Of all the songs that are simple enough for guitar beginners to learn, the classic "Happy Birthday" is perhaps the most useful, as it is a welcome song at almost every birthday party! "Happy Birthday" uses open major keys and a simple melody. With a 3/4 beat and a melody that incorporates vibrant notes, this song may not be very easy for beginners to learn. However, because the song is so short and popular, one usually gets the hang of it after only a few practice sessions.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Playing the Keys
Step 1. Learn about key moves before you start playing
If you already know how to read key shifts, just read this step and skip the rest because the keys to the "Happy Birthday" song are super easy.
- Here is the key shift for the song "Happy Birthday".
-
Some important things to know about the song "Happy Birthday":
- This song uses beats 3/4 (waltz). This means that there are three beats per measure and the quarter notes are considered one beat. You can easily recognize it: if you follow the lyrics, " birth - day - to ", each syllable counts as a beat.
- The song begins with two eighth pickup notes. In other words, the "Hap-py" part at the beginning of the song is sung before the first beat, because the chords are not played until the word "Birth-day".
- You can use any scribble pattern that feels comfortable to you. A simple and effective quote is to swing your hand down on every quarter note (every three notes).
Happy Birthday
Hap-py | (C)birth - day to | (G)you. Hap-py | birth - day to | (C) you. Hap-py | birthday dear | (F) (name). Hap-py | (C) birth - day (G) to | (C) you.
Step 2. Play the key of C
"Happy Birthday" begins in the key of C major. This key is played on all the first measurements, starting with the "birth" syllable of "birthday". You don't have to play any chords on the word "Happy," as this word is the starting note for the first key measurement.
- An open C major chord is played like this:
- You can keep low E strings from being played by blocking them with one finger on the fret, or avoiding touching them with your shuffling hand.
C Key Open
High E string:
Not pressed (0)
string b:
First fret (1)
G string:
Not pressed (0)
D string:
Second fret (2)
A string:
Third fret (3)
Low E string:
Not played (X)
Step 3. Play two G key measurements
On the first beat of the second measure (which starts at the "you" syllable), play an open G key. Continue this lock throughout the third measurement.
- An open G major chord is played like this:
G Key Open
High E string:
Third fret (3)
B string:
Not pressed (0)
G string:
Not pressed (0)
D string:
Not pressed (0)
A string:
Second fret (2)
Low E string:
Third fret (3)
Step 4. Play two C key measurements
Next, on the "you" syllable, play the key of open C. Continue playing this chord throughout the fourth and fifth measurements and on the following syllables: "Hap - py birth - day dear…"
Step 5. Play one F key measure
On the first beat of the sixth measure, play the key of F major. This is the first syllable of the birthday person's name. Play this F key for one measure, along the "Hap - py" syllables.
- An F major chord is played like this:
- Note that the key above is a bar lock. This means the key uses the side of the index finger to press all the strings on a fret, which in this case is on the first fret. Beginners may have a hard time doing this, so if you're having a hard time producing good sound, try these alternatives:
Key F Major
High E string:
First fret (1)
B string:
First fret (1)
G string:
Second fret (2)
D string:
Third fret (3)
A string:
Third fret (3)
Low E string:
First fret (1)
F Major Easy
High E string:
First fret (1)
B string:
First fret (1)
G string:
Second fret (2)
D string:
Third fret (3)
A string:
Not played (X)
Low E string:
Not played (X)
Step 6. Play two tap C and one tap G
The seventh measure is the only one in this song, which is not produced by the same key on all the measurements. Play C on the "birth - day" syllable and G on the "to" syllable. In other words, two tap C and one tap G.
You may have a hard time switching between these keys quickly if you are a beginner. Practice the measurement and don't give up, because your goal here is to make sure your finger movement becomes a natural thing
Step 7. Finish on the key of C
End the song by playing the key of C major on the last "you" syllable. For reasons of effect, let this last key still ring itself.
Safe! You've played the song "Happy Birthday." Practice the steps above until you get used to it, then try singing while playing the chords
Part 2 of 3: Playing the Melody
Step 1. Start with a two note G pickup
The melody for "Happy Birthday" is a simple one that everyone knows, so practicing it is easy and you'll know right away if something's wrong. The first two notes (notes representing the syllable "Hap - py") are G notes.
- The notes you'll start with here are the notes you produce by playing an open G string. Play one note for each syllable of "Hap - py," like this:
- For this section, since there's no easy way to describe musical notation or tablature on wikiHow, we'll proceed on a measurement-by-measure basis. For a traditional inscription of the song's melody, visit a site like Guitarnick.com or start-playing-guitar.com.
