Counting My Blessings Chords: A Complete Guitar Guide to This Uplifting Song

If you have ever caught yourself humming a tune about gratitude and then rushed to your guitar to look up counting my blessings chords, you are in good company. This simple search leads to one of the most heart-warming corners of guitar music: songs that turn thankfulness into melody. Whether you want to play a timeless hymn at a family gathering, lead a modern worship anthem at church, or simply practise a beautiful beginner-friendly progression in your bedroom, this guide gives you everything — the chords, the keys, the strumming patterns, and the inspiring message behind the music.

Quick Chords
Count Your Blessings (hymn) — Key of C: C, G7, F, Am. Chorus: C – G7 – C, then F – C – G7 – C. Counting Every Blessing (Rend Collective) — Capo 2, Key of A: G, Am, Em, D.

Here is the first thing every guitarist should know: counting my blessings chords can point to two different songs, and both are worth learning. The classic gospel hymn “Count Your Blessings” (1897) is the song most players mean, with its beloved refrain urging us to count our blessings “one by one.” The second is Rend Collective’s joyful 2018 worship anthem “Counting Every Blessing,” a modern favourite with an equally simple chord progression. This guide covers both — whichever song you heard, you will find the exact chords below.

And if learning this song has put you in a grateful mood for the days ahead, you will love our new week blessings images — a collection of uplifting pictures and wishes to begin your week with a thankful heart.

The Two Songs Behind “Counting My Blessings Chords”

Before we place a single finger on the fretboard, it helps to know which song your counting my blessings chords search is really about. Music history gives us two strong candidates — and both are built on easy, open chords that beginners can master in an afternoon.

1. “Count Your Blessings” — the classic hymn (1897). The lyrics were written by Johnson Oatman Jr. and set to music by the celebrated gospel composer Edwin O. Excell. For more than a century, congregations have sung its gentle counsel: when life feels heavy, stop and count your blessings one by one. Published in 1897, both words and melody are in the public domain, which is why it appears in countless hymnals, ukulele tutorials and campfire songbooks. Its harmony is pure, simple gospel: three or four chords, a memorable refrain, and a message that never gets old.

2. “Counting Every Blessing” — Rend Collective (2018). The Northern Irish worship band Rend Collective released this song on their Good News album, and it quickly became a staple of contemporary church worship around the world. Written during a season when the band was wrestling with unanswered prayers, the song turns that very struggle into praise — choosing to count the blessings already received instead of staring at the ones still missing. Musically it is a bright, folk-driven anthem built on one of the friendliest chord sequences in modern worship.

Below you will find complete, practical chord guides for both songs. We describe every progression in plain text so you can follow along even without a chord chart in front of you, and we include the key, the capo position, the strumming feel, and beginner tips for each section of the song.

Counting My Blessings Chords: The Classic Hymn in the Key of C

The key of C major is the friendliest home for the classic hymn, and it is where most beginners should start: just four chords — C, G7, F and A minor.

The chords, in plain language:

• C major: the warm “home” chord. Ring finger on the 3rd fret of the A string, middle finger on the 2nd fret of the D string, index finger on the 1st fret of the B string. Strum from the A string down.
• G7: the chord that creates a gentle pull back to C. Middle finger on the 3rd fret of the low E string, index finger on the 2nd fret of the A string, ring finger on the 3rd fret of the high E string. That slightly bluesy tension is what makes the resolution back to C feel so satisfying.
• F major: the chord beginners fear most — but you do not need the full barre yet. Play the easy version: index finger barring only the 1st fret of the high E and B strings, middle finger on the 2nd fret of the G string, ring finger on the 3rd fret of the D string. Strum only the top four strings.
• A minor: the soft, reflective chord. Index finger on the 1st fret of the B string, middle finger on the 2nd fret of the D string, ring finger on the 2nd fret of the G string.

The verse progression follows a simple, repeating pattern that mirrors the hymn’s comforting message:

• Line 1: C → G7 → C (“When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed”)
• Line 2: F → C → G7 → C (“When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost”)
• Line 3: C → G7 → C (“Count your many blessings, name them one by one”)
• Line 4: F → C → G7 → C (“And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done”)

The refrain uses the same family of chords, circling C → G7 → C with an F slipped in for lift. Because the whole song lives inside these four chords, you can memorise the entire accompaniment in one practice session and spend your energy on singing with feeling — which is, after all, the whole point of the hymn.

How to Play Counting My Blessings Chords in the Key of D

If the key of C sits too low for your voice — or if you are playing alongside a pianist whose hymnal parks the song in D — simply shift everything up a whole step. The counting my blessings chords in the key of D are D, A and G, with an A7 added for colour wherever the G7 appeared in the key of C.

