Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

Learn these first. The dots are where your fingers go, numbered 1 (index) to 4 (little finger); an open circle means play that string open, and × means don’t play it.

About this tune

A slow swing with a lot of quick notes: “com-ing for to car-ry me” is a run of quavers (eighth notes). Several bars have two chords, two beats each, so this is where you practise changing in the middle of a bar. The tune uses the top three strings and reaches the 5th fret twice (the A on “swing” in bar 5 and on “band” in bar 13): stretch your little finger up, or slide up and back.

How to practise it

Strum the chords with Chords only, four to the bar, saying the beats. In bars 2, 6, 7, 10, 14 and 15 the chord changes on beat 3.
Learn the quick run in bar 3 on its own: C four times on the B string (1st fret), then E twice on the open high string, then G. Keep the pick moving down-up.
Play the tune with Slower on. In swing, pairs of quavers are long-short, like “hump-ty dump-ty”; listen to how the page plays them and copy it.
At full speed, try the tune with the sound off: tap your foot and keep the beat steady through the long notes.

A short history

Credited to Wallace Willis, a Choctaw freedman in what is now Oklahoma, who is said to have made it up before 1862. The Fisk Jubilee Singers carried it to audiences in America and Europe in the 1870s, and it became one of the best-known spirituals.

It is a song about being carried home, and it has been sung by choirs, blues and jazz singers and folk singers ever since. The slow, rocking beat suits a relaxed jazz ballad.

Where the tune comes from

Melody as on our kids’ piano page for Swing Low (John Chambers’ ABC mirror, checked against the Digital Tradition), moved up an octave for guitar notation. Chords ours.

Quick facts

Tune: Attributed to Wallace Willis (African-American spiritual, 19th century)
Key: C major
Time signature: 4/4
Length: 16 bars
Tempo: Slow swing, crotchet = 80
Chords: C, Fmaj7, G7
What it teaches: A slow tempo, quavers, and two chords in a bar
Place in the course: Tune 3 of 10 (Your first tune)

Questions and answers

Which chords are in Swing Low, Sweet Chariot?

C, Fmaj7, G7. The chord boxes above show where to put your fingers, and each has a Hear it button.

Is Swing Low, Sweet Chariot free to use?

Yes. Swing Low, Sweet Chariot is a traditional tune that is out of copyright (Attributed to Wallace Willis (African-American spiritual, 19th century)). The guitar arrangement and chords here are ours, free for personal and classroom use.

How do I read the TAB under the music?

The six lines are the guitar’s strings, the high E string on top. A number is the fret to press (0 means play the string open). The music above it shows the rhythm, and is written an octave higher than the guitar sounds, as all guitar music is.

How fast should I play it?

Slowly at first. Press Slower to hear it at 70% of the speed, and only speed up when it feels easy. The full tempo is Slow swing, a crotchet (quarter note) = 80.

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The chords

The music