The ULTIMATE My Sweet Lord Chords And Guitar Lesson (George Harrison)

George Harrison was sued by the publishers of the song "He’s So Fine" recorded by the Chiffons. 

They claimed he had unintentionally copied their melody. 

This song is a standout tune from Harrison’s monumental album All Things Must Pass.

In this post, I’m going to break down the guitar style behind it in an easier and more advanced way.

So grab your axe, and let’s dive into this "My Sweet Lord" chords and guitar lesson!

Who Wrote My Sweet Lord?

"My Sweet Lord" is a powerful song written by George Harrison, the lead guitarist of The Beatles. It was released in 1970 as part of his landmark solo album All Things Must Pass. 

At this point, Harrison was truly blossoming into his unique solo sound – post The Beatles. “My Sweet Lord” is one of the most beloved spiritual pop songs of all time. It blends Harrison’s newfound enlightenment with pop music of the day.

Harrison was inspired to write the song after hearing the Edwin Hawkins Singers’ gospel track, "Oh Happy Day." The chord progression starts off the same way just in a different key:

“My Sweet Lord” was recorded at Abbey Road Studios and Trident Studios in London during the sessions for All Things Must Pass. The recording featured contributions from Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, Ringo Starr, and members of Badfinger, who provided the distinctive acoustic guitar strumming.

After the song’s release, it became the subject of a famous copyright infringement lawsuit. The publishers of "He’s So Fine" by The Chiffons claimed Harrison had unintentionally copied their melody. In 1976, the court ruled that Harrison had "subconsciously" plagiarized the song.

“My Sweet Lord” reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. and stayed there for 4 weeks. It also topped the charts in the UK and several other countries, becoming Harrison’s first solo #1 hit. The song remains an anthem of peace and spirituality through music.

Now, you may be wondering…

What is the tuning for My Sweet Lord?

The tuning for "My Sweet Lord" as recorded by George Harrison is standard tuning. 

Standard tuning for a guitar is spelled out as EADGBE.  

Here are the strings: 

• E (6th string, lowest pitch)
• A (5th string)
• D (4th string)
• G (3rd string)
• B (2nd string)
• E (1st string, highest pitch)

Next, let’s talk about…

Is My Sweet Lord easy to play on guitar?

“My Sweet Lord” is not a great song for beginners. You’ll need to know how to play bar chords and also maneuver through a key change. The song starts in the key of E and then modulates up to the key of F#.  

However, if you can keep a solid rhythm and hold down some bar chords and a few fancier diminished chords. Then playing “My Sweet Lord” shouldn’t be too hard.

Now let’s dive into the…

My Sweet Lord Chords

To play "My Sweet Lord” as recorded by George Harrison you only need to know 7 main chords F#m, B/F#, E, C#m, Fdim7, E7, and C#7. These are the chords used pre-modulation. After the modulation, these chords shift up one whole step for the final part of the tune. Let’s take a look at a few options for how they can be played on the fretboard. 

F#m is played in the 2nd position as a bar chord like this:

B/F# is played in the 2nd position doing an extra bar with the index finger like so:

E is played using all 6 strings like this:

C#m is a bar chord played in 4th position from the 5th string down like this:

John Lennon used to love using diminished chords. That’s probably where Harrison picked this next one up. Fdim7 is played from the 4th string down like this:

E7 is like E. It uses all 6 strings however we’ll change just one note like this:

Finally, C#7 is played on the middle strings like this:

If you’ve struggled to understand the fretboard and want to learn it faster and in the simplest way. Then get your hands on my free fretboard guide PDF right here now:   

All right, now that you know the "My Sweet Lord" chords, let’s now talk about…

What key is My Sweet Lord in?

"My Sweet Lord" as recorded by George Harrison starts in the key of E major and modulates to the key of F# major for the end of the song. The progression stays the same, it just moves up a whole step. Let’s take a look at these chords within the key of E major.

The E major scale consists of these notes: E - F# - G# - A - B - C# - D# - E

F#m (is the ii chord in E major)

It often functions as a pre-dominant chord leading to V or V7. This is how the song starts and is the same progression in “Oh Happy Day”.

B/F# (V chord with an F# bass)

B is the fifth scale degree and the dominant chord.

Adding F# as the bass note makes it an inversion (B/F# is the V chord in 2nd inversion). This makes for a smooth transition from the F#m.

E (I chord)

E is the tonic chord, providing the harmonic home base of the key.

C#m (vi chord)

C#m is the sixth scale degree chord in E major.

Often used in progressions like I → vi → ii → V, the vi chord offers a contrasting minor quality while still being diatonically related.

Fdim7 (a non-diatonic chord)

Fdim7 (F - Ab - Cb - Ebb) is not diatonic to E major; however, its function can be interpreted as: A passing diminished chord between ii (F#m) and I (E), adding tension.

My Sweet Lord Strumming Pattern

The main underlying rhythm for "My Sweet Lord" is a steady 8th-note feel. Strumming 8th notes means dividing each beat of a 4/4 time signature into two equal parts. To properly strum 8th notes, you need to understand how to count them within each measure.  

In a 4/4 time signature, each measure has four beats. When subdividing each beat into 8th notes, each beat is divided into two equal parts, giving us a total of eight 8th notes per measure.

To count 8th notes, you typically use the following syllables: 

1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

Here’s the breakdown:

1: The first 8th note (on the beat)

&: The second 8th note (off the beat)

When counting out loud, it sounds like: 

"One and, Two and, Three and, Four and"

That’s the feel, but Harrison doesn’t play all 8th notes. He blends quarters, 8th notes, and even so ties. Here is an example of playing in this style:

Conclusion

Bottom line, “My Sweet Lord” is one of George Harrison’s most revered songs. It a unique blend of a spiritual vibe and pop music in the style of The Beatles.

Keep practicing, and if you want to learn songs faster, better understand the fretboard, and not waste years spinning your wheels with guitar, grab my free fretboard guide PDF right here now:   

Jon MacLennan