The chords: D major (index on the 2nd fret of the G string, ring on the 3rd fret of the B string, middle on the 2nd fret of the high E string), A major (a tight triangle of three fingers across the 2nd fret of the D, G and B strings), G major (middle on the 3rd fret of the low E, index on the 2nd fret of the A, ring on the 3rd fret of the high E), and A7 (lift your ring finger off the B string from the A shape — instant bluesy colour).

The progression mirrors the key-of-C version exactly:

• Lines 1 and 3: D → A7 → D
• Lines 2 and 4: G → D → A7 → D

Playing in D gives the hymn a slightly brighter, more formal character than the campfire warmth of C. Try both keys and let your voice decide — or keep the C shapes and add a capo on the 2nd fret, which puts you in D without learning new fingerings.

Rend Collective’s “Counting Every Blessing” Chords (Capo 2, Key of A)

Rend Collective’s “Counting Every Blessing” is officially in the key of A, played with a capo on the 2nd fret using friendly G-shape chords — a genuine beginner song despite its full, anthemic sound. Standard tuning, 4/4 time, medium-slow gospel groove.

The verse progression is a warm, rolling cycle of three chords:

• G → Am → Em — repeated through the verse lines, describing the journey from blindness to sight, from death to life, from failure to redemption.
• Turnaround: G/B → D → G — the walking bass note (G/B simply means playing a G chord with a B in the bass) lifts the verse into the chorus. If the G/B feels fiddly, a plain G works fine for beginners.

The chorus progression opens up beautifully:

• Em → D → C → G — the emotional heart of the song, where the counting of blessings becomes a declaration of trust “when I cannot see.”
• The chorus closes on C → G → D → G, resolving home with the confident line that God’s goodness meets us in every season.

The bridge (the “Surely Your goodness pursues me” section) rides the same G → Am → Em cycle as the verse — so once you have the verse under your fingers, you already know most of the song. That economy is exactly why worship leaders love it: the congregation learns the feel in one hearing, and the guitarist can focus on dynamics instead of chord changes.

Fingering notes for beginners: G, C and D are standard open chords; Em needs only two fingers; Am is the gentle triangle shape described earlier. The G/B is simply a G chord with a B bass note — a plain G works fine until your fingers are ready, and nobody in the congregation will mind.

The band has shared that the song was born from a season of wrestling — knowing God’s promises in their heads but struggling to feel them true — and that its answer is Abraham’s ancient lesson: look up, look around, and count the signs of goodness already given. You can read the band’s own telling of the song’s story on their official “Counting Every Blessing” page.

How to Play: Strumming Patterns, Capo Tips and Timing

Knowing the chords is half the battle; the other half is the right hand. Here is how to make both songs feel the way they are meant to feel.

Strumming the classic hymn. The 1897 hymn moves in a bright 2/4 or fast 4/4 feel, and the pattern that suits it best is down, down-up, down, down-up — steady and buoyant, like a heartbeat. Beginners often attack all six strings on every beat. Instead, try the old gospel “boom-chick” approach: pluck the chord’s bass note on beat one, then brush the higher strings on the off-beats. It instantly sounds more like the piano-driven gospel style Edwin O. Excell had in mind.

Strumming the Rend Collective song. This one wants a softer touch: medium-slow 4/4, mostly gentle down-strums with the occasional down-up on the “and” of beat four to keep it moving. In the verses, palm-mute lightly and let the dynamics build; open up fully in the chorus. A thin pick and a relaxed wrist do more for this song than any fancy pattern.

Capo wisdom. The capo is the singer-guitarist’s best friend. For the hymn: learn it in C with no capo first; if it sits too low, capo 2 with the C shapes puts you in D. For the Rend Collective song, the official arrangement already assumes capo 2 (sounding key A) — slide to capo 4 for the key of B without relearning a single shape. Always tune after moving the capo; a capo that pulls strings sharp is the number-one cause of “why does my worship song sound wrong.”

Timing practice. Both songs reward a metronome. Set it slow — 70 beats per minute for the modern song, around 90–100 for the hymn’s two-beat feel — and practise the chord changes without strumming first. When the changes are clean at slow speed, add the strumming pattern. Speed is the last thing to add, not the first.

The Gratitude Message Woven Into the Song

What makes counting my blessings chords such a beloved search is not just the easy harmony — it is what the harmony carries. Both songs are built on the same spiritual discipline: deliberately noticing the good instead of drowning in the difficult.

Johnson Oatman Jr. wrote the hymn’s lyrics in 1897, and its counsel is strikingly modern: when you are “tempest-tossed” and discouraged, do not argue with your feelings — redirect your attention. Count the blessings. Name them one by one. The hymn promises the exercise itself changes the singer: doubts fly, and the song keeps going “as the days go by.” Modern psychology agrees — deliberate thankfulness is among the most evidence-backed habits for emotional resilience, which may explain why a 19th-century hymn still gets millions of modern plays.

