How to Play You Are My Sunshine Chord on Guitar

You Are My Sunshine” is a popular song that was first recorded in 1939 by Jimmie Davis and Charles Mitchell. It is one of the most recognizable songs in American music history, and has been covered by many artists in different genres. The song is also easy to play on guitar, as it only uses three basic chords: C, G, and F. In this article, we will show you how to play “You Are My Sunshine” on guitar with simple steps and tips.

Tune Your Guitar

Before you start playing any song on guitar, you need to make sure your guitar is in tune. You can use a tuner app, an electronic tuner, or a piano to tune your guitar. The standard tuning for guitar is E-A-D-G-B-E, from the thickest to the thinnest string. You can also use a capo to change the key of the song, depending on your vocal range and preference.

Learn the Chords

The three chords you need to play “You Are My Sunshine” are C, G, and F. Here are the diagrams for each chord, showing you where to place your fingers on the fretboard.

 
[Intro]
 
| A   | A   | D   | A   |
| D   | A   | A E | A
 
 
[Verse 1]
 
          A
The other night dear as I lay sleeping
            D              A
I dreamed I held you in my arms
        D                  A
When I awoke dear I was mistaken
     A        E          A
So I bowed my head and I cried
 
 
[Chorus]
 
           A
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
            D                    A
You make me happy when skies are gray
             D                     A
You'll never know dear, how much I love you
             A       E         A
Please don't take my sunshine away
 
 
[Instrumental]
 
| A   | A   | D   | A   |
| D   | A   | A E | A
 
 
[Verse 2]
 
            A
I've always loved you and made you happy
            D                  A
and nothing else could come between
               D                 A
but now you've left me to love another
         A           E       A
you have shattered all of my dreams
 
 
[Chorus]
 
           A
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
            D                    A
You make me happy when skies are gray
             D                     A
You'll never know dear, how much I love you
             A       E          A  A/D  A/C#  A
Please don't take my sunshine away

To play the C chord, place your index finger on the first fret of the B string, your middle finger on the second fret of the D string, and your ring finger on the third fret of the A string. Strum all the strings except the low E string.

To play the G chord, place your index finger on the second fret of the A string, your middle finger on the third fret of the low E string, and your ring and pinky fingers on the third fret of the high E and B strings. Strum all the strings.

To play the F chord, place your index finger on the first fret of the high E and B strings, your middle finger on the second fret of the G string, and your ring finger on the third fret of the D string. Strum all the strings except the low E and A strings.

Learn the Strumming Pattern

The strumming pattern for “You Are My Sunshine” is simple and consistent throughout the song. You can use a down-down-up-down-up pattern for each chord. Here is how it looks like in tablature:

   C       G       F       C
e|---------3-------1-------0-----|
B|-1-------3-------1-------1-----|
G|-0-------0-------2-------0-----|
D|-2-------0-------3-------2-----|
A|-3-------2---------------3-----|
E|---------3---------------------|

   D   D U D U
e|-↓-↓-↑-↓-↑-↓-↓-↑-↓-↑-↓-↓-↑-↓-↑-↓-↓-↑-↓-↑-↓-↓-↑-↓-↑-|
B|-↓-↓-↑-↓-↑-↓-↓-↑-↓-↑-↓-↓-↑-↓-↑-↓-↓-↑-↓-↑-↓-↓-↑-↓-↑-|
G|-↓-↓-↑-↓-↑-↓-↓-↑-↓-↑-↓-↓-↑-↓-↑-↓-↓-↑-↓-↑-↓ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ |
D|-↓ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ |
A|-↓ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
E|- - - - - - - - - - - ↓ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↓ ↑ ↓ ↑ - - - - - |

To practice the strumming pattern, start with a slow tempo and gradually increase your speed as you get more comfortable. You can also use a metronome or a backing track to help you keep time.