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Frère Jacques: guitar chords and tab for beginners

France, 18th century

Frère Jacques

by Traditional

Tempo
108beats per minute
Count
4beats in each bar
Key
C majorthe home note
Level
1 of 3easiest
Bar 1:1 of 8Tap play to turn sound on
Key C major
0
Higher or lower, to match a voice.
Tempo108beats 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.

0102030405060708CCCCCCG7CG7C↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑
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 Frère Jacques

2 chords, all open shapes: C, G7. 4 beats in each bar, 108 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. Numbers are frets, thick string to thin, and x means do not play that string.

About the song

A French round from the 1700s, sung in dozens of languages. It stays on one chord almost the whole way, so it is the first song to try the strum patterns on. Each two-bar phrase repeats, which is how a round works.

Questions people ask

What chords are in Frère Jacques?
Two chords: C and G7. All of them are open shapes, so some strings ring without a finger on them.
What key is Frère Jacques 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 Frère Jacques easy to play on guitar?
Yes. It is one of the easier songs here: two chords at 108 beats per minute, and you can slow it to half speed while you learn it.
What is the strumming pattern for Frère Jacques?
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 Frère Jacques 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 Frère Jacques?
Traditional. France, 18th century. The music is old enough to be in the public domain, so it is free to learn, play and record.

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