O My Father

Here it is, just in time for Father's Day! The beautiful lyrics by Eliza R. Snow are in the public domain. It's a bit late for Sister Snow to object, but I doubt she would mind. Don't let the unusual tempo throw you. The music is easy to play.

The time signature of the original, as published in the old, blue hymnal, was 9/8, a difficult tempo for pianists to read, though not really difficult to play. For those who are purists, it should be counted something like this:

ONE, two, three; FOUR, five, six; SEVEN, eight, nine. The major accent falls on the first note of the measure, with minor accents on the fourth and seventh notes.

In the new, green hymnal, it was rewritten in 3/4 time, with a triplet at the end of virtually every measure. This may make it easier for pianists, but all the triplets are confusing in guitar tab. I have divided each measure of the original 9/8 score into three measures of 3/8 tempo for clarity. It sounds just like regular, old 3/4 time, except twice as fast. All the notes are eighth notes, which makes it very easy for guitarists to play.

The downbeat begins at the word, “father.” Thereafter, every three measures of 3/8 time equals one of the original 9/8 measures. Every syllable that begins one of the original 9/8 measures is printed in bold face type. Emphasize these notes just a little stronger than the lead notes of the other measures, to restore the subtle rhythm of the original 9/8 tempo.

Use strong tremolo on the final note. It'll sound gorgeous.

Called to Serve

Public domain. This is about as close to the version in the hymnal as I can get it, with no extra notes. It's a fun tune to play! Written in the key of C major, too, so the chords are easy, too. Sounds good on an electric guitar, with lots of fuzz.

Upon the Cross of Calvary

Public Domain. I transposed it into C, because it's hard for me to play in G. I got tendinitis in my left hand from playing with a bent wrist. That's why your guitar teacher won't let you look at your guitar while playing-- it makes you bend your wrist, and causes tendinitis, down the road. Now, my ring finger tends to lock when I play too many G chords. So I use a lot of barred Gs, which don't make my finger lock up. My cross to bear. But this song is about the real cross, borne by the Savior.

I've written it three ways, which can be used as separate versions, or combined as verses. The first, mostly chords, sounds good on a flat-top guitar, played with a pick, or on a classical guitar, strummed with the thumb. The second one cannot be played with a pick, but sounds really "classical" when pinched, especially if you use the fingernails or finger picks. Play it near the bridge for an even more brilliant sound.

The third verse includes lots of "extra" notes to emphasize the 8/8 tempo. I like playing in 8/8, as all the notes are the same length. The "extra" notes are mostly drones in the bass. You can leave out any of them you like, but remember to lengthen the other notes, or the tempo will suffer.

If all you want is the melody, play the 3rd version, except:
1. Leave out all the notes on the 4th, 5th and 6th strings (the drones)
2. Play only the 1st and 7th notes in the 5th measure (GIII)
3. In the next-to-last measure, play only the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th notes
4. In the final measure, play only the 1st note.

This is actually a pretty easy hymn to play. If the CIII chord gives you trouble, you can substitute a regular C chord, but it'll make the transition to the next chord harder-- that's why I used the barre chord.

Master, the Tempest Is Raging

LOTS of "extra" notes in this one! But if you don't want them, you can ignore any notes except the ones directly over the words of the song. Of course there are lots of chords, so if you just want the melody line, you'll have to pick it out of the chords.

Play this song fast, and it'll sound just great. As an experiment, I switched to using the letters h and p to indicate hammer-ons and pull-offs, instead of my usual underscore. Does it make a difference to anyone?

All the chords are normal, common chords, including some barre chords, indicated by Roman numerals to show where the barre goes. All the notes are eighth notes, which makes keeping the tempo really easy, even though it's fast. That's one reason I put the "extra" notes in. They actually make it easier to play. The only exception is the last chord, which needs to be held for a count of three. Alternatively, you could play the first chord in the last measure as a three-note "broken" chord, saving the last chord for a full measure of its own.

Brightly Beams Our Father's Mercy

This is one of my favorite hymns, both to sing and to play. There are very few "grace notes" in it; nearly all of it is melody. The few grace notes are put in parentheses, in light face type. You can safely ignore them if you only want to play the melody. You can also substitute the regular C chord for all the different C chords, the regular F for all the F chords, and the regular G for all the different G chords, if you are not comfortable with barre chords. It won't sound as nice or follow the melody as well, but will be perfectly fine for accompanying vocalists.

Notes:

I usually play the first F as a regular, four-string F, just because the chord change from C and back is easier that way, and it's a very fast change.

