Greensleeves (Anon)
Greensleeves was originally written for lute, a stringed instrument that preceded the guitar. Because lute is the ancestor of guitar, we can consider Greensleeves to be a piece of guitar music. Among guitar music, it has the distinction of being probably the oldest well-known piece of music associated with the guitar. Thus, it is a song every guitar player should know.
The song Greensleeves and some other well-known tunes appeared in the William Ballet’s Lute Book, a compilation of lute tunes that survives today at the Trinity College Library in Dublin. The book is believed to have been written in the 16th century.
Tuning
Standard
Melody/Lead Sheet
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About the Artist
The author of Greensleeves is unknown.
Copyright
This tune is presumed to be in the public domain, but this arrangement belongs to Hub Guitar. We respect copyright, so if you have any concerns at all, please contact us.
As the creator of Hub Guitar, Grey has compiled hundreds of guitar lessons, written several books, and filmed hundreds of video lessons. He teaches private lessons in his Boston studio, as well as via video chat through TakeLessons.