House of the Rising Sun - Chords & Structure Guide
Original FretCompare guide - no tab or lyrics reproduced. First line (public-domain incipit): There is a house in New Orleans
| Key | A minor |
|---|---|
| Capo | No capo |
| Difficulty | Intermediate beginner - arpeggios and an F chord |
| Chords used | Am, C, D, F, E (fingerings in our chord library) |
Section chord map
Verse (repeats)
Am - C - D - F | Am - C - E - E | Am - C - D - F | Am - E - Am - E
One chord per bar. The F is the stretch goal - use the easier Fmaj7 substitute first if needed.
Strumming suggestion
Fingerpick or pick one bass note then three gentle down-strums per bar; keep it in plain 4/4 folk style. See our strumming patterns and practise slowly with the metronome.
Easier / substitute chords
Fmaj7 instead of full F; E7 instead of E.
Practice tip
Learn the Am-C-D-F loop alone with the chord finder shapes before adding any picking pattern.
Public-domain basis
Traditional American folk song of uncertain authorship, generally public domain (earliest recording as Rising Sun Blues, 1933). Specific later arrangements (such as the famous 1964 rock arrangement) and recordings are separate copyrighted works - this guide uses a plain 4/4 traditional folk harmonisation in our own words, not that arrangement.
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