The Real Chords for "How Great Is Our God"
Most people looking up How Great Is Our God Chords want something they can play quickly at church or in a small group. The song sits comfortably in G major if you are playing guitar in a typical worship setting. That is the key I use, and it is the one most online chord charts already default to. The original recording is in C major, but that version requires a lot of barre chords up the neck and is less practical for a team setting. Here is the straightforward progression. Verse uses G - C - G - D. The pre-chorus shifts to Em - C - G - D. The chorus goes C - G - D - Em, then resolves back through G - D. That is basically the whole song. There is a bridge that cycles through Am - C - G - D before returning to the chorus pattern. I know some people add a Bm into the bridge, but honestly it sounds muddy unless you are doing a fuller arrangement.
How Great Is Our God Chords Breakdown
G major: 320003. Standard open shape. Ring that low G string on the third fret and let it breathe. C major: x32010. Full fingered version. You can simplify to x3xx10 if you are strumming hard and don't need the bass note transition, but it loses a bit of color. D major: xx0232. Classic. Nothing fancy here.
Em major: 022000. Open and clean. This chord carries the pre-chorus emotion, so don't rush the change from G into it. Am major: x02210. Used in the bridge. The move from Em to Am in the bridge is subtle but important. It lifts the energy before the final chorus drop. D major (open): Already covered. It closes every section.
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The tempo sits around 72 beats per minute in common time. If you are playing along with the recording, strum slowly and let the chords speak. This is not a fast song. Rushing it ruins the whole dynamic build that the writers built into the arrangement. I ran into a specific problem once when a worship leader asked me to play this in the key of F sharp major because their vocalist wanted it higher. Fmajor on guitar means mostly barre chords — F#, B, C#, D#m. The progression stays the same harmonically, but your hands start cramping after two songs and the sound gets stiff. I told the vocalist we could do F major instead, which has more open strings and still gives you that elevated brightness without turning the guitar into a grip-strength exercise. We stuck with F and nobody noticed the difference in the mix. That is usually the move when you need to transpose for voice range — compromise on the key to keep the guitar playable, then let the keys pad carry the extra weight. Here is something most chord charts don't mention. The transition from the verse G to the pre-chorus Em is actually a I to vi move in G major, which creates that mild emotional tug. But if you play a G add9 instead of plain G at the end of each verse phrase, it connects smoother into the Em. The add9 is just 3x0003. It only takes one extra finger and makes the whole song feel less choppy between sections.
Another thing people miss is the final chorus resolution. Most players just go C - G - D - Em like normal. But landing on a plain Em at the end of the last chorus leaves it hanging. If you go C - G - D - D/F- Em, that Fbass note in the D chord creates a descending line that resolves properly back to G. It is a small detail but it matters if you want the song to feel finished rather than just stopping. Piano players should know the left hand mostly plays root notes on beats one and three, with occasional passing tones on the way down. The right hand mirrors the guitar chords. If you are coordinating both, keep the piano volume lower during the verses so the vocal sits forward. This song rewards dynamic restraint. If you need a downloadable chord sheet, there are several reliable sources online like WorshipTeam, Ultimate Guitar, and Ccli. They all have the chords listed above, though some have slight variations in the bridge. The ones I described are what actually work in a live context. Some charts add jazz extensions or unnecessary inversions that sound fine on paper but slow down transitions during a live set. Stick to the basics and you will be fine.
The bridge is where most mistakes happen. People play Am - C - G - D repeatedly without breathing room between cycles. Leave a beat of silence after the second D before looping back, or let the strum taper off naturally. The dynamics matter more than getting every chord perfectly voiced. If your guitarist is new to this song, start with just the verse and chorus. Get those two sections locked in together. Then add the pre-chorus. Then the bridge. Learning it all at once tends to produce sloppy transitions and frustrated players. Build it piece by piece and it comes together faster than you would expect. One more practical note. This song is in a major key but uses minor chords prominently in the pre-chorus and bridge, which is why it feels both uplifting and reflective at the same time. That contrast is intentional. Don't try to brighten it up too much with major substitutions. Let the Em and Am do their job. The song writes itself emotionally if you just play the chords as written and pay attention to dynamics.
