You are my sunshine – Guitar Chords, Tabs, Sheet Music for Guitar, Printable PDF

By Jimmie Davis & Charles Mitchell

“You Are My Sunshine” is a very popular song by Jimmie Davis and Charles Mitchell and first recorded in 1939. It has been declared one of the state songs of Louisiana because of its association with Davis, a country music singer and governor of the state in the years 1944–1948 and 1960–1964.

This song is one of the most covered songs in popular music history; there are recordings by more than 300 artists, like Gene Autry, Bing Crosby, Willie Nelson, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan – just to name a few. Moreover, it is also the most often song taught in children’s music classes.

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 in C

“You Are My Sunshine” is an easy 3-chord song in a major key. We suggest the key of C major (and, alternatively, the key of G major as you can see next). To play the tune in C one must be familiarized with the full “barré” technique, as the F Chord is present line after line. The remaining C and G chords are essential for beginners.

The melody range that results when singing in the key of C is a 9th from G4 to A5 (see on the Music Sheet in C following) and is well suited to most children’s voice pitch. Nevertheless, you could use a capo to transpose to C#, D, Eb, or E major by placing it respectively on fret I, II, III, or IV.

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Guitar Chords and Tabs in G

As mentioned above, we also suggest the key of G major, as all three chords G, D and C are essential for beginners.

Accordingly, the melody range extends to a ninth of D4 – E5 (see on the Music Sheet in G following), and it might not sound so bright compared to the C key. However, it is perfect for male voices. Nevertheless, you could use a capo to transpose to G#, A, Bb, or B major by placing it respectively on fret I, II, III, or IV.

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Easy Guitar Sheet Music with Notes, Chords & Tablature in C

Here you will find a simple transcription for guitar with bass and middle voice plus recommended fingering. As already said, the piece is ideal for guitar beginners. We suggest this version with accompaniment for those who would like a more sophisticated approach.

Regarding the left hand, all 4 fingers are used to play the notes on the 2^nd position and up to the 6^th fret, while two or three notes must be held together simultaneously.

The piece is also good 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 piece when performed in the style of lullaby is quite slow; so we thought it would be nice to add an accompanying bass and middle voice in the bars where there are long durations in the upper melody. These should be played tirando i – m – i or p – i for a subtler sound and are indicated with the stem down on the score.

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Easy Guitar Sheet Music with Notes, Chords & Tablature in G

This is a simple transcription for guitar with recommended fingering. As said above, the piece is great for guitar beginners – actually one can play it within the first week of guitar lessons! The left hand is super easy with notes on the 1^st position and up to the 3^rdfret; fingers 1, 2 and 3 are used. The majority of the notes are on the open strings E, B, G and D.

The piece can be useful for the introduction of the A# note (3^rd string – 3^rd fret) – see on measure 3. It is also good for right hand mobility and control, as one can practice the apoyando technique with i-m.

If you’d like to save this free guitar music sheet of “You are my sunshine” to your computer, right click (or tap and hold, on mobile devices) and choose “Save Image As…”.

Free Printable PDF with Guitar Chords, Tabs and Sheet Music

If you want to download a printable PDF file with Guitar Chords, Tabs and Sheet Music with notes and tablature for this song, click on the button above or on the following link.

You are my sunshine – Guitar Chords, Tabs, Sheet Music PDF – Singing Bell

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