How to play "Amazing Grace" on Gesture Synth
Amazing Grace is one of the most recognizable melodies in the world, and its harmony is wonderfully kind to a new player: five chords, none of them faster than one per bar, at a stately 70 BPM.
The song is a study in the I–V–vi–IV family of chords. You will move between G, D, Em, C and a single appearance of Am, which keeps the right-hand shapes simple while the left hand walks through almost every scale degree.
Difficulty: Beginner
A slow hymn with mostly major triads — gentle on the hands even if the melody is beloved.
The opening (bars 1–4)
G to D to Em, back to G, then a quick trip to C. This is the classic rising hymn gesture: tonic, dominant, then the relative minor as a soft landing before the cadence.
The turn (bars 5–8)
Back through G, D, Em, and now a C before the Am–D–G finish. The Am is the only minor triad in the song and only appears here — it colours the final cadence and is the one shape change to look out for.
The payoff (bars 9–12)
C to Am, then the classic D to G resolution. This is where the phrasing opens up; save a bit of energy for these last four bars.
Practice tips
- Every chord is a plain triad, so your right hand stays on 1 finger from start to finish.
- The Am in bar 10 is the only moment the left hand needs degree VI (index + pinky) — circle it when you practice the last four bars.
- At 70 BPM you have almost a second per chord. Use the extra time to check your wrist tilt and hand shape before the next bar.
Keep going
Once you can play "Amazing Grace" from memory, try these next:
Ready for the next challenge?
Browse the rest of the songbook or review the gesture reference.
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