Play along
Away in a Manger: guitar chords and tab for beginners
United States, 1887
Away in a Manger
by James Ramsey Murray
- Tempo
- 90beats per minute
- Count
- 3beats in each bar
- Key
- C majorthe home note
- Level
- 1 of 3easiest
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.
Hold this chord
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 Away in a Manger
3 chords, open shapes apart from F: C, F, G7. 3 beats in each bar, 90 beats per minute, in C major.
C major
3 fingers
Fingers, notes, sound →F major
barre, 4 fingers
Fingers, notes, sound →G seven
3 fingers
Fingers, notes, sound →
In words: C major is x 3 2 0 1 0. F major is 1 3 3 2 1 1 (finger 1 flat across fret 1). G seven is 3 2 0 0 0 1. Numbers are frets, thick string to thin, and x means do not play that string.
About the song
This is the tune most Americans know, by James Ramsey Murray, published in 1887. (In Britain the same words are often sung to a different tune.) It is a lullaby in three beats with only three chords, so it is one of the easiest carols on the guitar.
Questions people ask
- What chords are in Away in a Manger?
- Three chords: C, F and G7. F needs a finger laid flat across the neck, which is the hard part of this one.
- What key is Away in a Manger 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 Away in a Manger easy to play on guitar?
- Yes. It is one of the easier songs here: three chords at 90 beats per minute, and you can slow it to half speed while you learn it.
- What is the strumming pattern for Away in a Manger?
- Five strums in each bar: down, down, up, down, up. There are 3 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 Away in a Manger 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 Away in a Manger?
- James Ramsey Murray. United States, 1887. The music is old enough to be in the public domain, so it is free to learn, play and record.
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