Greensleeves is a 16th century English folk song of unknown origin. The Christmas carol What Child Is This uses the same melody as Greensleeves. This lesson covers the chords for this song, sheet music for the melody including tabs, and a finger style guitar arrangement.
Grab your guitar and let’s get started!
How to read the guitar chord charts
To clarify how to read the chord charts, the top horizontal line represents the high E string and the bottom horizontal line represents the low E string. The vertical lines separate each fret. The numbers in the blue dots tell you which fingers to use on the fretting hand.
For example, on the A minor chord, you use the:
- 1st finger on the 2nd string, 1st fret
- 2nd finger on the 4th string, 2nd fret
- 3rd finger on the 3rd string, 2nd fret
- Circles represent open strings
- X means to avoid the string
You can check this link for more on how to read guitar notation symbols.
Greensleeves chords
The basic chords for Greensleeves are A minor, G/B, C Major, G Major, E minor, F Major, and E Major. You can click on the chords with links to learn different ways of playing that chord.
Try the following chords one at a time until you feel comfortable switching between them. You’ll see these chords written above the melody in the next section.
By the way, you can get all the PDFs of this lesson below.

Here are some other resources on chords:
- What are the first chords you should learn on guitar?
- 6 tips to get better at switching between chords on guitar.
- How to play chord inversions on guitar
Greensleeves guitar tabs and chords
For the sheet music below, keep in mind that the chords and melody are meant to be played as separate parts. We’ll look at how to connect these parts later in the arrangement section of this lesson.
You can refer to this simple guide to understanding music symbols if needed.

Greensleeves guitar arrangement
In this section, we essentially put different parts together using a finger-style method of playing.
The numbers near some notes on the top staff indicate which fingers to use on the fretting hand. If needed, check out this lesson to learn how to finger pick on guitar.

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If you like this style of playing, you can check out this lesson to learn how to connect a melody and chords on guitar.
📘 Get the free guitar practice guide here!
Check out all the song PDFs or search for a specific song below.
Want to learn more songs? Check out the sheet music with guitar tabs resource on this site.
All the best,
JG Music Lessons
Explore Songs with Guitar Tabs
Start Playing Better, Faster
with Pro Membership! ✨
Get the guidance, tools, and support that keep your progress on track:
🏁 Always know what to practice next. Access the full Guitar Learning Roadmap with lessons in sequence.
🎼 Play songs with confidence. Step-by-step lessons of popular, classical pieces and other styles.
📙 Save time and frustration. Clear PDFs and ebooks that save time so you can focus on playing.
🎟️ Your membership pays for itself. 2 free downloads every month (a $240+ yearly value).
🎁 Never overpay again. 50% off all charts, tracks, and posters — up to 75% off bundles.
🚫 Stay focused. Ad-free environment keeps you in the zone.
💬 Get help when you need it. Direct member support to keep you on track.