American folk · Free song lesson
How to play House of the Rising Sun on Guitar or Ukulele
Traditional American folk ballad
Nobody knows who first sang House of the Rising Sun. Folklorists collected it across the American South in the early twentieth century, and in 1937 Alan Lomax recorded a sixteen-year-old Kentucky singer named Georgia Turner performing it for the Library of Congress. Its slow climb through Am, C, D and F is now one of the most recognizable progressions in folk music.
Key of Am · 6/8 time · Level 3 · Challenge · 5 chords
The chords you need
Tap any chord to open its diagram in the chord library, where you can see the fingering and hear how it should sound.
The progression
One box is one measure of 6/8. Strum through each box, change chords at the start of the next, and you are playing the song. Start way slower than feels cool.
Verse
The E in the last measure walks you into the next verse. On the final verse, stay on Am to end.
The strum
In 6/8, feel two big pulses per measure: ONE two three FOUR five six. Or pick the strings one at a time from low to high for the classic rolling arpeggio.
Full speed sits around 75 to 80 BPM
Start way under that. Speed comes on its own.
Practice setlist
- Learn the verse as four small moves: Am C D F, then Am C E E. Loop each half before you join them.
- On guitar, F is the boss fight. Try the small two-string version first; the song still sounds great.
- Once the changes are clean, switch from strumming to picking one string at a time. Same chords, whole new mood.
Ten focused minutes a day beats one heroic hour on Sunday.
Sounding sour? Get in tune first with the free browser tuner.
Sounds better on real strings
Play it on your own guitar.
A song this good deserves an instrument that fits your hands. Come in and play a few. New and used guitars on the wall, and a crew that will help you find yours without any pressure. And when a chord change fights back, teachers run lessons at the shop 7 days a week.
Never played a note before? Start with Play Your First Song Today, our free step-by-step starter for total beginners. Then come back for this one.
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