Gospel-friendly Guitar Tabs

White Christmas-- a stocking stuffer

2011-12-25T12:01:00.011-07:00

I AM dreaming of a white Christmas this year. There's not a speck of snow on the ground. In case you're also dreaming of a white Christmas, here it is: the most popular single song of all time, according to the Guinness Book of World Records. It was listed as such in the very first edition of Guiness, and again each year for the last fifty years.

The Tab:

The tablature is simplicity itself. I only included the melody line, except for the final C chord. For those who are not familiar with the upper end of the fret board, I have included notations above each staff, in lightface italics, showing which finger of the left hand to use for each note. The fingers are numbered thus:
1 = index
2 = middle
3 = ring
4 - pinkie

This is standard notation for classical guitar (or lead). In general, you will be playing in "seventh position", so all the notes in the seventh fret will be fretted with the index finger, all the notes in the eighth fret will be fretted with the middle finger, etc. The only changes are near the end.

In the next-to-last line, right after the word, "write," the left hand changes to fifth position. If you like you can barre the fifth fret, but you may find it easier to play the third string normally, then just sort of smash the side of your finger down on the second string and first string, as needed. Do the same with the third finger at the eighth fret. Stay in fifth position until it's time to play the last three notes of the next-to-last measure on the open second string, then change to first position for the C chord. With a bit of practice, it will seem quite natural to you.

I hope to do a full guitar arrangement in 2012, and post it before next Christmas, so you will have time to practice. But it sounds pretty good this way, and even better on an acoustic guitar, with lots of vibrato.

Cool stuff about the song:

Irving Berlin wrote over 1500 songs in his long lifetime (he died in his sleep at 101, in the 1980s.) Legend has it that he stayed up all night writing White Christmas, then called up a friend the next day and said, "I've just written the best song I ever wrote-- maybe the best song anybody ever wrote!" If so, many famous song writers, including George Gershwin and Aaron Copeland, would agree. So would millions of fans. Recordings of White Christmas have sold over a hundred million copies, more than any other song in history, and it has reached #1 on the Hit Parade chart of best-selling records three separate times-- the only song ever to do so.

Not bad, for an American Christmas carol written by a Jewish immigrant from Russia!

I Saw Three Ships

2011-12-11T20:38:00.004-07:00

Well, it's a Christmas carol, even if it's not in the hymnal, or even specifically Christian, and it has always bothered me that it would be impossible to see ANY ships from the region near Bethlehem. Oh, well! It's a pretty song to play on the guitar, and quite easy. There are no barre chords at all. Basically, it's C, G, and G7, with just one variation of each. I've tagged the variations with asterisks, as the real names of the chords take up a lot of room, and are quite unnecessary. For you purists, I've included the real names on the chord charts. If you just wanted to strum along with some carolers, you wouldn't even need to play the variations, just the three basic chords.

Good thing, too, at least in Salt Lake City where I live-- it gets DARN COLD of a winter evening, cold enough to make any but the simplest playing impossible, and I've never figured out how to play with gloves on. Enjoy! Of course, it's in the public domain.

Hark! the Herald Angels Sing

2011-12-07T12:11:00.015-07:00

Merry Christmas!

Here's another one of my favorite Christmas Carols. Enjoy!

The music:

This is not a difficult song, but it needs a bit of explanation. As published in Hymns, it is written in the key of F, which is nearly impossible for most guitarists. I have transposed it up two frets, to the key of G. Other than that, the first verse is taken exactly from the soprano and alto lines in Hymns. The song is in the public domain, so that’s okay. For those who just want to accompany singers, I have included the rhythm guitar chords, in lightface type. They won’t help you with the tab, though. So if you’re trying to play the tab as written, just ignore the lightface chords in the first verse. (The second verse is different. More on that later.)

The first verse does not need chord symbols, as there are NO CHORDS in this verse, just two-finger pinches. For those who are not classically trained, I have included notations about which left-hand finger to use to fret the notes. Normally, in classical guitar notation, such abbreviations are given in Spanish: p - i - m - a, for the Spanish words, pulgar, indicio, medio, & anulario. Since the song is written in English, and few of my followers are classically trained, I decided to use the English abbreviations: t - i - m - r (for thumb, index, middle, & ring) instead. If you are a classical guitarist, please just deal with it.

There are a couple of places where it’s easier to just slide the left hand up or down the neck, rather than switching fingers. You’ll find them as you play through the song. I tried to specify the fingering that I think will be easiest for a beginner. If you think a different fingering would be better, please yourself. This is just my arrangement; it wasn’t handed down by Mendelssohn!

The second verse is a different story.

First, the lyrics: I couldn’t keep the song on three pages and use the real lyrics for the second verse. They just take up more room, and are not as easy to follow. Since I only include lyrics to aid in following the rhythm, I re-used the lyrics from the first verse. This is supposed to be a guitar solo, anyway.

Second, the arrangement: This is one of my easier guitar arrangements. Half the notes are played on open strings! All the chords are easy to play, and most are well-known to every guitarist. The only exceptions are GaddD and CaddD, which are both slight variations of the basic G-shape. There are no difficult chord changes, and NO BARRE CHORDS!

I have included chord symbols where they would be helpful in knowing where to place the fingers of the left hand. I have left them out, where they are not needed. For example, where all the strings are played open, it is not necessary to hold a G chord, even though that is what you would do if you were playing accompaniment or rhythm guitar. In other places, only a single note of a chord is called for. In such places, I have left out the unnecessary chord changes, for clarity. If you wish to play rhythm, use the chords from the first verse.

History:

This is one of eight thousand hymn lyrics written by Charles Wesley, younger brother of John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church. During his life, Charles published over six thousand of his hymns, many of which are found in the LDS hymnal.

The tune he had in mind is not the one usually associated with this carol. Wesley envisioned it being sung to the tune of Christ the Lord Is Risen Today, which he also wrote. The tune we now use was part of a secular cantata, written a hundred years later by Felix Mendelssohn, to commemorate the invention of the printing press. Fifteen years after that, English musician William H. Cummings adapted Mendelssohn’s tune to Wesley’s lyrics, creating the sprightly Christmas carol we now know.

There have been many other tweaks since Wesley’s day. Even the first line (and hence, the title) of the song has changed. Originally, it began, “Hark! how all the welkin rings / Glory to the King of Kings”. Wesley’s co-worker, George Whitefield, persuaded him to change it. Thank you, George!

Ding-Dong, Merrily on High (easier)

2011-11-21T16:59:00.009-07:00

It's HARD to play this song at the proper speed. Doing so requires paying strict attention to correct fingering of both the left and right hands. What works best for me may not work best for you, so don't hesitate to change these instructions if your fingers like a different pattern better! The chords called out in the chord charts require some odd fingerings to allow for fast chord changes, so I have specified which finger to use in the charts. The number 1 = the index finger, 2 = the middle finger, etc. You may find some of these fingerings counter-intuitive, but they are the ones I have found work the best in this particular song.

Meanwhile, back at the first verse:

Strum the initial C chord with the thumb, then play the second note with the ring finger of the right hand. This leaves the stronger middle finger to initiate the pull-off series on the second string. You'll probably have to release the C chord-shape with the left hand to play that series. Play the last note, on the third string, with the right index finger.

In the second measure, play all the third string notes with the right middle finger, and the bass string with the right thumb. This sets you up to play the F chord in the third measure as a thumb strum. The next three notes, all on the second string, can be played rapidly by using a different right hand finger for each one: ring-middle-index. If you know classical guitar terminology, use alternating rest-strokes. In the final measure, use a thumb strum, and pluck the final note with the middle finger (that's a free-stroke in classical guitar).

The Chorus

The Chorus is the fastest part of the song, and thus the hardest to play. Practice each measure until you can do it without thinking about it, then go on to the next. All three Choruses are the same, except for the last line of the final Chorus.

Pluck the first note of the first measure with the right ring finger, then strum the next two notes. Release the chord shape with the left hand, and play the fourth note with the ring finger. Then pluck the next-to-last note with the right middle finger, pulling-off the last note with the left hand. All the notes are eighth-notes, and should have equal length and emphasis.

The second measure of the Chorus has a slightly different pattern. All the notes on the first string are plucked with the right middle finger, the bass note with the thumb, and all the rest with the right index finger. Releasing the chord-shape after the first two notes will make this measure much easier on your left hand. The third measure has the same pattern.

The pattern for the fourth and fifth measures is actually the same, except shifted down one string. The second string notes are all plucked with the right middle finger, bass notes with the thumb, and all others with the index finger. There are no notes on the first string.

