House of the Rising Sun
Chords & Lyrics
House of the Rising Sun chords and lyrics for your piano students.
This is an irresistible and unforgettable ballad, made more so by the voice of Eric Burdon of The Animals. See this fabulous recording from 1964, on what looks like (in my husband's assessment) a set from the original Star Trek:
The traditional lyrics
I have not used the exact lyrics sung by The Animals, but instead have used the traditional public domain words.
They are almost identical. I don't have chord symbols on these piano sheets - on purpose - but when I make lead sheets I'll add them.
Please scroll down the page for the links to the PDF sheets.
No chord symbols - can your students recognize these chords?
Here is page two:
Please scroll down the page for the download links.
Longer, harder chords in the left hand
The next sheet music PDF is with LONG octave broken chords, as opposed to simple triads. You can see how I like to start basic, and build more complexity in.
My students like that approach too:
Please scroll down the page for the download links.
When to help with fingering... one idea
I haven't added any fingering to this melody - by the time kids are good enough to read these notes easily, they generally are happier working out their own fingering.
By the second lesson with a new piece, if I can see that they are sabotaging themselves with their poor choices, I will help them with a compromise fingering and write it in.
(Usually after a couple weeks they will believe me! The only downside to waiting, of course, is that they may have a habit that is hard to break.)
Now go for a fancier rhythm
The next skill level is to alter the rhythm to sound more like what The Animals had in their arrangement. Look at the left hand chords - same chords, just a fancier rhythm:
Please scroll down the page for the download links.
Now add right hand chords
The final stage of this song is to add right hand chords to the downbeats in the melody.
My students who can do this are already familiar with making chord inversions, from years of playing chords in songs and in exercises.
The links to the piano music:
Download House of the Rising Sun chords in 3/8 time, with simple triad broken chord pattern
Download House of the Rising Sun with longer broken chords
Download syncopated rhythm left hand version of House of the Rising Sun
Download arrangement with right hand chord inversions
Comments
Do you have a funny story about this music, or does it remind you of something you'd like to share with other readers? Do you have a question? I'd love to hear it!
Please note that all comments are moderated, and will not appear until I have approved them. Also, IF YOU ARE ASKING FOR MUSIC THAT IS NOT IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN, YOUR REQUEST WILL BE IGNORED. That's pretty much any music written in the last 75 years...
What Other Visitors Have Said
Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...
Heidi Evans, piano teacher
My 13-year-old student loves "House of the Rising Sun" because he thinks it sounds like "Star Wars" music! Thank you for this amazing resource!
…
Dianna:
Your website is a light in the darkness. THANK YOU for all you do in helping to spread the love of music. It matters!
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Peter:
Thanks for a great web site and a very useful tool for us teaching guitar.
Christine:
Thank you so much for this site! I have just started teaching some really keen Y6 boys who want to play Scarborough Fair, and your version is perfect. I will now go and look at what other goodies you have!
Matt:
THIS SITE IS AMAZING!! I've been teaching guitar for about 5 years now, and I've only just found your website! (I could really have used it 5 years ago) :-)
I teach at primary schools every week day for about 4 hours, so the beginner tabs you have are ideal. Thank you so much for your hard work getting these on the web, you have made many children very happy!!
Dylan:
Just wanted to express my overwhelming joy in finding your web site! :D Lots of good info!!
My wife and I own our own teaching studio in Texas and I am always looking for new songs to teach my beginner guitar students. You've done a wonderful job of providing great tunes with ACCURATE sheet music/TAB!
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About the Author
Hi, I'm Dana! (Say that like "Anna".) I'm the owner of Music-for-Music-Teachers.com, and a newer site, SingTheBibleStory.com.
Like some of you, I've been playing the piano since early childhood, and have added a few other instruments along the way, plus an interest in arranging and composing music.
You can find out more about me and the reason for this website at my About Me page.
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