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Auld Lang Syne: guitar chords and tab for beginners

Scotland, 1788

Auld Lang Syne

by Traditional

Tempo
92beats per minute
Count
4beats in each bar
Key
C majorthe home note
Level
1 of 3easiest
Bar 1:1 of 17Tap play to turn sound on
Key C major
0
Higher or lower, to match a voice.
Tempo92beats per minute right now

Level 1. Strum one chord per beat. Start here.

Chord names above, strum arrows below. Down arrow = strum down toward the floor, up arrow = back up.

0102030405060708091011121314151617CCG7CFCG7CG7CCG7CFCG7CG7C↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑
Where your fingers go● press here · ○ open · × skip · the number is which finger · next
EADGBeopen123456789101112321×

Hold this chord

C×321EADGBe

How to read it

  • Red cross: don’t play that string. Skip it when you strum.
  • Green circle: play that string open, with no finger on it.
  • Number: press there with that finger. 1 index, 2 middle, 3 ring, 4 pinky.
  • Letters: the strings, thickest (low E) on the left to thinnest (high e) on the right.

Space bar plays and pauses. Left and right arrows jump a bar.

The chords

The chords in Auld Lang Syne

3 chords, open shapes apart from F: C, G7, F. 4 beats in each bar, 92 beats per minute, in C major.

In words: C major is x 3 2 0 1 0. G seven is 3 2 0 0 0 1. F major is 1 3 3 2 1 1 (finger 1 flat across fret 1). Numbers are frets, thick string to thin, and x means do not play that string.

About the song

Robert Burns set the words down in 1788 to an older Scottish tune. The world sings it at midnight on New Year’s Eve. The melody skips around more than a nursery song, so it is a good test of finding notes on the B and thin e strings.

Questions people ask

What chords are in Auld Lang Syne?
Three chords: C, G7 and F. F needs a finger laid flat across the neck, which is the hard part of this one.
What key is Auld Lang Syne in?
C major. The key control on this page moves it up or down, and tells you where to put a capo so you can keep the same easy shapes.
Is Auld Lang Syne easy to play on guitar?
It is a step up from the first songs here: three chords at 92 beats per minute. Slow it to 50 percent, and try Ode to Joy and Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star first if it fights back.
What is the strumming pattern for Auld Lang Syne?
Six strums in each bar: down, down, up, up, down, up. There are 4 beats in every bar. The arrows above the chord boxes move with the sound, so you can see the pattern as you hear it.
How do I play Auld Lang Syne on guitar?
Three ways on this page, all from the same arrangement. Chords mode strums one chord at a time, Melody mode picks the tune from the tab, and Fingerstyle mode plays the bass with your thumb under the tune. Start in Chords mode at 60 percent speed.
Who wrote Auld Lang Syne?
Traditional. Scotland, 1788. The music is old enough to be in the public domain, so it is free to learn, play and record.

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