The sixth measure is different. Keep the chord shape with the left hand throughout the measure. All second string notes are plucked with the right ring finger, all third string notes with the middle finger, all fourth string notes with the index finger, and the bass with the thumb. The same pattern holds for the final two measures of the Chorus, except for the strummed chord at the beginning of the seventh measure. I like to repeat the Chorus, but it's not required except after the last verse.

The Second Verse

This same pattern is continued into the second verse, except for the second measure, where it shifts down another string, so the chord is strummed by the thumb, then the third string is plucked by the right ring finger, the fourth by the middle finger, the fifth by the index, and the bass by the thumb. At the end of this measure, shift back to the previous pattern, and keep it up until the end of the verse. Repeat the verse, then go right into the Chorus.

The Third Verse

The Third Verse does not follow the melody-- it just sounds really neat! If you want to follow the melody, just repeat the First Verse. But if you want to play the Third Verse the way I've arranged it, here's how.

After the initial strum, release the chord-shape with the left hand. The rest of the measure consists essentially of scales, descending from treble to bass, then ascending again. If you have trouble performing two pull-offs or hammer-ons in a row, you'll have trouble with this verse, but if you can do them, it makes the verse extremely easy, as it's the same pattern, just on different strings.

The only “odd” note comes in the third measure, where you have to fret the fifth string in the fourth space with your left pinkie. If your pinkie is not up to this, you can move your hand around and hit the note in the same place with your ring finger, but it's a lot of finger-dancing for one note. I use my pinkie, and figure if it doesn't sound too good, nobody is likely to notice, as it's a “grace note.”

Repeat the verse, going immediately into the beginning of the repetition without a pause. Even though you are doing exactly the same thing, most of your audience will think you somehow have shifted the guitar down an octave, and will wonder how you did it!

Final Chorus:

The last Chorus is played exactly like all the others, except for the last two measures. You can slow down for this “finale”, but it's way more impressive if you don't. The next-to-last measure is actually easier than in the previous Choruses, to allow a bit more time for you to move your hand up the neck to the eighth fret, for the full-barre C chord.

Just strum the two bass strings quickly, so they sound more or less together, then “slow strum” the other four strings, so each one can be heard independently. (But don't slow down!) Hold the final note as long as you can. If you don't break the rhythm, and you play it as fast as it's written (or even close), your applause will be thunderous!

Ding Dong Merrily on High

2011-11-03T07:26:00.006-06:00

Yes, it really is supposed to be played that fast! Here’s what it’s supposed to sound like, if you don’t know the song, or copy and paste this: http://www.christmas-carol-music.org/SATB/DingDongMerrily.mid into your browser, if the link doesn't work. The original was a French dance tune without words, called “le branle de l'Official”. It was first published in the late 1580s by French cleric and dance historian Jehan Tabourot, under the pen name Thoinot Arbeau, which is an anagram of his real name. No one now knows if he composed the tune, or merely collected it. I have not been able to locate any French lyrics, either ancient or even a modern translation from the English. Such a translation would have to be decidedly modern, as the English lyrics were not written until 1924!

The lyrics were written by George Ratliffe Woodward, who adapted the somewhat worldly dance tune for use as a Christmas carol. Their archaic flavor stems from the author’s delight in archaic verse and language, and references to his hobby of church-bell ringing. His deliberate archaisms include the words sungen, swungen, matins, evetime and Io, io, io, as well as his deliberate use of the Latin chorus: gloria, hosanna in excelsis. This is a quotation from the Latin Bible, and means, “Glory and praise in the highest,” the phrase which the people shouted to Jesus on his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, in recognition of his Messiahship. It is often mispronounced hose Anna in excel sis. In reality, it has nothing to do with spraying Anna with water or exceeding your sister, and should be pronounced hoe sauna e’en ex shell cease (e’en though it has nothing to do with gardening in a sauna or stopping an artillery barrage!) Io, io, io is pronounced, "ee-oh, ee-oh, ee-oh," NOT "eye-oh, eye-oh, eye-oh,." At speed, it sounds rather like a piglet squealing. Oh well!

I first encountered this delightful tune in the movie, "Little Women," and was devastated to learn that Jo and the girls could not really have sung it, as the lyrics would not be written for more than sixty years! It’s still my favorite version of the song. The harmonies (also from 1924) were composed by Charles Wood. In any event, the tune is in the public domain, so there’s no problem with publishing it.

This is really not a hard song to play-- slowly. The difficulty comes when you try to play it at speed. Don’t try this until you have the song completely memorized! Even then, start at half speed or slower and work up gradually, or you’ll never get it right. This may take some time, so start working on it early. Remember, it’s much better to play it too slowly than to mess up the rhythm. If you play too slow, the audience may think you’re doing it on purpose, if they even notice. After all, this is a guitar solo; there’s no one singing or dancing! If you lose the rhythm, though, it’ll show.

Let Us All Press On -- 2nd Tali update

2011-10-06T06:41:00.003-06:00

Well, she's had her second lesson. Even though she is not really up to speed on the "rank beginner" version, I've started her on a modification of the regular version. She's learning the chords and ligadoes, but I'm not insisting that she play hammer-ons from a pinch, as her little finger isn't really strong enough yet. But she picked up the hammer-ons and pull-offs right away, and is learning the chords. She'll have a much easier time playing chords when she buys her own guitar. She has extremely short fingers, not the best with my old flamenco guitar. The soft tension is great for a beginner, and the tone is not bad, but it has the widest neck of any guitar I've ever owned! I'm letting her use it, because I don't want her to go out and buy a guitar until she can play well enough to know when a guitar feels "right" for her. Today, she asked to borrow my Cervantes, to see if she likes it better--and she does, of course! Small wonder-- it cost about ten times as much!

OOPS! My bad...

2011-10-05T15:31:00.002-06:00

Well, it was late at night and I was tired and in a hurry, and I typed in the names of the strings wrong, on the easy version of Let Us All Press On. Reading DOWN, they're supposed to be: e B G D A E. Ack! I had them all mixed up. I've fixed it now. If you've downloaded that song, download it again, please. Sorry for the confusion. The strings are named correctly in the post, and the notes in the tab are correct. Only the string names in the tab were wrong. So sorry! If you ever catch any errors in my tabs, please let me know. And thanks to Tali for catching that.

Let Us All Press On-- for absolute beginners

2011-10-02T18:58:00.005-06:00

“Easy” doesn’t even begin to describe this song. It’s the easiest hymn I’ve ever arranged. As I was working on this hymn, and noticing how easy it is to play, my daughter Tali called to ask if I would teach her to play the guitar. She mentioned that she is particularly interested in “eventually” learning to play the hymns. I don’t believe in coincidences.

Since Tali has never played the guitar at all, or any other stringed instrument, I decided to see just how simple I could make it. With very little effort, I was able to eliminate not only all the barre chords, but all chords entirely! There are a couple of pinches, and that’s it. So, this will be Tali’s very first song to learn on the guitar. How’s that for easy?

To make the song playable by a brand-new guitarist, I also left out all advanced techniques, such as hammer-ons and pull-offs. This does make the song sound a bit choppy, so I am including my original version, with chords and ligadoes. The melody is the same for either version. There are a few “extra” bass notes in both versions, but they are included in the original arrangement, as found in Hymns.

The original is already in the key of C, so I didn’t even have to transpose it. I left out some of the harmony notes, and recast the tempo as 8/8, to simplify counting. It almost seems like it was written for guitar on purpose. This hymn was in the public domain, so copyright was not a problem. I’m including links for both versions, but the Study guide is only for the beginner’s version. The other is easy enough for most beginners, without special instructions.

Study guide (beginner’s version)

This guide is meant to be read one measure at a time, while playing the notes on the guitar. Trying to just read through it, without playing the guitar, will likely confuse you if you are a beginner. If you are not a beginner, why are you playing this simplified version?

The song begins with a partial-measure lead-in. A hammer-on sounds really good here. Get someone to show you how to do one, if you are not an absolute beginner. The metronome setting of 100 will show you how fast to play the song, once you have it memorized. Don’t try to play it that fast initially! Start slow, then build up speed later. Each metronome tick equals two counts.

The first three notes in measure [1] take two counts each, but the last two notes take only one each. Notes that take two counts are called quarter-notes, while those that take only one count are called eighth-notes. The two eighth-notes at the end of the measure lead into measure [2], which is nearly all eighth-notes. When finger-picking successive notes on the same string, as in measure [2], it is useful to play them with alternating fingers of the right hand, for speed. If you are playing them with a pick, alternate down-strokes and up-strokes of the pick.

