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O Come, All Ye Faithful: guitar chords and tab for beginners

England, about 1750

O Come, All Ye Faithful

by John Francis Wade

Tempo
92beats per minute
Count
4beats in each bar
Key
G majorthe home note
Level
1 of 3easiest
Bar 1:1 of 21Tap play to turn sound on
Key G 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.

010203040506070809101112131415161718192021GGCDGGDEmA7DGDA7DGAmAmGDEmDGDGGDGDCGDCGD7G↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑↓↓↑↑↓↑
Where your fingers go● press here · ○ open · × skip · the number is which finger · next
EADGBeopen123456789101112213

Hold this chord

G213EADGBe

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 O Come, All Ye Faithful

7 chords, all open shapes: G, C, D, Em, A7, Am, D7. 4 beats in each bar, 92 beats per minute, in G major.

In words: G major is 3 2 0 0 0 3. C major is x 3 2 0 1 0. D major is x x 0 2 3 2. E minor is 0 2 2 0 0 0. A seven is x 0 2 0 2 0. A minor is x 0 2 2 1 0. D seven is x x 0 2 1 2. Numbers are frets, thick string to thin, and x means do not play that string.

About the song

First printed by John Francis Wade around 1750 as Adeste Fideles, in Latin. The tune climbs in the chorus, the same words three times, each a little higher. Take it slowly: it is a hymn, four steady beats in every bar.

Questions people ask

What chords are in O Come, All Ye Faithful?
Seven chords: G, C, D, Em, A7, Am and D7. All of them are open shapes, so some strings ring without a finger on them.
What key is O Come, All Ye Faithful in?
G 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 O Come, All Ye Faithful easy to play on guitar?
It is a step up from the first songs here: seven 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 O Come, All Ye Faithful?
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 O Come, All Ye Faithful 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 O Come, All Ye Faithful?
John Francis Wade. England, about 1750. The music is old enough to be in the public domain, so it is free to learn, play and record.

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