Pieces › Tunes everyone knows

Amazing Grace

Three beats to a measure

Amazing Grace is counted in three: “1, 2, 3,” with a stress on 1. It’s the meter of waltzes and of many ballads.

The melody starts on a pickup (a note before the first measure) and spans an octave: your hand opens up, then shifts toward the high G.

Heard in: versions by Aretha Franklin, Elvis Presley, Judy Collins

Tips

• A dotted half note lasts three beats: the whole measure.
• Spot the big leap to the high G (measure 8) and get ready for it during the note before.

The melody

Right hand. Count “1, 2, 3”: the pickup falls on 3.

Both hands

The left hand holds one dotted half note per measure: C (1), F (5) or G (4).