Measures [3] and [4] repeat this pattern of one measure of nearly all quarter-notes, followed by a measure of nearly all eighth-notes. Measures [5] and [6] repeat it again, as do [7] and [8]. Measure [6] contains a pinch. Fret the third space on the 2nd string (the B string) with the index finger, and the third space on the 4th string (the D string), with the ring finger. Play the pinch in measure [8] similarly, but notice that the ring finger will be fretting the third space on the 5th string (the A string).

The first measure of the chorus is a bit tricky. It begins with a pinch. Fret the third space on the 2nd string (the B string) with the ring finger, and the third space on the 6th string (the E string), with the middle finger. This pinch, and the next note, are quarter-notes, but the rest are eighth-notes. Those “extra” notes on the D string are not part of the melody as sung, but they are called out in the hymnal, for the instrument to play. I recommend that you count this measure out loud, until you can play it fluently.

Measure [10] is much easier, but you will have to alternate the right-hand fingers (or up-down pick strokes) as you did in measure [2]. Measure [11] contains no surprises, and [12] is all eighth-notes. Measure [13] and [14] repeat this pattern, and [15] is all eighth-notes, too. Again, the two bass notes on the 5th string (the A string) in measure [15] may seem like they don’t belong, as they are not part of the melody, but they do appear in Hymns.

The last measure is a little bit different. It begins with a pinch, and the tempo slows down, so you have to hold the pinched notes a bit longer than usual, even though they are eighth-notes. Then play the final four notes of the measure on the 4th (D) string, and hold the final quarter-note as long as you can. The last two counts of the measure are in parentheses, because you do not count them if you are going to play a second verse. Instead, substitute the first two notes of the lead-in at the beginning of the song. That’s why the notes of the lead-in are counted “7, 8” instead of “1, 2”. Only the last time around do you continue the count to the end of measure [15].

Joseph Smith's First Prayer (Oh How Lovely Was the Morning)

2011-09-16T06:18:00.004-06:00

An EASY and BEAUTIFUL arrangement. EASY and BEAUTIFUL don’t often coincide, but this time, they do. Of the six chords in the charts, three are C, A, and G7. The others are easier than normal, because no notes are found on the #1 string when these chords are played. There are NO BARRE CHORDS at all, not even the F/C.

Because it’s so easy, you may be tempted to play it faster than specified. Trust me; it sounds better slow. Remember, that’s 80 quarter-notes per minute, so each beat of the metronome equals two of the eighth-notes shown in the tab. In the hymnal, this song is listed as 4/4 tempo, but I have recast it as 8/8, to simplify the counting. As tabbed, all notes are eighth-notes.

You may wish to add other verses, with chords, key changes, and reprises, as in Dennis Crocket’s lovely piano arrangement. You can do what you like; the hymn’s in public domain.

Complete, line-by-line instructions:

Begin with a partial measure lead-in. If you’re counting measures, begin with the first complete measure. The lead-in consists of a hammer-on on the fourth string. Position your fingers for the C chord, then perform the hammer-on with the pinkie. This sets up your hand perfectly for the following measure. You can play the lead-in as two separate notes, if the hammer-on is hard for you. In fact, you can treat all of the hammer-ons in the song as separate notes if you wish, but they’ll sound better as hammer-ons.

Continue to hold this chord shape with the left hand until it is time to change to G7 in measure [2]. You’ll have plenty of time to make the chord change, as the last note in C and the first note in G7 are both played on open (un-fretted) strings. Release the G7 while playing the open notes on the 4th, 3rd, and 2nd strings, setting up the hammer-on that ends the measure. This eases the transition to the GaddD chord in measure [3]. The change back to G7 is a bit fast, but it’s not difficult, and the switch back to C is easy, as you are playing on open strings during the change.

The end of this measure and all of measure [5] duplicate the lead-in and measure [1], and measure [6] is almost the same as measure [2]. The bass strings are played in order (6-5-4), and it’s easy to play all three with the thumb, in a slow strum, rather than playing just the 6th string with the thumb and plucking the others with the fingers, as would normally be done.

All this repetition makes the first two lines really easy to play, and you’ll notice that many other riffs, and even entire measures, are repeated throughout the song. Measures [7] and [8], are the almost the only unique ones in the song. I strongly recommend that you play the hammer-on in [7] as a hammer-on, even if you avoid all the others in the song.

In measures [9] and [11], you don’t actually have to play an A-shape to play the A chord. Just flatten the middle finger across the 3rd and 4th strings, briefly, then lift the finger off the strings and play them again, open, giving plenty of time to switch to the following C. The rhythm of measure [12] is very similar to that of [5], even though the actual notes are different.

Measure [13] is a new form, with a five-string run from the 1st string to the 5th. If you try to pluck the strings with your fingers, you will run out of fingers before you run out of strings, as the right hand pinky is not used. If you strum the strings UP, your hand will be out of place for the last two notes of the measure. The solution is to strum UP the first three strings with the middle finger, reserving the index and thumb for the 4th and 5th strings respectively. Then you can play the whole measure without a break.

Measure [14] is one of only two “difficult” measures in the song, as there’s a quick chord change from G7 to F/C. The good news is that the 1st string is not played for either of these chords, and the 2nd string is played open until the last note, which is a hammer-on. Since you are only actually fretting three strings, a bit of practice should get this transition smooth.

Measure [15] is very similar to [13]. Since only four strings are involved, simply pluck each string separately: ring finger - middle finger - index finger - thumb. You don’t have to play the G7-shape, as there are only two notes, and one of them is on a open string. I just fret the 6th string with my pinkie, then slow-strum the five-string run in the last measure.

There’s a quick movement of the left hand required between the third and fourth notes of the final measure, which may take a bit of practice. I barre the 1st and 2nd strings with my left pinkie. It’s a bit of a quick reach to the eighth fret, but the 3rd string is played open, which gives a bit more time for the movement. It’s not really a chord change, as the notes are included in the C chord, just one octave higher.

There are only six notes in this measure, but the 8/8 time signature remains unchanged. The two-note lead-in will be the last two notes of the final measure, if you play a second verse. That’s why the time in the lead-in measure is counted, “7, 8” even though it begins the song.

These instructions are rather detailed, but the playing goes quickly. I recommend that you play several verses, altering the tempo for emphasis, and reprise the last five measures.

Why the new look?

2011-09-07T21:36:00.002-06:00

I didn't want it, but Blogger changed everything, for some reason, and this is the closest I could get to the old blog. The functionality, as far as the user is concerned, remains the same, but there's a new learning curve for me. I don't like companies that pull the rug out from under you with no warning, explanation, or apology, and am investigating other options. For now tho, I'll try to keep everything as close to the same as I can. Don

Love Me Tender

2011-09-04T15:04:00.006-06:00

No, it’s not a hymn, nor even a religious song. But it is about eternal love, and that is also Gospel-friendly. It’s been a long time since I’ve included a love song. My excuse for this one is that it was first performed 55 years ago this week.

Let’s get this straight: I am an Elvis fan, but I must tell the truth. Despite his name in the credits, Elvis Presley did not write this song. The tune was first published in 1861, as a Civil War ballad called Aura Lea, by George R. Poulton, with lyrics by W. W. Fosdick. Over the next hundred years, it generated several popular versions with different lyrics. In 1956, songwriter Ken Darby created yet another set of lyrics to the old tune, for the 20th Century Fox movie, The Reno Brothers, in which the young Elvis Presley played a part. Elvis first performed the song on the Ed Sullivan Show, on September 9, 1956, as a plug for his upcoming movie. He was not yet known for singing ballads, and neither the movie trailer nor the advance copies of the record had yet been released. So popular was his crooning, however, that one day later the record had sold a million reserved copies, earning a gold record in a single day's sales, before even one copy was released! 20th Century Fox changed the title of the movie to Love Me Tender, to take advantage of this astounding publicity, but still killed off Elvis’ character in the last act.

Although Elvis had no part in writing the lyrics, and the music was in the public domain, he was given equal credit as co-writer, because his contract required it. (Elvis did not actually write any of the songs he recorded.) In a fit of pique, Darby transferred his part of the credit to his wife, Vera Matson, “because she didn’t write it either.” Elvis was well-known as a tyrant in the recording studio, too. Ironically, he made so many last-minute changes to the arrangement and the lyrics of this song, that his credits as songwriter may have been partially justified after all.

PLAYING THE SONG

The metronome setting is for quarter-notes, but I have recast the piece in 8/8 time, instead of 4/4, to make the counting easier. So remember, each tick of the metronome represents two counts.

Nearly all the chords in this song are variants of D, E, and A. If you wish, you can just play those three chords, and it’ll sound okay, but you’ll miss all the cool harmonies. If even “The King,” with his gorgeous voice, needed to add bass and harmony, the rest of us will need to also. Unlike 99 percent of the songs on this blog, this one is intended to accompany a singer. If you don’t have the voice for it, find someone who does.

