How to play House of the Rising Sun
House of the Rising Sun is an old American folk song restyled into a hit song in the 1960s by English rock group The Animals. Their tough blues sound projected the new British rock sound and turned House of the Rising Sun from a coffee-house folk number into an international rock hit. The distinctive guitar arpeggio intro made it one of the most instantly recognisable Pop hits of the era and it quickly became a guitar lessons staple. Believed to have originated in the Louisiana region in the 1830s and probably based on an older British Isles tune, no original written version of House of the Rising Sun has been found. This leaves it open to interpretation and explains why some versions of Rising Sun are in 6/8 time, or 3/4 and some are in 4/4. Most versions are in the familiar minor but, before huge success of The Animals version some older versions are in a major key. Other notable versions include those by Leadbelly, Joshua White, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and the psychedelic rock band, Frijid Pink.
Chords: Am C D F E E7 Dm [The Animals version is in the key of A Minor, as too is the Bob Dylan version]
Does it need a capo? Not for the original version, but if you need to change the key to suit your vocal range try capo 3rd fret to transpose it up to the key of C Minor, or capo 5th fret to transpose to D Minor.
How do you play House of the Rising Sun in E Minor? Some versions of House of the Rising Sun are in the keys of E Minor, or D Minor. To play it in E Minor you need Em G A C B7 Am. F For the key of D Minor you need Dm F G A7 ; the 1960 Joan Baez version is in D Minor but the progression is a little different to The Animals 1964 version.
Pick or fingers?: The distinctive arpeggio part in The Animals version is a perfect example of plectrum picking; the bright, hard-attack you hear on each note is the sound of a pick on steel, electric guitar strings. If you want to emulate that version you need the pick but finger-style on acoustic guitar works well too, especially on nylon strings.
What time signature should it be in? The Animals version is in 6/8 but some older versions are in 3/4, or even in 4/4 giving it a very different feel. The Leadbelly version is a 12-bar blues in E and in 3/4 time. Old songs with no known, written original are open to interpretation and House of the Rising Sun is a prime example of that.
Is there a rhythm part on The Animals version? Yes, a rhythm guitar enters in the second verse playing a typical 6/8 strumming pattern ; | 1 2 & 3 4 5 6 | 1 2 & 3 4 5 6 | etc… just follow the chord symbols.
Is the open 3rd string note correct in the E arpeggio? Yes, and no! In several bars there is an open G note on the last quaver before the chord change. This creates an ‘open chord change’ but, played as a solo line it can sound incorrect in the bars of E / E7. Listen carefully to The Animals versions and you can hear those notes but, blended with all the other instrumentation they don’t sound as exposed. If those notes are offending your ears just don’t play them; omit them from the E / E7 bars.
Relevant pages in Modern Guitar Chord Styles 1 : To learn more about the chords and techniques used in House of the Rising Sun see pages 12-14, 19, 38 and 40.
Need a bit of help?
Modern Guitar Chord Styles 1 is the perfect companion for our song guides- it is specifically designed to help beginners speed up their chord changes, master their strumming patterns, and many other techniques.