Old MacDonald Had a Farm Guitar Chords
Key of G 4/4 116 BPM 3 chords: G C D Beginner
The 3 chords of Old MacDonald Had a Farm
Old MacDonald Had a Farm is the song small children ask for again and again, and on guitar it is mostly G, with a quick C and D in each "E-I-E-I-O". The animal noises in the middle are four bars of G, so you can strum and make the sounds at the same time. This chord sheet has three verses, with a cow, a pig and a duck, and every chord over its word; add as many animals as your audience wants. Keep the strum steady and happy, and slow the tempo down for the youngest singers.
Strings from the low E (left) to the high E (right), numbers are fingers. Tap a chord for every other way to play it.
Old MacDonald Had a Farm chords and lyrics
Each chord sits over the word where it changes. Keep strumming the same chord until the next one. Song credits: Traditional children's song.
Verse 1
GOld MacDonald Chad a Gfarm, E-I-DE-I-GO
And Gon that farm he Chad a Gcow, E-I-DE-I-GO
With a Gmoo moo here and a moo moo there, here a moo, there a moo, everywhere a moo moo
How to strum Old MacDonald Had a Farm
The song is in 4/4: 4 beats in every bar. Count them aloud, and strum down on the numbers and up on the "and".
Easy
Full
Four beats per bar: four down strums, or down, down-up for more swing.
Tips for Old MacDonald Had a Farm on guitar
The chords
G, C and D. Each "had a farm" line goes G, C, G, then D and G on "E-I-E-I-O".
The tricky part
The quick changes inside the bars: C and G in one bar, then G and D. Two strums per chord.
Change the key
To sing higher, keep the same shapes and put a capo on fret 2, which raises the song a whole step, or on fret 4 for two whole steps. The chords on this page and the guitar above stay the same; only the pitch changes.
The story of Old MacDonald Had a Farm
Old MacDonald comes from a family of farmyard songs sung in England and America for centuries; a version called Old Macdougal Had a Farm was printed in 1917. The animals change from singer to singer, and that is half the fun.
It is often a child's first song about animal sounds, and a favourite in nursery schools all over the world.
Source: Traditional children's song (a version printed in 1917), public domain; chords in G by GOONS Studio.
Frequently asked
What are the chords to Old MacDonald on guitar?
In G: G, C-G, G-D, G for each "Old MacDonald had a farm, E-I-E-I-O", and G for the animal noises.
Is Old MacDonald easy on guitar?
Yes: three open chords and lots of G. It is ideal to play with young children.
How many verses does Old MacDonald have?
As many as there are animals. This page has a cow, a pig and a duck; add a horse, a sheep or a dog on the same chords.
Record your own Old MacDonald Had a Farm
The guitar on this page is free, with no account. GOONS Studio adds the rest of the band in the browser - drum machines, a bass, a sampled piano and a sequencer - to record your own version of the song, with a 7-day free trial, no card required.