Strum all the chords with your thumb, or with a soft flat-pick, for the mellowest sound you can get. If you have looked up the chords to this song on other Internet sites, you will notice I have included several additional chords. If you listen to any of Elvis’ actual recordings, you will note that HE always included the “extra” chords too. You can dumb it down if you want to, but it will show. Elvis used the barre chords, which you’ll see if you watch him play this piece on any You-Tubes of his early TV appearances. Or, listen to the chords played by his backup musicians. Like many other really beautiful songs, this one sounds a lot simpler than it really is.

The song is played in a hesitation rhythm: / one-and-two-(and)-three-and-four-(and)- /. The second and fourth notes of each measure are accented, and the intermediate notes following them are not played at all. True, it would be simpler to play this in straight 4/4 time, with an alternating bass note, and that’s how most guitarists do it, but it’s NOT how Elvis or his sidemen played it! I tried writing out the count as / 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & / but it got too confusing, so I recast it as 8/8 instead. Purists may grumble, but it’s lots easier to figure out that way.

All the chords are quite ordinary for any intermediate guitarist who is used to playing barre chords, with the possible exception of the DII in the second finale. You may find this chord difficult, though it’s just a barred C-shape. If you like, just play the normal D in Finale 1, then repeat and fade. That’s how Elvis’ sidemen did it, while he held the last note with his voice. This emphasizes the voice, at the expense of the guitar, and is great, IF, like Elvis, you have the voice for it. I don’t, so I use Finale 2 to cover.

Abide With Me!

2011-08-31T15:15:00.001-06:00

Originally, I tabbed this as all chords, but soon found that playing the chords as a modified pattern-pick was much easier. For this reason, the chords called out in the tab are for reference only. Do not strum them. Play only the individual notes as shown. There are only two strummed chords, toward the very end of the song, as shown by the wiggly line to the left of each chord.

The song is written in 4/4 time, but I have recast it as 8/8, to make counting easier. The metronome count is still listed for quarter-notes, as is standard. That is, each tick of the metronome counts for two of the eighth-notes shown in the tab. If you find this confusing, practice without the metronome. Since this is a guitar solo, it won’t matter if your timing is imperfect.

In classical guitar, the fingers of the right hand are labelled p-i-m-a, for the initials of the Spanish words, Pulgar, Indicio, Medio, and Anulario. (“Thumb, Index, Middle, and Ring”) The p-i-m-a notations below the lyrics tell you which finger of the right hand to use when you play each note. Most measures begin with the ring finger (“a”), then play the bass note with the thumb (“p”). The next two strings are played with the m and a fingers respectively. So the pattern is not only which strings are played, but also which fingers are used: a-p-i-m-a-i-m-i in the first measure.

The pattern is modified in the next measure: a-p-i-m-a-p-i-m, and again in the third verse: a-i-m-i-m-i-m-i. So the finger pattern and the string pattern are both constantly changing. It makes the song harder to learn (if you are not used to playing fingerstyle or classical guitar), but it actually makes the song easier to perform. I don’t normally specify the right hand fingering, figuring that each guitarist has his or her own preferences. You don’t have to use my fingering, but it’s the easiest way I have found to play the notes called out in this tab.

In the third measure, you need only play the first three strings, which makes the Fv chord much easier to play. You only have to barre three strings, and you can play the chord without stretching your hand. Unfortunately, the Fv in the sixth measure is not nearly so easy to play. You have to play all five strings, using all four fingers, and it’s a stretch to reach the F note on the fifth string with the little finger, especially if you have short fingers, as I do. But the note is necessary for the melody, and the chord shape allows for a quick change to the following CIII.

At the end of the second line, the “7th” note of the G7III chord is fretted with the little finger, producing a sound often found in the Blues. You can even bend the note a bit, if you wish, by stretching the string slightly, to make it sound even more “Blues-y”. This same chord shows up again in the third measure of the next line, where it’s even easier to play. This second time, you only have to play the 1st, 2nd, and 6th strings. If you have a narrow-neck guitar, you can wrap your hand around the neck and fret the 6th string with your thumb, eliminating the barre altogether.

I play a classical guitar, and my fingers are short, so I use the barre version, which makes it super simple to change to the following G7III chord. Hold this chord with the left hand until the last two measures of the song. You don’t actually have to change for the CIII chord, as you can just flatten your fingers briefly to fret the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th strings.

Play ALL the notes in the next-to-last measure with the thumb (p), as a slow strum, on just the strings indicated. Then, strum all six strings and let it ring. It will sound like a chord change, even though you have not moved your left hand at all!

This song is in the public domain.

Battle Hymn of the Republic

2011-07-21T00:27:00.006-06:00

Here it is, just in time for Pioneer Day!

The fanfare is really one of the easiest parts of the song to play, if the CVIII chord doesn’t bother you. It’s just a barred-E shape-- the most common barre chord and probably the easiest to play. Here’s a trick for playing the fanfare fast: for the first measure, play the fourth, third, and second strings with the index, middle, and ring fingers respectively. Then switch and for the rest of the pattern, play the third, second, and first strings with the index, middle, and ring fingers. Use the thumb to play the bass notes of each pinch, regardless of which string it’s on. Repeat the whole pattern. Practice it slowly at first, using a metronome (HERE) until you get it right, then work up to speed, or the rhythm will suffer, and it’ll never sound right at speed. Played fast and in perfect rhythm, the fanfare sounds awesome. That’s why the Tabernacle Choir uses it. If you have trouble with the timing, listen to their version a few times (HERE). You will notice that my version of the fanfare is simpler.

For the verse, I use the timing of the hymnal, not the Choir’s “hesitation” version, which doesn’t sound so good on the guitar. There’s a tempo change from 6/8 to 8/8. But I have left out the counting numbers. It’s just too confusing with all the dotted eighth notes and sixteenth notes. You know how it’s supposed to sound. For the same reason, I do NOT advise practicing the rest of this piece with a metronome-- you’ll be off rhythm half the time.

All three of the verses can be played the same, but it sounds way better if you make the following changes: for the first verse (and chorus), play as written, ignoring the light-face notes in parentheses. Exception: DO play the boldface notes in parentheses in measure [16]. For the second verse, strum some or all of the chords that you pinched in the first verse, but otherwise play it exactly the same. On the final verse, DO play the lightface notes (except in measure [16]), and follow the instructions for “last time”. The instruction to use “lots of expression” means to use lots of tremolo, changes in speed and volume, and pauses for emphasis, to express the way you are feeling when you play it.

The last time through, on the chorus, be sure to put in the notes for “truth is march-ing.” In measure [10], do NOT play the boldface note on the second string. In measure [12], DO play the boldface note on the fourth string. I know it’s confusing, but I couldn’t think of any other way to tab it without tabbing the whole third chorus separately. I could have done that, of course, but then the tab wouldn’t fit on a standard music stand. Repeat measure [12] for emphasis. It’ll remind the audience of the Tabernacle Choir version again. It’ll lose effectiveness if you do it every time, so only repeat this measure on the last chorus.

The final “A-men” is also borrowed from the Tabernacle Choir; it’s not in the hymnal. You can play it as written, but an interesting variation is to strum the chords using the tremolo strum. Strum down with the middle finger (or middle and ring fingers), then up with the thumb, rotating the wrist back and forth rapidly for speed. Done rapidly, this sounds like a continuous drum roll. It's not technically difficult, but sustaining it requires practice. Instead of playing the single note between the two syllables of "A - men," tremolo-strum the FI chord on all strings except the #1 string. Then shift the strum to include the #1 string, and omit the #6 string. Then slide the whole chord quickly to the VIII fret, for the final CVIII chord, without pausing or slowing the strum. Continue the tremolo-strum for an additional few counts, if you like. Don't miss any beats, as they will be terribly obvious to the audience, and there's no recovery.

For those who don’t like barre chords, you can play this hymn easily without them, by making a few, easy substitutions. Wherever you see a barre chord, just substitute the regular chord of the same name. Leave out the bass notes of each of the pinches in the fanfare, and play only the treble notes of the “A-men.” Play them with LOTS of left-hand tremolo, by wiggling your finger along the length of the fretboard. Stay within the fret, and wiggle rapidly. This will also help to sustain the final note, which you want to hold as long as you can.

Links are back up-- again!

2011-07-09T11:37:00.001-06:00

Actually, they were back up this morning, but my year-old grand-daughter Evelyn turned the server off. Her dad has seen to it THAT won't happen again! Yeah, this really is a family-run enterprise.

