If you love show tunes, finding Edelweiss guitar chords, lyrics and tabs will help you play this famous song. It's perfect for a song-along or a solo performance.
Finding Chords, Lyrics and Tabs for Edelweiss
The following resources for guitar chords and tabs also contain the lyrics for the song.
Chords
If you're more comfortable reading guitar chords, these links are for you.
- Ultimate Guitar - This version of the song has the chords as well as the lyrics.
- Guitar Party - The chords at Guitar Party are slightly different, but still simple to play.
Tabs
Tabs are preferred by some guitar players as the easiest way to learn a song.
- Ultimate Guitar - This version on Ultimate Guitar has everything you need including complete chords, lyrics and tabs for the song.
- AZ Chords - This is a simple tablature that is perfect for beginning guitar players.
The Edelweiss Story
The 1959 broadway musical The Sound of Music by Rodgers and Hammerstein is one of the most popular musicals in history, and it spawned a number of classic show tunes including The Sound of Music, My Favorite Things, Do-Re-Mi and Edelweiss. In the broadway version of the musical, the character Captain Georg Ludwig von Trapp sings Edelweiss, along with the rest of his family, in response to the German military's desire to get him to join the Nazi war machine. The song contains both a powerful message of resistance and a patriotic declaration of the family's love for Austria, their home country. In the popular 1965 film starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, Captain von Trapp sings the song in a more innocent scene where he connects with simpler loves in life.
Originally the music was performed by the folk guitarist Theodore Bikel who was also the originator of the role of Captain von Trapp. The song is a waltz with lyrics that use the metaphor of the edelweiss flower, a native flower of Austria, as an image that the family will use to remember their home.
The tune has since become a popular song played in some Christian churches in the United States during the benediction at the end of services.
Performing Edelweiss
The following notes are helpful when using Edelweiss guitar chords, lyrics and tabs. The version of Edelweiss in the broadway musical is performed in the key of B flat. This is accomplished by putting a capo on the third fret and playing out of the G position. Basically, you just play the shape of the G chord, C chord, D chord, etc., but because of the capo, the song is actually being played in B flat. If this key doesn't work for you, experiment with moving the capo up and down the neck until you find a key that feels comfortable for your voice.
