- D/A -
E ---x---
B ---3---
G ---2---
D ---4---
A ---0---
E ---x---
TENNESSEE WHISKEY
CHRIS STAPLETON
INTRO:
A Bm D A A D/A A
E ------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|-0-0-0-0-|
B ------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|-2h3-3-2-|
G ------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|-2-2-2-2-|
D ------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|-2h4-4-2-|
A -----0-2/4--|-4\2-0-2/4\2--|-2h4-2h4-4\2--|-2/4\2-0------|-0-0-0-0-|
E -0-2--------|--------------|--------------|---------4/5--|-0-0-0-0-|
A
E --------0--
B --------2--
G --------2--
D --------2--
A -----0-----
E -0h2-------
VERSE:
A Bm Bm
Used to spend my nights out in a barroom
D Bm A D/A D/A A
Liquor was the only love I’ve known
A
E --------0--
B --------2--
G --------2--
D --------2--
A -----0-----
E -0h2-------
A Bm Bm
But you rescued me from reachin’ for the bottom
D Bm A D/A D/A A
And brought me back from being too far gone
A
E ----------0--
B ----------2--
G ----------2--
D ----------2--
A ------0------
E -0h2---------
You're as
CHORUS:
A D/A D/A A Bm Bm
You’re as smooth as Tennessee whiskey
D Bm A D/A D/A A
You’re as sweeeeet as strawberry wine
A Bm
You’re as warm as a glass of brandy
D Bm A D/A D/A A
And honey, I stay stoned on your love all the time
A
E ------------
B ------------
G ------------
D ------------
A -----0-3h4--
E -0-2--------
VERSE:
A Bm Bm
I’ve looked for love in all the same old places
D Bm A D/A D/A A
Found the bottom of a bottle was always dry
A
E ----------0--
B ----------2--
G ----------2--
D ----------2--
A ------0------
E -0h2---------
A Bm Bm
But when you poured out your heart I didn’t waste it
D Bm A E
‘Cause there’s nothing like your love to get me high, yeah
CHORUS:
D A D/A D/A A Bm Bm
You’re as smooth as Tennessee whiskey
D Bm A D/A D/A A
You’re as sweeeeet as strawberry wine
A Bm Bm
You’re as warm as a glass of brandy
D Bm A D/A D/A A
And honey, I stay stoned on your love all the time
INSTRUMENTAL/SOLO: (Can play the following chords or the solo tab)
A A Bm Bm D Bm A D/A D/A A
A A Bm Bm D Bm A D/A D/A A
Thanks to ayreon77 for this solo tab:
e|----------b-|-------------s---|-------------s---|----------|
B|------10-12-|-------14--14\12-|-------14--14\12-|-12-12-10-|
G|-9-11-------|---s---------s---|---s-------------|----------|
D|------------|-12\14-----14\12-|-12\14-----------|-12-12-11-|
A|------------|-----------------|-----------------|----------|
E|------------|-----------------|-----------------|----------|
e|-----------------------------|--b-------|--b--b--------|
B|------------------------10~~-|-12-12-10-|-13-13--10-10-|
G|------------s---9-11-11------|----------|--------------|
D|-----7---7-9\11--------------|----------|--------------|
A|-7-9---9---------------------|----------|--------------|
E|-----------------------------|----------|--------------|
e|----------------------------|----------|
B|----------------------------|----------|
G|-9h11-9-11---s-p------------|--h--p-s--|
D|-9h11------11\9-7------h--7-|-9-10-9\7-|
A|------------------9---7-9---|----------|
E|----------------------------|----------|
e|-------------------------------------------------|
B|-----------------------------------10----10--s---|
G|--------------------------s---9-11----11----9\11-|
D|--h--7--7---h-p----7-9-7-9\11--------------------|
A|-7-9-------7-9-7-9-------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------|
CHORUS:
A A D/A A Bm Bm
You’re as smooth as Tennessee whiskey
D Bm A D/A D/A A
You’re as sweeeeet as strawberry wine
A Bm Bm
You’re as warm as a glass of brandy
D Bm A D/A D/A A
And honey, I stay stoned on your love all the time
OUTRO:
A A D/A A Bm
You’re as smooth as Tennessee whiskey
D Bm A D/A D/A A
Tennessee whiskey, Tennessee whiskey
A A D/A A Bm
You’re as smooth as Tennessee whiskey
D
Tennessee whiskey
Bm A
Tennessee whiskey
E -----0-5-
B ---2-----
G -2-------
D ---------
A ---------
E ---------
How to play "Tennessee Whiskey" Chords on acoustic guitar
This Guitar Lesson walks you through the slow-blues, 12/8 pocket behind Chris
Stapleton’s version. We will lock the A–Bm–D–A cycle, add the D/A color, and
shape the signature hammer-ons so the groove melts instead of rushes. This
Tutorial keeps you in time and on tone without overplaying.
Chris Stapleton is playing the 'Tennessee Whiskey' tabs / chords in
the official audio thumbnail.
Key: A major. Capo: no capo. Tuning:
E A D G B E. Feel: 12/8 slow blues (triplet sway), around
48–50 bpm measured in quarters.
Chords used
Core shapes with tasteful hammer-ons between A and D/A.
A (x02220) index: 2 on D, middle: 2
on G, ring: 2 on B
Bm (x24432) easy variant Bm7 (x20202) for beginners
D (xx0232) classic grip
D/A (x0423x) bass A open, D string 4,
G string 2, B string 3
E (022100) used in some live turnarounds
Strumming pattern
Think slow 12/8: four beats, each split into triplets.