The transition F(I) to F(V) may be hard to make rapidly, if you are not used to playing these chords. It is perfectly acceptable to avoid the change by playing all the F chords in the tenth measure the same. If you do this, it sounds much better if you leave out the F(I) chord and substitute the F(5) chord, rather than the other way around.

It's also perfectly OK to make the final C chord a normal one, without the G bass, if your pinkie isn't up to it. But it sounds a bit thin for a finale. The full, six-string chord sounds much better to end the song on.

It wouldn't hurt to put tremolo on the E note on the third string in the next-to-last measure. That's why I play it in the 9th fret of the third string, instead of just playing the first string open, which is the same note. When performed as a guitar solo, this piece sounds better with lots of pauses, holds, and tremolos. I like to use these forms of expression to emphasize the words of the hymn that feel most important to me at the time I am playing them. You cannot be too expressive with this song-- the more expression you put in, the better your audience will like it, even at the risk of totally losing the rhythm!

This song is in the public domain.

All Creatures-- reprise

Sorry! I forgot to publish the files for All Creatures of Our God and King and the easy version. They are published now, and you should have no trouble downloading them. Playing the guitar is LOTS easier than using the Internet: make one mistake and you can still hear the piece. Make one mistake on the Internet and NOBODY can see the posting.

All Creatures of Our God and King--easy version

Similar to the previous post, but without any barre chords, unless you count the two-string barre on the F. Only one even slightly tricky transition is in the 15th measure, where you may have to stretch a bit more than you are used to, to hit the C# in the IV space on the second string with your little finger. Sorry! The note is necessary to the melody, and there's no easier way to play it. If it gives you trouble, try using a capo at the III or IV space, where the frets are noticeably closer together. This will minimize the reach needed, and also make it easier to sing along, as the capo in the IV space puts the song back into the original key of Eb.

This song was written five hundred years ago by St. Francis of Assisi, so the copyright has definitely expired. Enjoy!

All Creatures of Our God and King

Here's one for you guitarists who don't like a lot of "extra" notes. There a NO extra notes here. It may look difficult at first because of the many barre chords. Actually, this is what makes it easy. There are only three basic chords in the whole song: C, E, and A, plus barred versions of them, and a few with very slight variations, such as lifting up the little finger to convert a barred E into an E7. These three basic chords patterns convert into nine different chords when barred in different positions, allowing beautiful chord progressions and easy transitions.

A few specifics:
The tempo is 3/2, and the notes have different values. If you don't know the song, you'll have to follow along in the hymnal to get the timing right. Better yet, go to LDS.org, find the music site, and change the key to C, then print.

5th measure: just slide the barring finger from the VIII position to VII, then to V for the F chord in the next measure. Repeat in the 6th and 7th measures, and again in the 13th and 14th measures and the 14th and 15th.

8th measure: flatten the middle finger of the left hand to fret the "10" notes on the third string. Repeat in the 10th measure.

16th measure: be sure to stop the strum after playing the second string, as the next note is the final note of the strum, and it must be perceived as a separate note, and not as part of the strum. It wouldn't hurt to slow down here.

Last measure: hold as long as you can; unless you are playing an electric guitar, it won't be long enough, because of the weird time signature. You're trying for SIX quarter-notes. Even my Cervantes won't sustain that long.

This song was written by St. Francis of Assisi about five hundred years ago, and is definitely in the public domain.

For Beginners

Thank you, Liz and Ogdenware, for your comments. This is supposed to be a guitar TAB blog. That's why I put in all the arpeggios and fancy stuff. You don't have to play it that way, though. I include the chords above the tablature, and chord charts at the end of every song, so you can simply play the chords and strum, if you've a mind to, while ignoring the tab.

From your comments, it sounds like what you really want is just the melody tabbed, as in "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today," right? If that's what you want, make a request by leaving a comment to this posting. I have a few I have tabbed that way for students, and I can do more, if I know somebody wants them.

Meanwhile, here's a tip on how to simplify my tabs: most of the extraneous stuff is just pattern picking. If it's a repeated pattern, you can probably safely ignore it.

Christ the Lord Is Risen Today

An easy one, in time for Easter. There are no hard chords in this song. No barre chords. Chord changes are easy, as long as you can do hammer-ons, pull-offs, and slides. The only remotely hard parts come in the last two Hallelujahs, and the first measure of the last line, with multiple hammer-ons and pull-offs in each of the three measures. But they are all easy ones. Play them slowly, until you get the hang of playing the strings with the left hand, then speed up gradually.

This song sounds especially good with a crisp, bright sound. Play it close to the bridge, and use your fingernails, or finger picks, if you don't have nails, for a clear, crisp, "classical guitar" sound. This song is in the public domain, though I reserve copy rights to my arrangement and tablature. If you reproduce it, please give me credit.