Star Spangled Banner Tutorial:

In the above tutorial, I teach you how to count along to the song. Believe it or not, that’s the most important (and trickiest) part of this tune! The chords switch at irregular times (often on beat 3) and it’s easy to get lost without a roadmap. Make sure you check out the Star Spangled Banner chord charts (printable) below. I have included one for the easy version, too!

Star Spangled Banner Easier Version:

Star Spangled Banner Strumming Pattern:

The Star Spangled Banner strumming pattern is in 3/4 time. That means we count to 3 over and over. Be sure to count the rhythm and remember the golden rule of strumming: downstrokes on the numbers, upstrokes on the +’s (spoken as “and”)

Star Spangled Banner Guitar Chords:

Star Spangled Banner Chord Chart

I have included the Star Spangled Banner chords & lyrics on this web page (below), but I highly recommend downloading the free sheet music pdf, especially if you’re having trouble with the timing, or playing the song all the way through. The printable chord chart has a very easy system for counting the beats and ensuring you play each chord the right number of times.

INTERMEDIATE VERSION

EASY VERSION

G    C       G  Am   E       Am       D7 G
Oh, say can you see  by the dawn's early light

        C       Am G      F      C          G    C
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?

G           C            G      Am    E           Am   D7  G
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the peri-lous fight,

         C         Am G       F       C      G  C
O'er the ram-parts we watched were so gallantly streaming?

        C   F     C                   G 
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,

      C                G              C    Am  D7    G
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.

   C               F         A7   Dm       Gsus4 G
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wa -  ave

         C                       Am      C/G      G  C
O'er the land of the free        and the home of the brave?


Simpler version

G    C       G   C           C        D  G
Oh, say can you see  by the dawn's early light

        C          G             C          G    C
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?

G           C           G      C     C           C     D    G
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,

        C            G               C          C
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?

        C            C                G 
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,

     C                 G              C        D     G
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.

   C               F             Dm        G
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wa -  ave

         C                        C       G   C
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

Who wrote Star Spangled Banner?

“The Star-Spangled Banner,” the national anthem of the United States, was written by Francis Scott Key. He composed the lyrics on September 14, 1814, after witnessing the British bombardment of Fort McHenry during the War of 1812. The sight of the American flag still flying over the fort at dawn inspired him to write the poem, which was later set to the tune of a popular British song called “To Anacreon in Heaven.”

Star-Spangled Banner History:

Originally a poem titled “Defence of Fort M’Henry” on September 14, 1814, describing Key’s emotions, it was soon printed in newspapers and set to the tune of the popular British song “To Anacreon in Heaven,” composed by John Stafford Smith.

Initially used by the U.S. military and recognized as an official song for the Navy in the late 19th century, “The Star-Spangled Banner” was officially designated as the national anthem of the United States on March 3, 1931, when Congress passed a resolution signed by President Herbert Hoover.

The actual flag that inspired Key’s lyrics is preserved and displayed at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., further cementing the anthem’s significance in American heritage.