Song chords
How Great Is Our God chords
Chris Tomlin
Three chords for the verse, four for the chorus, and two decades as one of the most-sung songs in the modern church. The album cut is in Db, one fret above open C, which is why the chart below is the record's key with a capo at the first fret.
Before you start
The chords you need.
4 shapes covers the whole song, fretted with the capo at fret 1. Tap any diagram’s play button to hear it, or open its page for every voicing on six instruments.
The chart
Section by section.
Capo 1 with C shapes: C sounds as Db, Am as Bbm, F as Gb and G as Ab. Congregations routinely drop it to C with no capo or lift it to A — both are transpositions of this same chart. Hit play on any section to hear it walk through at 76 bpm.
Verse
6 barsThree chords, two identical lines.
Shapes as fretted with the capo on — the names above are what you grab, not what you hear.
Chorus
5 barsThe G shows up only here, and only in the last bar.
Shapes as fretted with the capo on — the names above are what you grab, not what you hear.
Bridge
5 barsThe same progression as the chorus, sung an octave up.
Shapes as fretted with the capo on — the names above are what you grab, not what you hear.
Need it in a different key, or without the capo? Run it through the transposer — move every chord by the same interval and the song is unchanged.
Playing it
What actually trips people up.
The chorus adds a G the verse never uses, and it arrives in the very last bar. Practise F→G→C as the ending rather than treating the chorus as a new progression.
The chart above is the commonly played arrangement — the version a competent player would hand you, not a bar-for-bar transcription of a specific master. Section labels are there to orient you; live and studio versions repeat, extend and drop sections freely, and none of that changes which chords you need.
About this page
Chord names and song structure are facts; for lyrics and official notation, support the artist. This page carries no lyrics on purpose — How Great Is Our God was written and recorded by Chris Tomlin, and the words belong to them. What you get here is the harmony: the key, the capo, the tempo, and which chord goes where.
Next
Songs that sit near this one.
FAQ
Questions people actually ask.
What key is How Great Is Our God in?
How Great Is Our God sounds in Db Major. The common arrangement gets there with a capo at fret 1 and C Major shapes, which is why the chords written here are C Major chords rather than Db Major ones.
Do I need a capo for How Great Is Our God?
Yes for the standard arrangement: capo 1. Without it you would be playing Db Major shapes, which needs barre chords. With the capo on, the shapes are C Major — much friendlier under the hand.
What chords are in How Great Is Our God?
C, Am, F and G — 4 chords across 3 sections. Capo 1 with C shapes: C sounds as Db, Am as Bbm, F as Gb and G as Ab. Congregations routinely drop it to C with no capo or lift it to A — both are transpositions of this same chart.
What is the easiest way to play How Great Is Our God?
Beginner overall. The chorus adds a G the verse never uses, and it arrives in the very last bar. Practise F→G→C as the ending rather than treating the chorus as a new progression.
How fast is How Great Is Our God?
About 76 bpm. Every section on this page plays back at that tempo, so you can hear how long each chord is meant to be held before you try it yourself.
Can I play How Great Is Our God in a different key?
Yes — the progression is the song, not the letters. Move every chord by the same number of semitones and it still works. The transposer will do the arithmetic, or you can move the capo and keep these shapes.