Among the large category of songs simple enough to learn for a guitar beginner, the classic "Happy Birthday" can be one of the most useful, as it is welcome at almost any birthday party! "Happy Birthday" uses only major chords and has a simple melody. With a 3/4 tempo and a melody that features anacrusis, it may not be easy for everyone to learn it. Since it is such a short and famous song, you will usually be able to learn it after a few practice sessions.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Playing the Chords
Step 1. Study the chord progression before you start playing
If you have already learned to read chord progression, skip the rest of the section after reading this passage, because "Happy Birthday" chords are very simple.
- Below you will find the chord progression of "Happy Birthday".
-
Some important things to note about "Happy Birthday":
The song has a time in 3/4 typical of the waltz. This means that each measure has three beats and that quarter notes are worth one time. It is easy to observe it in the first measure: if you follow the text "wishes - to - you", you will notice that it is divided into three parts.
-
The song begins with a two eighth note anacrusis. In other words, "Tan-ti" at the beginning of the song is sung before the strong tempo of the second bar, because the chords don't start until "Augu-ri".
You can use whatever strumming pattern you like. Try picking down each quarter note (three per measure)
Congratulations
Tan-ti | (Do)augu - ri a | (Sol)you. Tan-ti | augu - ri a | (Do)you. Tan-ti | augu-ri dear | (Does) (first name). Tan-ti | (Do) congratulations (Sol) to | (Do) you.
Step 2. Play a C measure
"Happy Birthday" begins with a C major chord. This chord is played throughout the first measure, starting on the "augu" part of "augu-ri". You don't have to play any chords for "Tanti", because these are the anacrusis of the first bar.
- A C major chord is played like this:
- You can avoid playing the low E by changing it with a finger on your left hand or simply avoiding playing it with your right hand.
Do
Sing me:
empty (0)
Yes:
first button (1)
Sol:
empty (0)
King:
second key (2)
There:
third key (3)
Me:
not played (X)
Step 3. Play two measures of G
In the first beat of the second measure (starting on "you"), a G major chord plays. Keep playing the chord throughout the third measure.
- A G major chord is played like this:
Sol
Sing me:
third key (3)
Yes:
empty (0)
Sol:
empty (0)
King:
empty (0)
There:
second key (2)
Me:
third key (3)
Step 4. Play two measures of C
On the following "you", play a C chord. Continue playing the chord for the fourth and fifth measure, on the text "Tan - ti augu - ri caro…".
Step 5. Play a measure of F
On the first beat of the sixth measure, a major chord of F plays. It will be the first syllable of the name of the person being celebrated. Play the F chord throughout the measure, down to the syllables "Tan - ti".
- A major chord of F should be played like this:
- Note that the agreement described is a chord in barré. This means that to play it you will have to use your index finger to press all the strings on the first fret. For beginners this is a difficult chord, so if you can't get it to sound right, try this alternative:
F Major
Sing me:
first button (1)
Yes:
first button (1)
Sol:
second key (2)
King:
third key (3)
There:
third key (3)
Me:
first button (1)
"Simplified" F Major
Sing me:
first button (1)
Yes:
first button (1)
Sol:
second key (2)
King:
third key (3)
There:
not played (X)
Me:
not played (X)
Step 6. Play two C beats and one G beat
The seventh measure is the only one in the song that does not involve the use of a single chord. He plays a C on the text "augu-ri" and a G on "a". In other words, two C times and one G time.
You may have a hard time changing chords that fast if you are a beginner. Practice this beat on your own and don't give up if you want to learn finger movements
Step 7. End with a Do
End the song by playing a C major chord on the final "you". For a better effect, let this final chord play.
Congratulations! You just played "Happy Birthday". Practice the above steps until you play it smoothly, then try singing on the chords
Part 2 of 3: Playing the Melody
Step 1. Start with two notes of G in anacrusis
The melody of "Happy Birthday" is simple and everyone knows it, so trying it is easy and you will immediately understand if you make a mistake. The first two notes (which correspond to "Tan - ti") are both G.
- The note to start with is the one produced by the open G string. Play one for each syllable of "Tan - ti" like this:
- For this section, since there is no easy way to represent sheet music or tablature on wikiHow, we will proceed measure by measure. For traditional melody writing, visit a site like Guitarnick.com or start-playing-guitar.com.