Why you can't always access the tabs, and what you can do about it

2011-07-07T21:12:00.001-06:00

WHY: The server is fixed, but is now being upgraded intermittently, when my son can work on it. When done, it'll be faster and more reliable. Should be finished in two to three weeks. His free server allows me to run the blog without monetizing it. Because it's entirely non-commercial, the LDS Church allows me to publish their copyrighted material. Without this permission, the blog would not be nearly as complete. This is an all-volunteer enterprise. (If you would like to volunteer, email me!)

WHAT YOU CAN DO: If the server isn't connecting, try again in a few hours, or in a day or so. If you've tried several times, and can't get through, let me know by email. If you need a particular hymn, email me a request for THAT tab, and I'll attach it to my reply. Please do not send lists of multiple requests. There were 3500 of you last month, there's only one of me, and my computer time is limited. If you haven't received an answer in 24 hours, please check to make sure you only requested one tab, and try again. I regret that I cannot respond to emails requesting more than one tab. Your understanding is appreciated. Don

Beautiful Savior

2011-07-07T06:30:00.000-06:00

ABOUT THE SONG:

For such a well-beloved old hymn, there is remarkably little agreement about any part of this song. The title, lyrics, composer(s), lyricist(s), English translator(s), even the authenticity of the score are all hotly disputed. Legend has it The Crusaders’ Hymn was sung by German Crusaders on their way to the Holy Land. But no one has established which of the nine Crusades (spanning three centuries) is meant, much less documented the legend. Others attribute the original German lyrics to 17th Century German Jesuits, three or four centuries later.

Most Protestants call it Fairest Lord Jesus, and most Catholics call it The Crusaders’ Hymn, but Lutherans and Mormons call it Beautiful Savior, and use different lyrics. All versions refer to the Son of God and Son of Man, whose beauty and purity exceed those of all natural phenomena. But there is little or no agreement on specifics. Due to the multiplicity of “original German sources,” it is perfectly possible that all those claiming to be the “original” translator are correct!

The music itself is cited as an old, Silesian folksong, in a German text published in 1842, while the Crusades lasted from 1095 to 1291. Eight centuries is plenty of time for a hymn to give rise to a folksong, or vice-versa. No one truly knows which came first. To further muddy the water, the first English translation was published in 1677, almost two centuries before the “original” German text that it was translated from! Nevertheless, we know that the English version is not the original, as it is listed as a translation in its earliest extant version. That may be the only fact about this beautiful, old hymn that can be stated without dispute.

ABOUT THE CHORDS:

I arranged this song at the request of my daughter Thora. It will stretch your hands. If you are not up to that, you can dumb it down and sing the melody. To facilitate this, I’ve left it in the key of D, as published in The Children’s Songbook. If you are accompanying vocalists, substitute D, A, and G for the relevant barre chords, and it becomes a very easy song to play. You can strum the chords, or use a pattern pick. Play all the chords listed, including those in brackets.

To include the melody and all the cool harmonies in your solo, play it as written. Played this way, it is not a song for beginners, but it’s not as hard as it looks. True, there are seventeen chords, and some of them look rather strange, but five are common chords you already know, or very slight variations. For example, D/A is just a regular D chord, but you play the open A string, too. Read it as, “D, A bass.”

Of the rest, nine are slight variations of barred E, barred A, and barred Am, chord shapes you probably already know if you are used to playing barre chords. A#dim and A7II are less common, but are simple, two-finger chords. There is really only one difficult chord, called DII, but also called D/F#II. Read these as D (barred at the second fret), and D, F# bass (barred at the second fret). They are really the same chord; the only difference being whether or not you play the #6 string. This chord is a barred C shape, which is a tough chord shape for many people to master. It is not by any means impossible, though, and its full, rich sound makes it very important in nearly all music genres.

PLAYING INSTRUCTIONS:

To minimize finger dancing, I begin the Intro by barring at the tenth fret, but you don’t have to if it’s not comfortable. Steel-string guitars have two “extra” frets on the neck, which makes this much easier. If you have large hands and a classical guitar, it may be easier to play the notes as written, or invent an intro of your own. There is nothing “official” about introductions; you can use whatever you like. You may even wish to use the coda (the underlined measures on the last page) as an introduction. If you do, the actual coda at the end becomes a reprise of the intro, which is a cool way to end a song.

At the end of the second line, after playing A7II, lift the whole hand off the strings when you play the open E string. This gives you time to move up the neck for the upcoming DX. This chord makes the fingering way easy: all changes can be made by flattening and un-flattening the pinky. There are other ways to play these notes, but this way minimizes chord changes. The last measure of the third line includes an [A] in lightface type. If you are playing the tab, just ignore it, as the necessary notes are in the tab. But if you are strumming accompaniment, you should play the [A], and the following [A7], or it will sound wrong.

At the end of the line, lift the whole left hand from the strings while playing the open E string. This gives you more time to move to the fifth fret, easing the chord change to AV. The mordant (--5_7_5--) in the next measure sets up the transition to the following DV. There’s no slick way to make the change to EmVII in the middle of the next measure, but the change from a barred A shape to a barred Am shape is not a difficult one. The only tricky part is doing so while moving up the neck two frets. Remember to lift the fingers from the fretboard slightly while changing, or the slide will be audible.

In the first line of page two, make the same changes in reverse, ending the line with a regular D. I tried using DV, to minimize the change from AV, but it just doesn’t sound the same. D also eases the chord changes at the beginning of the next line. The D probably will not sustain for the full measure, unless you are playing an electric guitar. Use the [rest] at the end of the measure to start the change to D/F#II. This chord is a barred C shape, played at the second fret, allowing the #6 string to sound. Read it as, “D, F# bass”. You can substitute a D/AV (DV, allowing the open A string to sound), which many find easier, and sounds almost as good. Try it both ways, and decide for yourself. The barred C shape is a difficult one to master, but worth the effort. This song is all about gorgeous harmonies; if you dumb it down, you cheat yourself and your audience.

At the beginning of the fourth line, hold the AV as long as possible, while fretting the G note on the 2nd string with the pinky. That converts the chord into an A7, an interesting resolve to the preceding phrase. Starting in the next measure, there's another one of those barred C shapes. This time, it actually makes the transition to the following BmII easier. I have added arpeggios between the next, strummed chords. Playing the arpeggios with the thumb gives a soft sound. Slow down a bit for emphasis.

The coda (the underlined measures) will sound faster, because you are playing eight notes to the bar, but the tempo doesn’t really change at all. Play the chord and the first two notes at the beginning of each measure with the thumb, then pluck the treble strings with the fingers. The slides, hammer-ons, and pull-offs add even more variety. You could play all the D chords in the coda the same way, as a regular D, but starting at the fifth fret and working down to the regular D lends a sense of closure that would otherwise be lacking. In the next-to-last measure, you will have to release the A chord to do the hammer-ons. Slow down for emphasis, and hold the final D chord as long as you can. Stunning!

Server problems update

2011-07-05T00:36:00.003-06:00

The links should be up in the next 24 hours. Meanwhile, if you have A PARTICULAR song you are interested in, email me and I'll send it to you by return email. Please don't ask for more than one! Last month, over 3500 people accessed this blog. Don

Secret Prayer

2011-06-13T21:13:00.002-06:00

To play this song in the key of D, as printed in Hymns, you will need to tune DOWN two frets. This won’t make any difference if you are not playing with another instrument, as practically no one in your audience will be able to tell the difference.

Like many beautiful songs, it is not easy to play, even though it sounds simple. There are ten chords, and you need to use all of them, or it won’t sound right. Most of them are easy, but there are a few difficult barre chords, notably CIII and FV. There are also a few fast chord changes that need to be nailed right on, or the rhythm will suffer badly. Sorry, but there’s just no way around these problems. Just practice each bit that’s difficult for you, until you can get it right. There is no substitute for practice. If I haven’t scared you off yet, the rest of the song is a piece of cake.

There’s no introduction. Just start right in playing. You don’t have to use the hammer-ons, pull-offs, and slides, but they add a lot to the song, and are not hard. If you nail the first one, you’ll be ahead of the audience throughout the song, and everyone will think you’re wonderful. Cadd5 is just a regular C chord, with the left pinkie adding the G on the 1st string. The odd chord name means you’re playing a regular C major chord, but adding the fifth note in the C scale, which is G. (C-D-E-F-G) The only hard part in the first line comes right at the end. Catch the C note on the 3rd string by flattening the left pinkie, then lifting it immediately, to clear the 2nd string so you can play the D. Go right on to the next measure without pausing or emphasizing how tough this is in any way, or it’ll sound phony.

