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Danny Boy: guitar chords and tab for beginners

Ireland, 1855

Danny Boy

by Traditional (Londonderry Air)

Tempo
72beats 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.
Tempo72beats 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.

0102030405060708091011121314151617CCFCG7CC7FCG7CCG7CAmFG7G7FCCAmFG7C↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑
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 Danny Boy

5 chords, open shapes apart from F: C, F, G7, C7, Am. 4 beats in each bar, 72 beats per minute, in C major.

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. C seven is x 3 2 3 1 0. A minor is x 0 2 2 1 0. Numbers are frets, thick string to thin, and x means do not play that string.

About the song

The tune was collected in County Londonderry in 1855; Frederic Weatherly added the Danny Boy words in 1913. It climbs high in the second half, so the melody reaches up the thin e string. Take it slowly: the whole point is the long, singing line.

Questions people ask

What chords are in Danny Boy?
Five chords: C, F, G7, C7 and Am. F needs a finger laid flat across the neck, which is the hard part of this one.
What key is Danny Boy 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 Danny Boy easy to play on guitar?
It is one of the harder songs here: five chords at 72 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 Danny Boy?
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 Danny Boy 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 Danny Boy?
Traditional (Londonderry Air). Ireland, 1855. The music is old enough to be in the public domain, so it is free to learn, play and record.

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