Sing me:
Yes:
Sol:
0-0---------
King:
There:
Me:
Step 2. Play A-G-C in the first measure
- Each time is made up of a note, like this:
Sing me:
Yes:
--------1
Sol:
2--0
King:
There:
Me:
Step 3. Play B-G-G in the second measure
- The B takes two beats and the two eighth notes of G occupy one, like this:
Sing me:
Yes:
Sol:
--------0-0
King:
There:
Me:
Step 4. Play A-G-C in the third measure
- The third measure is identical to the first, except the last note which is higher than two frets, like this:
Sing me:
Yes:
--------3
Sol:
2--0
King:
There:
Me:
Step 5. Play C-G-G in the fourth measure
- The fourth measure is identical to the second, except for the first note which is higher than a fret, like this:
Sing me:
Yes:
-1-------
Sol:
--------0-0
King:
There:
Me:
Step 6. Play G-Mi-C in the fifth measure
- The starting G is one octave higher than the G previously played. The following two notes are lower than this G, like this:
Sing me:
3--0--
Yes:
--------------1-
Sol:
King:
There:
Me:
Step 7. Play Si-La-Fa-Fa in the sixth measure
- The starting B is played with the open B string and the final two F are played as eighth notes on the E string, like this:
Sing me:
---------1-1-
Yes:
0--------
Sol:
King:
There:
Me:
Step 8. Play E-C-D in the seventh measure
- Begin on the E string sing, like this:
Sing me:
0------------------
Yes:
Sol:
King:
There:
Me:
Step 9. End with a Do
- Finally, play the B string pressed on the first fret to finish the song:
Sing me:
Yes:
1--------
Sol:
King:
There:
Me:
Part 3 of 3: Improving the Performance of the Song
Step 1. Pay attention to the eighth notes of "Tan - ti"
Previously, we used simple eighth notes for both "Tan - ti" of the song - ie eighth notes played for the same length. However, if you pay attention when singing the song, you will probably notice that, in fact, the eighth notes are not all sounded the same. In particular, the first note is played for a slightly longer duration than the second. To play the song more accurately, extend the note on the syllable "tan" slightly longer than the note on the syllable "ti".
In musical terms, we would say that the first eighth note of "Tan - ti" is a dotted eighth note, while the second is a bisque
Step 2. Let the notes on "you" sound slightly longer than normal
Try singing the song aloud again. Probably, you will naturally extend the "you" and the last part of the birthday boy's name. This is fair, because it gives the song a more emotional and theatrical quality. If you haven't already imitated this technique with the guitar, try to do it and you will notice that you will succeed easily.
In musical terms, a note held in this way is marked with a crown."
Step 3. Try playing the song in different keys
The notes and chords described above are not the only way to play "Happy Birthday". In fact, there are many different sets of chords and notes (called keys) that you can use to play this song. While a discussion of what exactly a key is is beyond the scope of this article, it is easy to find "Happy Birthday" music of different pitches by searching a search engine for "Happy Birthday guitar tonality."
- For example, here is another way to play "Happy Birthday":
Congratulations
Tan-ti | (Sol)augu - ri a | (King)you. Tan-ti | augu - ri a | (Sol)you. Tan-ti | augu-ri dear | (Do) (first name). Tan-ti | (Sol) congratulations (King) to | (Sol) you.
Step 4. Try substituting seventh chords in the third and seventh measures
In the previous examples, we used only major (cheerful sounding) chords. Actually, you can add defined chords seventh to give the song a more complex, almost bluesy air. To do this, simply replace the chord in the third measure and the second chord in the seventh with their respective seventh versions, in other words the D with a D7 and the G with a G7.
- For example, here is the original chord progression for "Happy Birthday" with the use of seventh chords:
- As a reference, the G7 chord should be played like this:
Congratulations
Tan-ti | (Do) augu - ri a | (Sol) te. Tan-ti | (G7)augu - ri a | (Do) you. Tan-ti | augu-ri caro | (Fa) (no-me). Tan-ti | (Do) augu - ri (G7)a | (Do) you.
G7
Sing me:
first button (1)
Yes:
empty (0)
Sol:
empty (0)
King:
empty (0)
There:
second key (2)
Me:
third key (3)
Advice
- Practice makes perfect! Don't be afraid if you can't play the whole song at the beginning. The only way to do it is to keep trying.
- For a great guide to the chords you'll need to play "Happy Birthday" and other simple songs, check out the Beginner's Course at JustinGuitar.com, an excellent and free (but donated) source of guitar lessons.