The second line has good news and bad news. The good news is that you don’t have to actually play the FI, only the #1 and #6 strings, and you’ve got plenty of time to move your hand up the neck of the guitar, as the notes are all quarter-notes. The bad news is, you DO have to play the FV, and you have to hit the chord with all the strings at once. This can be tough, especially if you are used to laying your fingers down one at a time. If that’s the case, now is the time to start practicing getting the whole chord at once. This is a very hard one to do that way, but the reward is that you end up learning twelve new chords at once (ten if your guitar is a classical style), as you can play this chord shape on any fret. For this reason, it’s really important in many different kinds of music, including Latin, Jazz, Hawaiian, and Blues, Country, and Rock.

Play the last measure with the thumb, as a slow strum. Continue this pattern through most of the Chorus. Do the slide in the first measure with your pinkie, but use the ring finger on the second string in the third measure. You can then just flatten the ring finger to catch the G note on the 1st string, without actually changing to the GIII chord. Makes the following pull-off much easier, too. You may be tempted to use the pinkie instead of the ring finger. It seems more natural to me, too, but it makes the pull-off almost impossible.

In the next line, the C/G chord is just a C chord with a G bass. Hit the bass note with the pinkie. No sweat. Then, you’ve got another of those pesky FV chords again, strummed this time. Notice how the chord shape makes the melody line seem to rise? That’s why this shape is so important to so many kinds of music.

The last line is relatively simple. The CVIII is just a barred E, played exactly like the FI or GIII, except that the barre is in the VIII fret. This chord shape is actually easier to play up high, where the frets are closer together. You may have trouble with the tremolo, if you try to do it with the barring index finger. The trick is to rock your hand, lifting ALL the fingers up off of the other strings, leaving ONLY the index finger touching the #1 string. Then, you should be able to do a slow tremolo by moving the whole hand back-and-forth along the length of the neck. The notes and lyrics given in light face type are in case you want to include the second verse. Leave them out when you play the Chorus for the final time.

All the chords in the second verse are strummed. They are the same chords as in the first verse, but may need to be treated differently, as you always have to play the whole chord. In some ways, the second verse is easier, as all of those strummed chords are actually quarter-notes, which makes the second verse sound slower, though the tempo does not actually change at all!

You can also vary the sound of the verses by playing the chords of the second verse as pinches, instead of strums, by repeating the first verse as a finale, or by combining strums, pinches, and the finger-picking style of the first verse. This song is in the public domain.

Heark, All Ye Nations

2011-05-29T15:33:00.003-06:00

This song is in the public domain, which is good, as it’s a sprightly song that’s fun to play. The tempo is fast, the chord changes are fast, and there are a few interesting chords, but none that are especially difficult for intermediate guitarists who can cope with normal barre chords. There are a few minor challenges, though.

The first occurs right in the very first measure. The ligado --2__0-- on the third string is nearly impossible to do well, if you do it as a normal pull-off. But it’s easy if you treat it as a “push-off” instead. Push the string toward you and away from the fretboard, plucking the string with the back of the fingertip, instead of the front edge, as in a normal pull-off. This is still called a pull-off, but the motion is the exact opposite to what you’re used to. It may seem odd at first, but is much easier and faster than pulling, at least in this circumstance. Other pull-offs and hammer-ons are done normally.

The first measure of the fourth line also has a few tricky spots. If you leave the left hand fingers in the C chord shape, and just fret the D on the 2nd string with the pinky, you are actually forming a C9 chord, so there’s no reason to change your hand position. For this reason, I have shown the index finger position in the chord chart for C9 in lightface type. It’s not actually part of the chord, but there’s no reason to remove it. Hit the A on the 3rd string by flattening the middle finger while releasing all the other fingers, preparatory to moving the hand up to the III position for the GIII chord.

Play the G6III in the next measure by moving the pinky from the 4th string to the 2nd string. This is really easy, because it’s still in the same fret. Hold the other notes of the chord while doing the pull-off that converts it back to GIII. Technically, it’s really a G7III, but since you’re not playing the F on the 4th string, but only letting it ring, the difference is academic.

Hit the C note on the 3rd string by flattening the ring finger. Hit the A note on the same string by moving the barring index finger to the II position. From here, it’s just about as easy to slide up the neck to the III position and play a CIII, as it is to continue down the neck and play the C/G as written. I like the sound of the C/G better, so I have called it out in the tab, but you can play it either way, as all the notes of the two chords are identical. Just the order is different.

CIII = G-C-G-C-E-G
C/G = G-C-E-G-C-E

The first measure on the second page contains another one of those “push-offs” again, exactly like the first measure of the song. The next measure shows an FI chord, though it’s actually a continuation of the C chord from the previous measure. But the last chord of the measure is an FI. Since only the 2nd and 5th strings are being played at the beginning of the measure, and the notes are the same in FI as in C, there’s no reason not to make the change at the beginning of the measure, where you have more time to do it.

In the next-to-last measure of the line, you may have trouble with the double hammer-on:
--0__1__3--. If you cannot do both, just do whichever is easier for you, or sounds better to you.

Play as many or as few verses as you like, then substitute the last two measures as shown. Each triplet takes the same time as a single count of the other measures, so practice until you can get them very fast. Do the quick changes between the GIII and the CIII by flattening the pinky across the strings briefly, then "unflattening" it. Then slide quickly up the neck to the VIII fret for the final riff. Sometimes I strum the entire CVIII chord instead of playing the final note, for a fuller sound.

Amazing Grace

2011-05-22T19:43:00.006-06:00

Unusually for this blog, this song is meant to accompany a vocalist, at least in the second and third verses. Words are provided for the first verse, for reference only, because the pattern picks can be confusing, but DO NOT SING THEM. For those who may not be familiar with pattern-picking, I have provided detailed, line-by-line instructions.

The first time through is just an instrumental introduction. Play it simply, to state the melody, without a lot of expression. In the seventh measure, there’s a slightly tricky slide that needs to be done with the pinky. Slide very fast, from the third fret clear up to the ninth. Don’t hold that note at all, but drop it immediately and return to the third fret, to play the Gadd5 chord, fretting the extra note with the ring finger.. If you are OK with barre chords, you can substitute a GIII for the Gadd5, which makes for an easier chord change. But the barre chord isn’t necessary, as Gadd5 actually sounds better here.

The hammer-on/pull-off in the tenth measure is not hard to do if you release the chord first. The rest of the introduction is straghtforward. Remember to count out the timing, so you know where each note starts.

Verse 1 is NOT sung, but is pattern-picked. The pattern refers to the pattern in which the fingers of the right hand pick the strings, not the specific strings picked, or the acutal notes played. The verse contains the same 3-/-9 slide as the first verse, played the same way. There is also a tremolo to hold the G note in the next measure. Do this tremolo by moving the “a” finger (left hand) ACROSS the string, rather than ALONG the string, as usual. Most guitarists find this easiest to accomplish by holding the finger rigid and vibrating the whole hand.

Verse 2 is meant to accompany the first SUNG verse. Play the whole verse with the right hand THUMB, not the fingers. Use a slow, even tempo, and don’t try to fancy it up. You want to back up the singer or singers, not distract the audience from them. There are LOTS of verses to Amazing Grace. Repeat this instrumental accompaniment through as many as you like, but switch to Verse 3 for the last sung verse.

Verse 3 is almost identical to Verse 1, but play it softly, behind the singer(s). Then reprise the instrumental solo of the Introduction, ending with the last two measures as shown.

CHORDS:

The chords in this song are easier to play than many of my other arrangements, as there are NO barre chords required! Even the three “advanced” chords called out in the tab are not especially hard, being only slight variations of the basic C - F - G.

Cadd5 is just a regular C chord, with the G note added on the first string with the little finger of the left hand. It is actually just a C chord, but the G note (the fifth note of the scale) is emphasized because it is the highest note played.

F/C is read as “F with a C bass.” Add the “extra” note on the fifth string with the little finger. This emphasizes the C note by making it the lowest note of the chord, a position normally reserved for the note that gives the chord its name (the “tonic” note).

Gadd5 is the only one of the three “advanced” chords that requires more than merely adding a note, though that is the effect. Play it like a regular G, but place the “a” finger (the ring finger) on the 2nd string, and the little finger on the 1st string. It’s called the “a” finger from“anulario, the Spanish word for ring. Most classical guitar terms come from Spanish, for example: “p” is for pulgar, Spanish for thumb. Also, “i” is for indicio (index or pointer), and “m” for medio (middle). Classical guitarists do not normally use the little finger of the left hand, which is a good thing, as it is either called muňeca (for wrist, which it is closest to) or pequeňo (little).