High E string:
B string:
G string:
0-0---------
D string:
A string:
Low E string:
Step 2. Play A-G-C on the first measurement
- Each tap will get one note, like this:
High E string:
B string:
----------1
G string:
2--0
D string:
A string:
Low E string:
Step 3. Play B-G-G on the second measure
- B gets two beats and both G eighth notes get one beat, like this:
High E string:
B string:
0------
G string:
--------0-0
D string:
A string:
Low E string:
Step 4. Play A-G-D on the third measure
- The third measure is the same as the first, except for the final note, which is two frets higher, like this:
High E string:
B string:
----------3
G string:
2--0
D string:
A string:
Low E string:
Step 5. Play C-G-G on the fourth measure
- The fourth measure is the same as the second, except that the first note is one fret higher, like this:
High E string:
B string:
1------
G string:
--------0-0
D string:
A string:
Low E string:
Step 6. Play G-E-C in the fifth measure
- The G note you start here is an octave higher than the G note you used earlier. The next two notes descend from G, like this:
High E string:
3--0--
B string:
--------------1-
G string:
D string:
A string:
Low E string:
Step 7. Play B-A-F-F on the sixth meter
- The B note you play here is made with the B string exposed, and the last two F notes are played as eighth notes on a high E string, like this:
High E string:
---------1-1-
B string:
0--------
G string:
D string:
A string:
Low E string:
Step 8. Play E-C-D on the seventh measure
- Start on the high E string here, like this:
High E string:
0------------------
B string:
G string:
D string:
A string:
Low E string:
Step 9. Finish on the C note
- Finally, hit the first fret on the B string to end the song, like this:
High E string:
B string:
1--------
G string:
D string:
A string:
Low E string:
Part 3 of 3: Making Songs Sound Interesting
Step 1. Swing the eighth note on the "Hap - py" syllable
Previously, we used straight eighth notes for each "Hap - py" syllable in the song; this means, eighth notes played in the same time span. However, if you pay attention as you sing the song, you may notice that the eighth notes are not actually played in a straight line. Instead of straight, these notes are played with a swing, which means the first eighth note is slightly longer than the second. To play the song more accurately, the "hap" syllable should be played slightly longer and the "py" syllable should be played slightly shorter than using a regular straight eighth note.
In musical terms, the first eighth note of each "Hap - py" syllable is called a dotted eighth note and the second eighth note is actually a sixteenth note
Step 2. Let each "you" note sound a little longer than usual
Try singing the song yourself out loud. Chances are, you'll naturally lengthen every "you" and last syllable of the birthday person. This is a good thing, because your song becomes more emotional and dramatic. If you've never done this before while playing this song on a guitar, give it a try. It is easy.
In musical terms, extending the notes at the end of a song or phrase in this way is called fermata
Step 3. Try playing in different keys
The keys and notes above aren't the only way to play "Happy Birthday." In fact, there are several different sets of keys and notes (called "keys") that you can use to play this song. While the definition of an actual key is beyond the scope of this article, it is easy to find a variety of different keys to play "Happy Birthday" using a search engine and keywords such as "Happy Birthday guitar keys."
- For example, here's another way to play "Happy Birthday:"
Happy Birthday
Hap-py | (G)birth - day to | (D)you. Hap-py | birth - day to | (G) you. Hap-py | birthday dear | (C) (name). Hap-py | (G) birth - day (D) to | (G) you.
Step 4. Try changing the 7 keys on the third and seventh measurements
In the examples above, we only used the major (which sounds cheerful) keys. In fact, you can also add keys called 7 key on this song, to give it a slightly more complex and blues feel. If you want to do that, just replace the key on the third measure and the second key on the seventh with a version of the second 7 key, so that the D key becomes D7, the G key becomes G7 key, and so on.
- For example, here's the original key transfer diagram for the song "Happy Birthday" from the top of this article, with the key 7 already implemented:
- For reference, the G7 key plays like this:
Happy Birthday
Hap-py |(C) birth - day to |(G) you. Hap-py | (G7)birth - day to |(C) you. Hap-py | birth-day dear |(F) (name-ma). Hap-py |(C) birth - day (G7)to |(C) you.
G7 Open
High E string:
First fret (1)
B string:
Open (0)
G string:
Open (0)
D string:
Open (0)
A string:
Second fret (2)
Low E string:
Third fret (3)
Tips
- Practice brings perfection! Don't be discouraged if you can't play the song at all the first time you try. The only way to master this song is to keep trying.
- For a good guide to the basic types of open chords you'll need to play "Happy Birthday" and other easy songs, check out the beginner course on JustinGuitar.com, which is a great and free online guitar learning resource (but accept donations).
