The lyrics and chords Tennessee Whiskey uses are straightforward yet heartfelt. It’s a story of both overcoming alcohol abuse and finding true love. And best of all, the chords are surprisingly beginner-friendly! In this article, we’ll take you through the Tennessee Whiskey chords and the solo tab, too!
Tennessee Whiskey Chords
Are you ready to get started? If so, here is the Tennessee Whiskey guitar tab and chord progression. This version uses standard tuning and is played without a capo.
First, there’s an intro. We’ve included the tabs for the lead part here, but the chords are shown over the riffs in blue:
If you’re just getting the hang of the song or would just prefer to focus on rhythm guitar for now, there’s nothing wrong with just playing the chords!
After that intro riff (or strum), we come to the first verse:
As you can see, after a few lines, the verse includes a very brief riff. It’s essentially a short bass walkdown followed by strumming an open A major chord.
Now we come to the chorus:
Here comes the next verse:
Now here’s the chorus again, but this time there’s no pre-chorus riff:
Next, there’s an instrumental break for the solo. Just like with the intro, you can always just play the chords. Here’s the chord progression :
And here’s the solo:
One more chorus:
And finally an outro:
Since you now have the Tennessee Whiskey lyrics and chords, you may even want to practice singing along. If your vocal range is higher, try playing with a capo. If it is lower, down-tuning to D standard (where each string is tuned down a full step) may help.
A Quick Note on Tablature
You probably already know the chord symbols used in the Tennessee Whiskey guitar chords above. The tablature basically shows you the layout of your guitar’s fretboard and indicates where to fret each note.
But the Tennessee Whiskey tabs above contain some symbols that you might not recognize. Here’s what they mean:
h: This means to hammer on a note with your fretting hand.
p: This means to pull off a note with your fretting hand.
/: This means to slide up the neck (toward the bridge).
\: This means to slide down the neck (toward the headstock).
b: If this is placed above a note on the tablature, it means you should bend that note.
~~: This means to use vibrato on a given note.
s: You may sometimes see this above a note on the Tennessee Whiskey tab. This means to slide to that note.
How Do You Play the Chords for Tennessee Whiskey?
What are the chords to Tennessee Whiskey? You now have seen the chord symbols, but if you’re very new to guitar, you may not be quite sure how to play them.
E Major
The Tennessee Whiskey Chris Stapleton chords include one of the first chords you likely learned. If you need a refresher, here’s how to play it:
- Put your index finger on the G string at the first fret
- Put your middle finger on the A string at the second fret
- Put your ring finger on the D string at the second fret
A Major
You saw this chord outlined in the Tennessee Whiskey guitar tabs. But in case you missed it, here’s how to play it:
- Put your index finger on the D string at the second fret
- Put your middle finger on the G string at the second fret
- Put your ring finger on the B string at the second fret
- Don’t play the low E string!
B Minor
Of all the chords to Tennessee Whiskey, this is probably the hardest one for beginners to master:
- At the second fret, bar your index finger across all strings except low E
- Put your middle finger on the B string at the third fret
- Put your ring finger on the D string at the fourth fret
- Put your pinky on the G string at the fourth fret
- Don’t play the low E string!
D Major
The Tennessee Whisky chords ask you to switch fairly quickly between A and D. Thankfully, D major is pretty simple to play:
- Put your index finger on the G string at the second fret
- Put your middle finger on the high E string at the second fret
- Put your ring finger on the B string at the third fret
- Don’t play the low E or A strings!
What is the Strumming Pattern for Tennessee whiskey?
You know how to play the Tennessee Whiskey chords Chris Stapleton uses for the song. But how do you strum them?
The strumming pattern requires you to have a decent sense of rhythm. There’s a beginner-friendly way to strum that relies only on downstrums. If you’re up for a challenge, the somewhat tougher version includes some palm muting.
It can be hard to explain the pattern in text, so check out this video lesson:
The teacher plays the version of the song that requires a capo, but the strumming pattern is still the same.
Final Thoughts
Now that you have the Chris Stapleton Tennessee Whiskey chords, you’re ready to start playing this stirring and ultimately triumphant love song. And if you don’t have any experience playing lead guitar, the short riffs between verses are a great place to start!
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