PATTERN-PICKING INSTRUCTIONS:

There are two basic pattern picks in the second verse. Pattern A is 4-1-2-3-4-3. If you are not used to pattern-picking, the thumb of the RIGHT hand is called the #1 finger, the index finger is the #2 finger, etc. In the last half of the first line, the pattern changes to Pattern B: 4-1-2-1-3-1, slightly modified to 3-1-2-1-3-1 in the last measure.

The second line returns to Pattern A, but slightly modified in the second measure by the 3 - / - 9 slide. Play the third measure as a slow strum with the thumb. Use tremolo to hold the G note on the first string if you have to.

The third line starts with a modified version of Pattern A, then a return to Pattern B in the second measure, Pattern A in the third measure, and a modified Pattern B in the last measure, with the hammer-on at the end of the line leading into the patterns of the fourth line.

The fourth line of this instrumental verse consists of measures of Pattern A, followed by a slow thumb strum, exactly as in the second verse. The singer needs to start singing at the very end of the last measure of this verse, with the first syllable of the word, “A-maz-ing”,

HISTORY:

Although many people associate this song with Scotland and the bagpipes, or think it is a Negro Spiritual, neither is true. The lyrics were written by an Englishman, and the music was composed by two Americans, who combined a couple of popular church tunes of the day. So far as anyone knows, it was not performed on the bagpipes until the 1970s, though it is now perhaps the most-requested of bagpipe tunes.

The lyrics were originally a poem written by English clergyman John Newton, to express repentence for his former life of slave-trading, rapine, drunkenness, atheism, and profanity so constant and foul as to embarass even his sailors-- a rowdy lot, it’s true. It was first published in England in 1779, and remained obscure there for more than 50 years. In America, though, it was well-received, and sung to more than 20 different tunes, none of them the one we know today.

In 1829, two Americans, Charles H. Spilman and Benjamin Shaw, joined a couple of folk tunes called “Gallaher” and “St. Mary” to create a tune they called “New Brittain.” Six years later, an American Baptist song leader, William Walker, assigned the tune to Newton’s lyrics, creating a combination that is performed about ten million times every year. It has been recorded thousands of times. Judy Collins’ hit a cappella version topped the charts for 15 weeks in 1970. Two years later, it was recorded by The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, the first bagpipe arrangement ever known.

How to contact me

2011-05-08T20:11:00.003-06:00

There are two easy ways to contact me. You do not need to be logged in.

E-MAIL (best option): If you expect a response, or your comment is general, personal, urgent, or lengthy, e-mail me. Click on my photo, then on the blue, e-mail link in the left-hand column of my profile page, and send me an e-mail. I'll try to answer within 24 hours. E-mails and contact information will not be shared without your consent.

COMMENTS: If you have a question about a specific song, leave a comment on the post. Comments will be moderated, which may take a few days. I don't usually comment back. If you want a response, include contact information. It will be removed during moderation, and will not be shared.

How to tab your own hymns (humor?)

2011-05-08T08:44:00.011-06:00

From time to time, readers ask me how they can tab-out a hymn themselves. Here's the answer.

How to Tab-out a Hymn Yourself

If a hymn you want to play is not on this blog, or you don’t like the way I’ve done it, and you can’t find it on another site, you can tab it out yourself. Here’s how, in ten easy steps:

1. Find the song in a hymn book or sheet music. If it’s an LDS hymn from Hymns, or from The Children’s Songbook, you can print the sheet music for free from lds.org / menu / study / music / music / hymns. Type the name or number of the desired hymn in the Search field. Click on the hymn name. If the hymn is not on the Church website, you’ll have to find it in another hymnal, or purchase sheet music. If it’s a popular hymn, the sheet music may be available for free online, but if it’s that popular, it has probably already been tabbed by someone else. Keep looking.

2. Play the melody from the sheet music or book. The melody is usually in the soprano line. (That’s the top line.) If you cannot read sheet music, take a course in Classical Guitar. If you live in the greater Salt Lake City metro area, you can take lessons from me, if I have a slot open. I charge $25 per half-hour lesson for Classical Guitar lessons, which is about average for Classical lessons. Be prepared to devote at least a year.

3. Transpose the melody if needed. If the melody is not easy to play on the guitar, you may need to transpose the song into another key. LDS.org will do this for you. Use the key selector from the menu bar at the left of the sheet music. There are twelve keys. Try them all, and select the one that sounds the best to you. If the song is not on the Church’s website, you will have to transpose the song yourself. If you do not know how to do this, take a course in music theory from the music department of a nearby college or university. College and university tuition ranges from $300 to $500 per course. You can sometimes audit the course (take the course for no academic credit) for a lower fee, especially if you are a senior citizen.

4. Play the music, using the music player at the top of the menu bar. It may sound lousy in the new key. That’s because the Church’s music is designed to be sung, and most singers’ voices do not have as great a range as the guitar (with a few, notable exceptions). About half the time, the interactive transposer will transpose down, when you want it to go up. Don’t worry too much about this; you can always raise the pitch of the guitar by clamping a capo around the neck. (Clamping a capo around the neck of a singer does not usually work. In fact, merely trying it could get you in a lot of trouble.)

5. Try playing the chords. LDS.org does not show the chord names, so you will have to read the music. (See step 2). You may have to select a different key if the chords are not easy to play. (See step 3). You can probably eliminate the keys of B and F, and any key that has a # (sharp) or b (flat) in it, as they all require the use of barre chords. If you want to learn barre chords, so you can play in more than five of the twelve keys, you will need to take lessons. Normally, Beginning and Intermediate guitar lessons cost $15 per half-hour. And up. I have a few slots open. Guitar classes are usually cheaper than individual lessons, where available, but may not offer what you want to learn, and are usually charged by the month. In advance.

6. Play the hymn as written in your transposed sheet music. (See steps 2, 3, and 5.) Add pinches, strums, arpeggios, and pattern picks of various sorts. Use ligados (hammer-ons, pull-offs, and slides) to bring out the melody. Use tremolos to hold a note, and harmonics to emphasize special notes. Mix and match. If you do not know how to do all of these things, take guitar lessons. (See step 5.)

7. Practice the hymn until you can play it fluently. This can take somewhere between a few hours to a few months, depending on the song. The simplest-sounding songs may not be the easiest to play. For example, I Am a Child of God is one of the hardest songs I know. Often, the most beautiful songs are extremely hard, such as Til There Was You, the love song from The Music Man, which took me a year to learn, practicing five times every day. Once you can play the hymn fluently, you are ready to actually begin writing the tab.

8. Prepare a blank tab by typing six lines of hyphens. Use an equal-spaced font like Courier, where all letters and numbers are the same size, or nothing will line up correctly. I use Courier New, 10 point, bold face, which looks like this. If you are going to include lyrics, type them beneath the tab, so you will know where to place the notes.

If the lyrics are copyrighted, YOU MUST SECURE PERMISSION TO PUBLISH THEM from the copyright owner. Internet publishing counts as "publishing" under the law. You can request permission to use lyrics owned by the Church by contacting the Church music department. Expect a reply in six to eight weeks. Other copyright owners may be harder to reach, and may demand large fees. Permission is essential to avoid HUGE COURT JUDGEMENTS for copyright violation. Appellate courts have sustained judgements against ordinary folks for as much as ten million dollars. (No joke!!! It happened to a college student blogger.) [FLASH: Last week a U.S. court ruled they do NOT have to warn you before suing you, and it doesn't matter whether you are taking money, or even if you didn't know it was copyrighted.] Court judgements cannot be released in bankruptcy. TEN MILLION DOLLARS. Think about that.

9. Fill in the tab. Type each note above the correct syllable of the appropriate word. Leave at least one hyphen between notes. Open notes on a string are shown with a zero, others by the number of the fret where they are fretted. Show hammer-ons and pull-offs by typing an h or p in front of the note, or by connecting the notes with an underscore. Show slides with an s or a slash, harmonics with an exclamation point at the left of the note. (In front of the note, if you don’t know your left from your right.) Place the notes of a chord in a vertical line. For a pinched chord, leave it at that. For a strummed chord, place a wiggly line at the left of the notes. A wiggly line can be approximated by typing a stack of alternating forward and backward slashes. Type the names of chords above the tab, where each chord change occurs. Use a vertical stack of vertical line symbols (SHIFT + \) for measure bars. Many tab writers leave out the measure bars altogether. Add counting numbers, time signatures, and instructions as desired. It’s a good idea to leave some space between lines of music, by hitting the ENTER key a couple of times, for visual separation.

10. Play the tab, reading from the computer screen. Correct any errors. Print the tab out and play it again from the printed sheet. Errors are often easier to spot on a printed sheet, for some reason. Correct the errors again and reprint, repeating this step again and again, as needed. When you can play the tab through two or three times from the printed sheet, without spotting any new errors, save the file, and forget it for a while. Don't play the hymn. Work on other projects. After a couple of months, when you can no longer remember exactly how it goes, dig out the tab and check it again for errors. If there are none, congratulations-- you’re ready to start your own tablature blog!

