How to play Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen
Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen is one of the most famous songs of the past half-century. From his 1984 album Various Positions, the original version of Hallelujah is typical of Cohen’s sparse folk style it but didn’t gel with the ‘80s Pop scene. It became a belated hit via ‘90s cover versions by John Cale, then Jeff Buckley, then K.D.Lang in 2004. Widely covered since, it has become a streaming staple in the 2020s. This finger-style version is a generic chart that borrows from the famous cover versions and is perfect for acoustic guitarists.
Chords: G Em C D D#º7 [for original key, C Major, play C Am F G G#º7]
Pick or Fingers? Finger picking is the best option, especially on acoustic guitars but Hallelujah can be adapted to plectrum (pick) arpeggio style on electric guitar, a la the Jeff Buckley version.
Acoustic or Electric? Acoustic guitars best suit the classic ballad style of Hallelujah but, as per the Buckley version you can adapt it to electric guitar.
Does Hallelujah need a capo? : This depends on which version you are basing your own on, and whether you are singing it. This chart is written in G major, for ease of open-position playing but the original version is in C major, as is the John Cale version. You can use this chart for C major by using a capo at the 5th fret. The Jeff Buckley version is similar to this chart but with added embellishments and capo at the 6th fret, putting it in D♭ Major. The popular K.D. Lang version, with it’s classical style piano accompaniment is in E major.
How does the timing work? The 6/8 time signature is what gives Hallelujah it’s gentle, swaying feel. Accented in groups of three quavers, 6/8 is counted as “1 2 3 4 5 6” and although it often produces quick rhythms, Hallelujah is a great example of the slow 6/8 style.
Relevant pages in Modern Guitar Chord Styles 1 : To learn more about the chords and techniques used in Hallelujah go to pages 5, 8, 12, 14, 36 - 37 and 43 - 44.
Relevant pages in Modern Guitar Fingerstyle 1 : For more detailed finger picking work relevant to the arpeggio picking in Hallelujah see pages 6 - 8, 11, 14 - 15 and 32
Need a bit of help?
Modern Guitar Chord Styles 1 and Modern Guitar Fingerstyle 1 are excellent tutor books and perfect companions for our song guides. They teach you how to read the rhythm slash notation and the metric TAB used in our charts and are specially designed to train beginners to speed up their chord changes, master strumming and finger picking patterns, and many other techniques.