Beginner-safe groove (one bar of 12/8):
Down(1) down-up(2-3), down(4) down-up(5-6), down(7)
down-up(8-9), down(10) down-up(11-12). Count “1-trip-let, 2-trip-let,
3-trip-let, 4-trip-let.” Keep the wrist loose. Accents sit on beats 1 and 3.
Sections breakdown
Progression loop: A | Bm | D | A (tag D/A→A). Many verses
and choruses ride this four-bar cycle with dynamics and fills, not new
changes.
Turnaround touch: On the last A of a phrase, brush the
D/A for one beat, then fall back to A on the next downbeat.
Solo bed: Keep the same loop, open up the strum, and add
bass walks between chords (see below) to feed a vocal-style guitar line.
Signature moves and intro taste
Stapleton’s pocket lives in the right hand. Let the triplet breath lead; then
dress it with light hammers.
A → D/A hammer: from A, hammer B string 2→3 and D string
2→4 as you brush into D/A; release back to A.
Bass walk (A to Bm): A-string 0-2-4 into the Bm bar.
D color: add G string
2→4 grace to lean into the backbeat.
Intro idea over A | Bm | D | A (capo none, standard tuning)
e|-------------------------|----------------|----------------|---------------|
B|-------2--2h3--2--------|-----3----------|-----3--2-------|-----2--2h3p2--|
G|-------2--------2-------|-----4--2h4p2---|--2h4--2--------|-----2---------|
D|-------2--------2-------|--4-------------|--0-------------|--2h4----------|
A|--0-2/4---------------0-|----------------|--x-------------|--0------------|
E|------------------------|----------------|----------------|---------------|
sit in the 12/8 wave tasteful hammers D/A kiss home to A
How to play: step by step
Tools: acoustic or electric guitar, pick, tuner, metronome
Supplies: none
TotalTime: about 20 minutes to lock groove and moves
Set the click around 48–50 bpm. Count the triplets out loud for two
minutes before strumming. Feel first, then notes.
Strum only A for one minute: accent beats 1 and 3; keep 2 and 4 relaxed.
Aim even volume across triplets.
Add the hammer A→D/A: brush lightly, fingers do the talking. Keep bass on
the A string steady under the move.
Run the four-bar loop: A | Bm | D | A. Use Bm7 if your barre is noisy.
Keep every change on beat 1; avoid sliding late.
Build dynamics: verse = softer top-string focus; chorus = wider brush with
palm edge damping the low E and A to prevent boom.
Flavor fills: insert a one-beat D/A before returning to A at phrase ends.
If you solo, play the melody in 12/8 and leave air between licks.
Common mistakes
Do less, but do it deeper; let the triplet grid carry you.
Counting in straight 4/4. You can notate it that way, but play it
as triplets. If it feels square, you are missing the swing.
Heavy left hand on hammers. Snap the finger, then relax; no death
grip.
Over-strumming. Keep beats 2 and 4 soft so the vocal floats.
Dragging the Bm barre. Use Bm7 early; add the full barre later.
General tips
Touch is tone. Pick closer to the neck for the velvet verse; drift toward the
bridge when you want lift. For electric, roll back the tone a quarter turn and
use light compression. For acoustic, a medium pick and palm edge damping tame
rumble. Loop the progression for five minutes a day; keep the right hand moving
like a pendulum even when you miss a fretted note.
Song Facts:
“Tennessee Whiskey” was written by Dean Dillon and Linda Hargrove. David
Allan Coe recorded it first (1981), and George Jones took it to number two on
the country chart in 1983. Decades later, Chris Stapleton cut a slow-burning,
soul-leaning version for his 2015 debut album “Traveller.” The true inflection
point came on November 4, 2015, when Stapleton performed it with Justin
Timberlake on the CMA Awards broadcast; off the back of two days of sales, the
track shot to number one on Hot Country Songs and into the Hot 100’s top 25,
then climbed higher the next week. The cover became a modern standard and a
set-closing anthem for Stapleton’s shows. In recognition of its enduring impact
on streaming and sales, the recording earned multi-platinum certifications over
the years, including Diamond status and, more recently, 17× Platinum according
to the RIAA’s rolls. The cut’s feel—slow 12/8, gospel-tinged backing, and a
restrained, vocal-first mix—helped it cross formats while staying rooted in
country tradition. It is a masterclass in less-is-more arrangement: one loop of
chords, infinite ways to phrase them.
Song meaning
The lyric pivots from self-medication to devotion: the narrator trades barroom
numbness for a relationship that truly warms him. Musically, the 12/8 sway and
stretched phrases sell the metaphor—each sustained line sits like a long sip,
and the back-half ad-libs feel like afterglow. When you play it, aim for
patience: hold notes a hair longer than you think and let the rests speak.
Comparisons to previous works:
Compared to “Traveller,” which leans roots-Americana, this track sits deeper
in soul-blues. The band’s pocket echoes classic Etta-style ballads, yet the
acoustic-first mix and plainspoken melody keep it country. That blend—gospel
backing, smoky lead, and open-chord guitar—became a calling card across later
cuts without ever feeling like a formula.
On-page FAQ
Which chords do I need first?
A, Bm (or Bm7), D, with a D/A touch before returning to A.
