matters.
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The G Chord Finger Positioning:
There are a few ways to play the G chord in the open position. I will show you a couple and then you decide which is best for you.
This is the way I play the G chord. I find it to be easier:
The third way you use all four fingers, this gives you a fuller sounding G in the open position. Its played like this:
Like I previously mentioned any of these G chords will do the job. So practice playing the G chord. Try all of them, and play the one that feels good in your hand.
How To Figure Out The First Note For Singing
If you wonder how you are supposed to figure out where to begin singing while you are playing Happy Birthday on guitar, you are not alone.
- Matching the melody you sing, to the chords you are playing is a skill that takes a while to develop, and playing Happy Birthday on guitar is a classic test.
- Never fear! You are about to be able to find your starting note for singing within the very first chord you play, the B7.
In the key of E major, the melody to Happy Birthday starts on a B, and when you play a B7, you are playing two Bs: on the A string second fret, and on the open B string.
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How Many Types Of Guitars Are There In The Market
So, there are three types of guitars available in the market. You can buy and play happy birthday on every guitar. As mentioned, you will have to learn about the chords and string of the guitar. So, lets now discuss the types of guitars you can easily buy from the market.
CLASSIC GUITAR
So, here comes the class guitars that are always preferable. But there is a problem with this instrument. The issue is that it has got a wider neck. And it could create problems for you. If you are a beginner, you cant handle and deal with its wider neck. In addition to this, you will have to learn about handling it with such a wide neck.
ELECTRIC GUITAR
Here comes another popular type of guitar that has the same issue. The same issue plus one more problem that it plays with an amplifier. Also, you will have to buy an amplifier separately. Thus, this would add cost to you. But if you are willing to pay the additional cost, then go for it.
ACOUSTIC GUITAR
Last but not least, here comes the one that is always preferable. This is because this type of guitar does not have the problems mentioned above. So, you wont have to pay an additional cost. That is a benefit and pro of this type of guitar. So, if you are a beginner, go for it without giving it a second thought!
Can You Learn How Play Happy Birthday On Guitar
So, people often hire guitarists at the birthday party. This is because they dont know how to play happy birthday on guitar. In addition to this, people dont know the happy birthday songs and their lyrics. But let me tell you that you can learn the lessons and play happy birthday on guitar with your friends. Just get along with chords, lessons, c major chord, pitch, b string, strum, and melody to play happy birthday on guitar.
You can also go through this site and copy the URL of this website if you want to know something. Or you can comment down if you want more articles, links, and views on this theme. Other than this, many articles and videos will provide views and guidance for beginners. First of all, comment down your name and email address, username, inbox, and post your queries. Or you can directly leave queries in the comments.
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What Are The Piano Notes For Playing ‘happy Birthday’
How To Play Happy Birthday Very Easy Piano Music. Grab the nuts with your hands so that both thumbs are in the middle of C. Let the child play while preparing and call the notes C, D, E, F, G with the right hand 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 up. and on return. Look at the happy birthday notes and ask your child to find the first happy birthday letter.
Often Asked: How To Play Happy Birthday On Guitar Chords
- Here is how to play happy birthday on guitar. It only requires four chords, all of which are very common. The four happy birthday guitar chords are G, D, D7, and C, and they are played in this order. G D D7 G
To play Happy Birthday on guitar and sing as well, all you have to do is strum the B7 chord, match the pitch of your voice to one of those two Bs, and sing the word Happy on that pitch. Then youll be up and running. Its a familiar melody, so once you have that initial pitch, the melody practically sings itself!
Contents
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How To Play Happy Birthday On Acoustic Guitar
Now lets put the chords together to play the song. Use whichever G chord sounds the best to you. The song is in 3/4 time. That means there are three beats per measure.
Here is the chord pattern. Each chord represents one measure :
G-D-D-G
In this version there was one strum per beat. You can also add a different strumming pattern to this song to make it more interesting. Check out 6:04 in the video to learn this version.
When youre ready to play the song all the way through with the melody and the strum, fast forward to 8:06 in the video!
Guitar Chords To Happy Birthday In G
You can play this song in many different keys. Most people will choose the key that fits their voice better.
I like playing it in the key of G, I think this is the classic version:
- G
- D7
- C
You can transpose these chords to different keys if you wish, I’ll give you the chords in other keys as well in a second.
You can also use a capo to create a higher voicing.
G major |
---|
Now let’s learn to simultaneously sing AND play Happy Birthday on the guitar.
Keep in mind that Happy Birthday is in 3/4 time, which means that there are 3 beats to a measure.
Happy birthday to youHappy birthday to youHappy birthday dear YOUR_NAMEHappy birthday to you
There you have it, nice and easy.
The “secret” to getting the singing and melody of Happy Birthday right is the timing!
Notice that with each line, the first chord starts after the word “Happy”, when you sing “birthday”. If you start the chord at the beginning of the line when you sing “Happy”, your melody will be off. I made this mistake for ages, before finally realizing what was wrong.
Here are some more voicings if you don’t like the key of G.
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