Song chords
Sweet Home Alabama chords
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Three chords, half a bar each on the first two, and the same loop from the opening riff to the fade. It is the shortest chart of any song this famous.
Before you start
The chords you need.
3 shapes covers the whole song. Tap any diagram’s play button to hear it, or open its page for every voicing on six instruments.
The chart
Section by section.
Key of D, no capo: two beats of D, two of C, then a full bar of G. Strictly it is D Mixolydian — the C is a ♭VII borrowed from outside the major scale, which is why it reads as rock rather than a plain I–IV–V. Hit play on any section to hear it walk through at 98 bpm.
Verse
4 barsTwo beats of D, two of C, then a full bar of G.
Chorus
4 barsIdentical to the verse — the song has exactly one progression.
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 D and the C get half a bar each, which is faster than it sounds on a first listen. Count in eighths and make the change on beat three, not beat one.
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 — Sweet Home Alabama was written and recorded by Lynyrd Skynyrd, 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 Sweet Home Alabama in?
Sweet Home Alabama is in D Major, and it is played in that key with no capo — the chords you read here are the chords you hear.
Do I need a capo for Sweet Home Alabama?
No. Sweet Home Alabama is played open in D Major. A capo will only move it out of the recorded key, which matters if you are playing along with the record.
What chords are in Sweet Home Alabama?
D, C and G — 3 chords across 2 sections. Key of D, no capo: two beats of D, two of C, then a full bar of G. Strictly it is D Mixolydian — the C is a ♭VII borrowed from outside the major scale, which is why it reads as rock rather than a plain I–IV–V.
What is the easiest way to play Sweet Home Alabama?
Beginner overall. The D and the C get half a bar each, which is faster than it sounds on a first listen. Count in eighths and make the change on beat three, not beat one.
How fast is Sweet Home Alabama?
About 98 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 Sweet Home Alabama 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.