Amazing Grace sheet music (easy)

James P. Carrell and David L. Clayton (New Britain, 1831), Level 1 · Beginner, 0:33

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Amazing Grace (Easy), keyboard staff, page 1 of 1Amazing Grace (Easy)James P. Carrell and David L. Clayton (New Britain, 1831). Regular keyboard staff. Print at 100%, not fit-to-page.CCDDEFFGGAABBold red line: C4 · Solid line: other Cs, D F G A · Dotted grey line: E | F and B | CC334DGBBAGEDDGGCGC3C55GBBADDBGGGGC3C59DBDGDEGGDDGGCGC313GBBAGGGGGGSource: Site-owned easy edition. Melody: New Britain, 1831, public domain, taken from The Open Hymnal Project (http://openhymnal.org/Abc/Amazing_Grace-New_Britain.abc). Left hand written for this site.Amazing Grace (Easy) · Page 1 of 1
A printed page of shape-note music headed New Britain
New Britain (Amazing Grace) in The Southern Harmony, 1835. William Walker, compiler, 1835. Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.

Key facts

Level
Level 1 · Beginner. Estimated from the notes (0 of 8 on our difficulty score)
Time signature
3/4
Key signature
1 sharp
Length
17 bars, 1 page
Playing time
0:33
Notes
46
Range
C3 to D5

Source and licence

Licence of the source: Public domain melody (Open Hymnal per-file statement).

Source: Site-owned easy edition. Melody: New Britain, 1831, public domain, taken from The Open Hymnal Project. Left hand written for this site.

Source: The Open Hymnal Project.

Playback sounds: Salamander Grand Piano by Alexander Holm (CC BY 3.0); Upright Piano KW by Gonzalo and Roberto of FreePats (CC0 1.0); Fluid R3 GM by Frank Wen and contributors (CC BY 3.0). Full sound credits.

How to play Amazing Grace (Easy)

A gentle tune in three that starts before the first full bar. One sharp, long notes and a calm left hand.

Where your hands go

Right hand: the tune moves between D4 and D5. Start with your thumb on D4 for the pickup and move up for G4 and B4.

Left hand: one note held for each bar, mostly G3, with C3 in bars 3 and 11.

The piece is in G major and 3/4: count "1 2 3".

The tricky bars

Bars 0–1
The pickup: D4 on the last beat before bar 1, then up to G4 on the first beat.
Bars 7–9
D5 is tied from bar 7 into bar 8, so it lasts five beats. Hold it, then carry on with B4 and the D5, B4, D5 of bar 9.
Bars 15–16
G4 is tied from bar 15 into bar 16. Hold it to the end.

Your practice plan

  1. Count "3, 1 2 3" out loud and play the pickup on the "3".
  2. Right hand alone, bars 0 to 8.
  3. Right hand alone, bars 9 to 16.
  4. Add the left hand, which only changes on the first beat of a bar.
  5. Play the whole hymn with Listen on.

Watch out for

  • Starting on the first beat instead of with the pickup.
  • Playing the tied notes again in bars 8 and 16.
  • Rushing the half notes. Each one is two full beats.

Power-up: press Loop, tap the first and last of the tricky bars, and they repeat until they feel easy. Hands in Options lets you practise one hand at a time. New to the notation? Start with how to read keyboard staff, then how to practise piano.