Hallelujah

How to play Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen on guitar

This is a great song to learn if you want a slow, expressive progression that really rewards clean changes and steady timing. It feels reflective and spacious, so you can focus on letting each chord ring and keeping the melody shape clear.

Most of the chart uses open shapes, which makes it approachable, but Fm is the one harder barre shape to prepare for. The main change to watch is the opening move from G to C to Am and back to C, since that cycle sets the feel and needs to stay smooth.

Start by practicing the opening progression slowly, one change at a time, until your fingers land without extra motion. Then loop the full chord sequence at a relaxed pace, and only speed up once the transitions feel even and the ringing chords stay clean.

Use the play-along above to follow each chord change in time with the music, or learn the shapes first with the chord diagrams below.