Let It Be chords

How to play Let It Be

Play Let It Be by The Beatles with C, G, Am and F, using standard tuning and no capo. The accompaniment sounds in C major. Start with the verse changes, then learn how the chorus begins on Am. The boxes expand each chord into a four-beat practice bar at 60 BPM; they give the fretting hand space to learn, rather than matching the recording’s quicker changes.

Separate the verse from the chorus

Lauren Bateman’s Let It Be chart gives the simplified verse sequence C–G–Am–F, then C–G–F–C. The chorus changes the opening to Am–G–F–C and uses the same C–G–F–C continuation. Practise these as two distinct starts: hearing the opening Am is a better cue than treating every section as the same four-chord loop.

The first row of boxes here covers the whole eight-chord verse exercise; the second section covers the chorus exercise. Two adjacent C boxes in the chorus mean two separate full practice bars. They preserve the join between its two phrases. Keep counting when the chord stays the same, so the following G arrives in its intended place.

Know which F shape you are playing

The diagram above prints the full F barre, 1-3-3-2-1-1. This is the demanding grip in this set. Check that the index finger holds the first-fret notes while the other fingers reach frets 2 and 3. Test the strings gently before adding the rhythm; a buzzing note is easier to locate with individual plucks than with a loud sweep.

A smaller F, x-x-3-2-1-1, keeps the same three chord tones and reduces the number of strings, but it still requires a mini-barre on the top two strings. Fmaj7 at x-x-3-2-1-0 leaves the high E open instead. JustinGuitar’s lesson discusses Fmaj7 as an easier option. Its E is an added seventh, so hear it as a deliberate colour choice rather than an identical F grip.

Count the changes before adding a busier strum

In Lauren Bateman’s teaching chart the main changes share measures in pairs, generally two beats per chord. Here each gets four beats at 60 BPM. Count “1, 2, 3, 4” on C before moving to G. The printed grid plays downstrokes on the four numbered beats, leaving the intervening eighth-note positions empty. It does not ask for eight downstrokes per bar.

Once the shapes feel secure, practise the source’s paired changes separately: C for two beats, G for two, then Am for two and F for two. Keep the underlying count steady as the hand moves. Changing the number of beats held is different from turning up the exercise tempo; use the version’s bar divisions when you start following another chart.

Let the harmony carry the accompaniment

Start C and Am on the fifth string, and use all six strings for the printed G and full F. Listen to the bass movement before filling every gap with a strum. The simplified return F–C provides a clear place to settle at the end of the phrase. A clean landing there is more useful initially than adding a rushed flourish.

The Beatles’ song page identifies the 1970 single and the album’s alternate mix. These exercises do not choose either mix’s complete instrumental arrangement. They omit the passing runs and solo, and no full song order is asserted. Use the chord exercises to learn the verse and chorus first, then follow a specific performance chart for its detailed timing.