Learn The Chorus and Bridge for "Tears In Heaven" by Eric Clapton!

One of Clapton’s most heartbreaking songs, meaningful for many people.

A beautiful, emotional song - so brave of Eric Clapton to write this song on something personal.

In this final part of the Tears In Heaven guitar series, we’ll check out the chord and handpicking for the chorus. In this lesson, we’ll also explore the bridge and have a play-through of all the parts, with a close-up of the fretting hand.

🎸If you haven’t already, click here to learn Part 1 of this song - you'll learn how to play the intro and main verses. This song lesson best suits Grade 6 + guitar students.

Let’s start by taking a look at that beautiful chorus.

Tears In Heaven Guitar Chorus

The first chord is straightforward, F sharp minor. Then, we’re tackling a C sharp over E sharp. It might look intimidating first, but here’s a breakdown of how you play it:

Thumb is playing the first fret.
Finger 3 is playing the third fret of the D string.
Finger 1 is doing a little barre of the thinnest string.
Finger 2 is going in the second string of the second fret.

To get comfortable with this chord, play it on its own a couple of times. Clapton plays it with his thumb over the top, but do it how it feels best for you.

The chords are straightforward for the song’s bridge, but the picking is quite random! Check out the close-up to get a better idea of how you can approach the picking pattern. :)

Tears In Heaven Picking hand

The picking hand is another interesting technical part of the song.

Using 3 fingers, you'll start on strings 2,3,4. You’ll be bouncing around these strings and strings 1,2,3. You’ll also need to incorporate playing the bass on the top string. Try it out first with the F sharp chord. Make sure you’re confident with this pattern before moving on to the following chords.

💡Alternating between base and chords can be tricky. Slow your pace down, and take your time! Practice is the cure here, and make sure you listen to the original recording to get the melody.

Want chords, tabs, and lyrics to follow along with my song tutorials? Check out JustinGuitar Tabs!