Jasmine Flower (茉莉花)
Strumming: One strum per beat, or slow fingerpicking
Focus: C/F/G switching + a feel for pentatonic melody
Transpose · Capo
The original key is inferred from the first chord in the chart. Transposing changes the chords you have to play; to keep easy shapes, switch to “Capo” instead.
💡 Too high to sing? Move down. Too low? Move up. Guys often go a few keys below the original, women a bit above — that's just a starting point. You've got it right when you can sing the highest line of the chorus comfortably.
Chords in this song
✦ = harder to play (mostly barre); try a capoChord progression
Play-along
Chords change automatically to the beat (following the current key C). Get it smooth slowly, then speed up.
One bar of count-in first, then the chord changes automatically each bar. Get it smooth slowly, then speed up bit by bit.
Practice ladder · from playing it to playing it well
Not sure how to practice? Follow these four steps — each has a clear goal and a concrete method.
- 1
Get the chords ringing
Goal: every chord clear, no buzzingGet this song's 3 chords ringing one by one and switchable (C · F · G). Press each alone first, then switch in pairs; for any that won't ring, scroll to “Don't know these chords?” below, or use the chord-change timer for a one-minute challenge.
- 2
Play it through in time
Goal: no stalls with the metronome, start to finishUsing the “One strum per beat, or slow fingerpicking” strum, open the metronome and connect the whole song from a slow tempo, no pausing on the changes; while you're at it, spot which chord progression it follows.
- 3
Play it with feel
Goal: dynamics and a sense of breathC/F/G switching + a feel for pentatonic melody。
- 4
Own it & make it yours
Goal: explain why it works and change up your own versionUnderstand why the harmony goes the way it does, then use the Transpose / Capo control above to change keys, and try reworking the rhythm, adding color chords or improvising — turn “I can play this one” into “I can play many.”
The progression behind this song
Recognize this go-to progression and you can play loads of songs by analogy:
Music theory deep dive
Key: C majorUnderstanding why a song's harmony moves the way it does matters more than memorizing the chords.
Structure
Chord function
Function: Tonic= the stable home · Subdominant= sets up the departure · Dominant= tension that wants to come home. Harmony is the story of leaving → tension → coming home.
Highlights
- East-meets-WestPentatonic melody + triads: F and G supply the two notes the melody never sings
The melody of “Jasmine Flower” uses only the five notes do, re, mi, sol, la (the pentatonic scale), never touching fa or ti from start to finish. But the accompaniment's F chord contains fa and the G chord contains ti — it's precisely these two “notes outside the melody” that add the gravity of Western functional harmony to the pure pentatonic tune, making it sound both familiar and fresh. Putting chords to a folk song, this is the most universal move.
Tip: Want it more “Chinese”? Of the seven diatonic triads in the key of C, only C (do·mi·sol) and Am (la·do·mi) have all their notes within the pentatonic — dwell on them more, then try swapping G for Gsus4 (sol·do·re, also entirely pentatonic), and the Western flavor recedes by half at once.
- CadenceCall and answer: half cadence vs. authentic cadenceIIVVI
The first phrase's four bars stop on G (the V chord) — the sentence half-said, hanging; this is a “half cadence.” The second phrase C–F–G–C walks V→I back to the tonic — the sentence finished; this is an “authentic cadence.” Together the two phrases form a call and answer, the most typical syntax of folk songs — the same move used in the analyses of “Shenandoah” and the “Minuet in G.”
Tip: When you reach the G ending the first phrase, don't rush to wrap up; let that breath hang on; when the second phrase falls back to C, the feeling of “coming home” comes out.
- Playing approachThe accompaniment steps back, the melody is the star
This tune's accompaniment needs only “one strum per beat, or a slow arpeggio” — a folk song's whole drama is in the melody, and the accompaniment cheapens it the moment it grabs attention. A light downstroke on each beat, or a slow 5-3-2-3 arpeggio, soft enough to hum behind the melody. Teacher Wei often says “let the guitar follow the dynamics of the singing,” and this song is the best practice ground.
Don't know these chords? Learn them in the courses
A Chinese folk song, public domain (ABRSM and other exam boards actually use it). The melody is pentatonic, gentle, and lovely—good for singing along or single-note melody. Only a simplified chord progression is given here.