Amazing Grace
About this arrangement
The words and the tune arrived separately. John Newton wrote the text in the 1770s; the melody everyone sings is an American folk tune called New Britain, printed in a shape-note tunebook in 1831 and paired with Newton's words shortly after. Neither had anything to do with the other for sixty years.
The tune is pentatonic - five notes, no half steps - so your hand can stay in one shape for most of it. Find that shape first, then work the phrases. The long notes at the ends of lines are where you breathe, not where you rush.
Start with short loops.
Use the section list as a practice map. Start at 50% tempo, loop one section, then return to the full piece once the hand shape feels stable.
Choose Right or Left to focus on one hand. Wait for note checks the highlighted notes as you play them on the screen or a connected MIDI keyboard.
Before you practice.
01 Is Amazing Grace good for a beginner?
It is one of the best first pieces. The melody uses five notes, the rhythm is simple, and the same phrase comes back three times, so there is little to memorise.
02 What key is Amazing Grace in?
This edition is in F major, which has one flat. It is also commonly printed in G and in C.
03 Why does Amazing Grace sound folk-like?
Because it is. The tune, New Britain, is an American folk melody from the shape-note tradition, not a composed hymn tune.