Piano songs · Beginner
Amazing Grace on piano
Amazing Grace is slow, singing and in three, and the melody mostly sits in one hand position. Here's the hymn as it's sung in church, the tune on top and the harmony underneath, with the notes in letters.
this song
Amazing Grace sheet music
The same notes as the player above, as a piano score: G major, 3/4 time. Press Play and the notes light up as they sound. Free to print or save as a PDF.
How to read the rhythms · how to read the notes
About the piece
John Newton, a former slave-ship captain who became a priest and campaigner against slavery, wrote the words, published in 1779. The tune everyone sings, called "New Britain", first appeared in an American hymnbook in 1829 and was paired with Newton's words in 1835.
The notes
The letters above are the tune, played by your right hand: D G B G B; A G E D D; G B G B A; D B D B D B G; D E G G E D; D G B G B; A G G. Longer boxes are longer notes. Press Play and follow along, slow it down with the speed slider, or turn on Wait for me and play each note yourself.
How to learn it
- The tune first: D, G, B G, B, A, G, E, D. Play the right hand's top notes alone until you can sing along.
- Three beats: count "1-2-3". Most notes are long; the pairs (B G) are quick.
- The high D: "me" reaches up to the D above. Hold it for the full three beats.
- Then the harmony: the hymn is in four parts: two in each hand. Learn the left hand's bass line alone, then put them together slowly.
Learning Amazing Grace on a real piano? Ivory listens to you play and tells you what's off: a note that's missing, a hand that lands late, a rhythm that runs away. Then it shows you how it should go.
Questions people ask
What are the notes for Amazing Grace on piano?
In G major: D, G B G, B A, G E, D D, G B G, B A, D. Then B, D B D B, G D, E G G E, D D, G B G, B A, G.
Is Amazing Grace easy on piano?
The melody is: it's slow and mostly in one position. The four-part hymn version takes a little longer, as each hand plays two notes.
More songs to play
Notes checked against the public-domain Mutopia Project edition (mutopiaproject.org). Piano sound: Salamander Grand Piano by Alexander Holm, CC BY 3.0.