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Eric Clapton composed the song “Tears in Heaven” inspired and move by a tragic incident in his life. It was originally composed with Will Jennings, when the duo were busy working for a movie named Rush.

Clapton was deeply affected by the death of his four year old son and even though, it was his personal emotion, he asked Will to help him.

The two of them composed and wrote lyrics for the song which was featured both as a soundtrack in the movie Rush as well as in the album Unplugged.

How to Play Tears in Heaven

On this post, although there’s not official guitar riff, the melody and rhythm of the song are surely memorable and recognizable as soon as you hear it.

Just like in Bryan Adam’s “Have You Really Loved a Woaman” where we learn how to play the intro, on this video tutorial, we will also learn how to play Tears in Heaven guitar intro as well as the verse guitar parts.

The song is in the key of A major with 4/4 time and uses finger picking.

Guitar Chords For Tears in Heaven

The main chords used in the song begins with A/E and continues with Bm open variation 3, C3/F Open, D/F# Open, E7 open variation 3, E7sus4, E/G# open, Em6, F#7 open and ends with F#m open.

The detailed and break up info of the chords will allow you to learn the song easily.

The song is an emotionally moving tribute to dear ones and listeners will feel easily connected.

The lyrics are exceptionally well written and have a strong meaning. It is a composition which ideally mixes melancholy with a touch of beauty.

The song is an appropriate choice for intermediate guitarists. The players can learn some of the key guitar skills such as independent finger picking besides acquire the skills to smoothly transit between varied chord requirements. The varying chords terms the song as medium difficulty to learn.

The song can be easily played on your guitar by following the simple step by step guide.

Artists / Song Background

Eric Claption, the English guitarist and songwriter was first a member of Yardbirds band before he joined Cream and becoming a solo performer. He is honored by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Clapton is widely known for his strong blues style and his immersible guitar skills inspired musical genres around the globe.

Apart from Tears in Heaven, he’s well known for the songs Layla and Crossroads as well as I Shot the Sheriff. He was often called as slow hand because he plays so fast and the audience has a hard time clapping to sync with his music, during stage shows.

The Album That Has Tears in Heaven by Eric Clapton

Originally, it was part of the soundtrack of the movie Rush and it was released as a part of the album Unplugged in 1992.

The Tears in Heaven song was live recorded for MTV’s unplugged program which also had an acoustic version of the song Layla.

Tears in Heaven won 6 Grammy awards including Best Male Vocal for Pop as well as Song of the Year and was number one in Billboard 200.