Amazing Grace
Hymn · 1700s · Traditional tune “New Britain” (American shape-note, printed 1829); words by John Newton, 1779
Sing Amazing Grace with pitch feedback
“Amazing Grace” is transcribed here with its tonic on C4 at 70 bpm in 3 beats to the bar. The 14 notes span G3 to G4 — 12 semitones — which rates Hard to sing, and a full 4-pass session runs about 1:12.
12 semitones as transcribed. The practice room transposes it to sit in your own range.
- One time through
- 0:18 at 70 bpm
- A full session
- 1:12 — 4 passes
- Leaps of a third or more
- 5
Amazing Grace lyrics, as transcribed here
- Amazing grace, how sweet the sound,
- that saved a wretch like me
The songbook transcribes the opening phrase rather than the whole song, because 4 tight repetitions of a phrase you can hear yourself improve on beats one distracted run at the full thing.
Origin and copyright status
John Newton’s hymn text was published in 1779; the “New Britain” tune it is now sung to first appeared in an 1829 shape-note tunebook. Both are centuries out of copyright.
- Attribution
- Traditional tune “New Britain” (American shape-note, printed 1829); words by John Newton, 1779
- Language
- English
Every melody in the songbook is public domain, which is why the whole thing can be sung in a browser without a licence. A specific recording or arrangement of the same tune can still be under copyright — this is our own transcription of the melody.
Genre, era and what it drills
Tags describe what the melody asks of a voice, not what it sounds like — “hymn” is the reason to pick it on a given day.