All The Pretty Little Horses (Hush-a-bye) – Guitar Chords, Tabs, Sheet Music for Guitar, Printable PDF

“All The Pretty Little Horses (Hush-a-bye)” is a traditional lullaby from the United States. The origin of this song is not fully known, although is commonly thought to be of African American origin. The lyrics talk about a mother or caretaker singing a baby to sleep and promising that when he or she awakes the child “shall have all the pretty little horses.”

Many singers, like Joan Baez, Charlotte Church, Nick Cave, and others, recorded their version of the song. Aaron Copland composed an arrangement of “The Little Horses” for voice and piano as the second set of Old American Songs (1952). The song also inspired the title of the book All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy, and consequently that of the 2000 film by Billy Bob Thornton, starring Matt Damon and Penélope Cruz.

On this page you can find Guitar Chords and Tabs followed by an Easy Guitar Sheet Music with notes and tablature. See also our Printable PDF file for free download.

Contents

Guitar Chords and Tabs

‘All The Pretty Little Horses (Hush-a-bye)’ is an easy 6-chord song in a minor key. We suggest the key of A minor. All the chords in this key are essential for beginners.

The melody range that results when singing in the key of Am is an octave from A4 to A5 (see on the Music Sheet following). This range is well suited to most children’s voice pitch. Nevertheless, you could use a capo to transpose to Bb, B, C, or C# minor by placing it respectively on fret I, II, III, or IV.

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Easy Guitar Sheet Music with Notes, Chords & Tablature

This is a simple transcription for guitar with bass and middle voice plus recommended fingering. As much as the song is great for singing with kids, it is also an ideal piece for guitar beginners. We suggest this version with accompaniment for those who would like a more sophisticated approach.

Regarding the left hand, you can practice the notes on the 1^st position and up to the ^5th fret, with all 4 fingers. Occasionally two or three notes must be held together at a time, therefore the piece serves as a good exercise for strength and flexibility. The upper melody line is on the first three strings (E, B and G).

This version is excellent for right hand mobility and control, as one can practice all the basic techniques: apoyando and tirando with i-m, while the thumb moves on all the bass strings. Apoyando is recommended for the melody so that it will stand out clearly. The bass and middle voice should be played softly in tirando.

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Free Printable PDF with Guitar Chords, Tabs and Sheet Music

If you’d like to download a printable PDF file with Guitar Chords, Tabs and Sheet Music with Notes, Chords & Tablature for this song, click on the button above or on the following link.

All The Pretty Little Horses (Hush-a-bye) – Guitar Chords, Tabs, Sheet Music PDF – Singing Bell

Click on the button to watch a sing-along video with lyrics and download a sing-along audio mp3 file of this song for free.