Rend Collective’s song strikes the same note from the opposite direction: it was written not from triumph but from wrestling, when God’s promises felt distant. Its answer is identical to Oatman’s — stop tallying what is missing and start counting what has already been given: sight, life, redemption, hope, a future. The chorus turns counting into an act of trust for the seasons we cannot yet see.

Seasons of thanksgiving have always had their own music and rituals. If the theme of grateful remembrance speaks to you, our Rosh Hashanah blessings collection explores another tradition’s beautiful season of reflection, blessing and new beginnings — a lovely companion read for anyone building a habit of gratitude.

Bible Verses About Counting Your Blessings

A song about gratitude naturally sends us back to Scripture, where thankfulness is not a mood but a command. Keep these verses beside your music stand:

• 1 Thessalonians 5:18 — “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” The apostle Paul says give thanks in all circumstances, not for them — exactly the hymn’s posture. Read the verse in context at BibleGateway (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
• Psalm 107:1 — “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” The psalmist’s refrain after recounting rescue after rescue — a whole psalm built on counting blessings.
• Colossians 3:17 — “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Gratitude as a way of life, not just a Sunday feeling.
• James 1:17 — “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father.” When you count your blessings one by one, this is where the list points: upward.

Try this practice: before you play through the song, read one of these verses aloud, then name three specific blessings from your own week. Players who do this say the song stops feeling like a performance and starts feeling like a prayer.

7 Tips for Making Your Version Sound Beautiful

These seven tips will take your counting my blessings chords from correct to captivating.

1. Start slower than feels natural. Both songs sound better unhurried. Practise at 70 percent speed until the changes are silent and smooth, then let the tempo rise on its own.
2. Let the G7 (or A7) ring. The seventh chord is the emotional hinge of the hymn — do not rush past it. Give it its full beat and let the tension hang for a moment before resolving home.
3. Sing the numbers. Literally count along on the refrain — “one by one” — the first few times. It locks the lyric rhythm into your strumming hand.
4. Use dynamics like verses of a story. Play the first verse of the Rend Collective song softly, almost spoken; let the chorus bloom. The contrast makes the declaration of trust land twice as hard.
5. Record yourself on your phone. Five minutes of listening back reveals rushed changes and uneven strumming that your hands hide from you in the moment. Fix one thing per recording.
6. Play it for people, not just practice. This song was written for kitchens, campfires and congregations. Offer it at a family gathering, a small group, or a community singalong — gratitude multiplies when it is shared. If you enjoy songs with a heritage of bringing people together, our piece on secure the blessings of liberty drawing explores another beloved piece of shared tradition worth knowing.
7. End on the tonic and let it ring. Resist the urge to strum a big final flourish. One clean, sustained C (or G, with the capo) with the strings still vibrating says “amen” better than any fill.

Frequently Asked Questions About Counting My Blessings Chords

What key is “Count Your Blessings” in?

The hymn is most commonly played in the key of C major (C, G7, F, Am), though many hymnals and pianists place it in D major (D, A, G) for a slightly higher, more formal sound.

Is this a good song for beginner guitarists?

Yes — it is one of the best. Both the 1897 hymn and Rend Collective’s version use only three to four open chords with simple, repeating progressions and no barre chords required.

Where do I put the capo for Rend Collective’s “Counting Every Blessing”?

Capo on the 2nd fret, playing G-shape chords (G, Am, Em, C, D), which sounds in the official key of A. Move the capo up or down to fit your singer’s voice without relearning the shapes.

What strumming pattern works best?

For the hymn, use a buoyant “down, down-up, down, down-up” in 2/4 or fast 4/4 time. For the modern song, gentle down-strums in medium-slow 4/4 with light palm muting in the verses works beautifully.

Can I play counting my blessings chords on ukulele?

Absolutely. The hymn’s C, G7, F and Am shapes translate directly to standard ukulele tuning (gCEA), and the simple progression makes it a favourite first song for uke players too.

Are the lyrics copyrighted? Can I print them?

The 1897 hymn’s lyrics and melody are in the public domain, so you may freely print, share and arrange them. Rend Collective’s 2018 song remains under copyright — enjoy playing it, but do not reproduce its full lyrics without permission.

Keep Counting

There is a reason guitarists keep searching for counting my blessings chords: the song gives your hands something simple and your heart something profound to do at the same time. Learn the four chords of the hymn in C, add the Rend Collective progression with your capo on two, and you will own two of the most uplifting songs in the guitarist’s repertoire.

Then do what both songs ask: put the guitar down, and count your blessings — one by one. Happy playing, and may your week be full of music and thankfulness.