OOPS!

2011-05-08T02:33:00.000-06:00

We seem to be having server problems. So sorry! We'll get it fixed asap. Please be patient. My stepson, who owns the server, does not charge me for it's use. If I had to pay for server time, I would not be able to provide this service for free, without advertising. This is a major donation for him, as this blog averages over 3000 pageviews per month. (That's a lot, in case you aren't up on blog use.) This is only the second outage in over three years, which is about as good as Google can claim. And we're getting it FREE. Thanks for your understanding.

Don

Jesus, Once of Humble Birth

2011-05-01T21:38:00.001-06:00

Depending on how you count, this song only has TWO CHORDS! Well, actually, you can't really substitute a regular A chord for the Av chords, so there really are three. Then, there's actually a couple of D chords buried in the pattern pick, but while you may hear them, you won't actually have to change your hand position to play them. So, somewhere between two and four chords. Anyway, it's an EASY, but beautiful piece, if you are not bothered by the barre chord or by playing pattern picks. I actually find pattern picks easier to play than open fingerstyle, but not everyone agrees with me on this.

The pattern starts out with a fourth finger (ring finger) lead. In 6/8 time, the beat is:
/ ONE two three four FIVE six / ONE two three four FIVE six /. (That's two measures.) ALL the notes are eighth-notes. In most of the measures, each string is plucked by a different finger, which makes the picking dead easy. You can play the arpeggios with a flat pick, or a thumb pick if you want. Thumb-picking the bass runs will give them a more ligado feel, which adds variety to the sounds of the notes, at the price of adding a bit of complexity to the pattern pick. Do it whichever way works best or sounds best for you.

The only technically difficult part of the song comes in the third measure of the third line, where you have to s-t-r-e-t-c-h your little finger to reach the Ab at the 9th fret on the 2nd string. An alternative way to play this note is to quickly slide the barring finger one fret toward the nut (4th fret), hit the note, then slide back to the 5th fret. If you don't have long fingers, and you can slide your whole left hand quickly, without making horrible string noises, this may be a better option. I've practiced it both ways, and it's about equal for me, but then, I have really short fingers.

There are several measures where you have to hit melody notes that are not part of the normal fingering for the chord, such as in the first line, third measure. Use the little finger of the left hand to fret these notes, leaving the rest of the hand holding the chord normally. This will minimize the number of chord changes needed, simplifying the fingering without detracting at all from the pattern.

A word about that pesky barre chord. Learning this song is one of the easiest ways you'll ever find to learn barre chords. Barre chords are easier to play high up on the neck, as the frets are closer together. In this song, there are no fast chord changes, and each chord is held for at least two measures. And the barred E chord position is almost universally acknowledged as the easiest one to learn. It just doesn't get any easier than that!

This hymn is in the public domain.

In Humility, Our Savior

2011-04-19T17:36:00.000-06:00

So, why did it take so long for me to get around to tabbing a Sacrament song? Well, if you think about it, Sacrament hymns are meant to be sung by the congregation, while the Sacrament is being prepared. They aren’t often appropriate for an instrumental solo. This one is just too pretty to pass up, though. And it’s EASY.

Basically, it’s only three of the first chords any beginning guitarist learns: A, E and D, plus a couple of simple variations on the E chord. In fact, the E5 “Power Chord” is the easiest chord possible: only two strings are played, an they are both played OPEN. The E7 chord is a little harder, requiring you to play the E chord and add your little finger on the 2nd string, III space. Don’t try to “cheat” by using the easier, two-finger version of E7; the melody won’t come out right.

The only other chord is the optional, final barre chord (Av). It’s printed in light face type, to show that it is optional. Only the high A note on the first string is truly necessary, but if you play only the single note instead of the barre chord, it would be well to play it as a tremolo.

You will probably notice right away that the song begins in 3/4 time, but switches to 6/8 after the first line. Actually, the whole song is in 3/4 time, but the counting gets confusing, so I wanted to re-cast it as 6/8. But then, the counting in the first line gets confusing, hence the switch. Since eighth notes are exactly half as long as quarter-notes, the tempo comes out the same.

The slow strums in the fourth and fifth lines can be performed in either of two ways. You can either strum them normally with your thumb, taking two eighth-notes time to do so, or you can substitute a flamenco strum with the fingers, taking the same time. If you do this, be careful to make the flamenco strum no louder than the rest of the measure. The last three strums of the measure (up, down, up) can be strummed with either the thumb or the fingers, slightly accenting the down strum: 1-2-3-4-5-6. If you opt for the slow strum instead of the flamenco strum, it’s easier to use the fingers for the up-down-up. Otherwise, it’s usually easier to use the thumb.

The only difficult part of the song is the run of ligados (hammer-ons and pull-offs) at the end of the next-to-last line. If you use the E5 chord, you can pluck the two open strings while repositioning the left hand for the hammer-ons. In this way, you can use the strongest fingers of the left hand for the ligados. It may still take some practice to get it right.

One way to make the song easier is to minimize the “finger dancing” needed to hit the A notes (third string, II space) while playing an E chord. Briefly flattening the middle finger of the left hand, so it frets the A will do it. You can even use this trick to quickly switch between E and A chords-- sometimes. It’s hard to do if you need the open 1st string to ring, as the flattened middle finger can damp the 1st string, producing unpleasant sounds, or no sound at all. It works a lot better if you can bend the left fingers backwards, a little. I can’t, so I’ve had to learn to change chords fast. Fortunately, the E - A - E changes are among the easiest there are.

The Spirit of God

2011-04-04T07:44:00.000-06:00

This song sounds good on just about any kind of guitar, but face it: you're not going to sound like the Tabernacle Choir, no matter how big your amp is. They have 330 voices, and you only have six strings-- maybe twelve. But you can still play it so it sounds really good, even "spirited." (Pun intentional).

There are only six chords in this song, but if that's too many, you can easily substitute a regular C chord for the C/G at the end, and no one but you will know. I just think the sound of the G bass on the final chord resolves better, but it's really just a matter of preference. Don't substitute a regualr G for the Gadd5 chords, though. They are necessary to carry the melody, and besides, they are even easier to play than a regular G. Just play like a regular G, but with the ring finger on the second string instead of the first string, and mute (or avoid) the first string. Easy, huh?

Sorry, but you're going to have to play those pesky barre chords for this one. I tried to avoid them, but the melody just doesn't sound right without them. And they do make the song easier to play.

The tempo is a bit difficult to count, but if you know the song, you'll know the right tempo anyway. I've included counting numbers, for those few who may not be familiar, or who just aren't sure of themselves. If it seems wrong to you, go with the tempo you feel is right. That's musicianship.

God Be With You Til We Meet Again

2011-04-02T21:30:00.003-06:00

The first part of the song can be strummed with the thumb, or even flat-picked, if you like. Most of the chords are easy, but you're going to have to play the full barre G7III anyway, so you might as well play the F with a full barre too. If you try to substitute a regular G7, the melody will seem to go down when it's supposed to go up. If you're only strumming accompaniment, that may be OK, but it's no good for a solo.

The second part of the song is the chorus, and is played very differently, with lots of single notes, and a few ligados, but I've tried to keep it pretty simple. There are a few "extra" notes, which are mostly inserted to help with the timing, and for emphasis.

This tab is pretty basic, to give you an idea how the melody and supporting chord structure go. You can easily fancy it up yourself, adding pinches, hammer-ons, etc. wherever it sounds good to you. I never play it the same way twice.

Of it's composition history, the lyricist, Jeremiah E. Rankin wrote:
Written…as a Christian good-bye, it was called forth by no person or occasion, but was deliberately composed as a Christian hymn on the basis of the etymology of “good-bye,” which is “God be with you.” The first stanza was written and sent to two composers—one of unusual note, the other wholly unknown and not thoroughly educated in music. I selected the composition of the latter, submitted it to J. W. Bischoff—the musical director of a little book we were preparing—who approved of it, but made some criticisms, which were adopted. It was sung for the first time one evening in the First Congregational Church in Washington, of which I was then the pastor and Mr. Bischoff the organist. I attributed its popularity in no little part to the music to which it was set. It was a wedding of words and music, at which it was my function to preside; but Mr. Tomer [William G. Tomer, the composer] should have his full share of the family honor.

This song was first published in 1880, and has since been translated into just about any language you could wish, including Latin, Hebrew, and Arabic. It's the only religious song I know of that's sung by Christians, Muslims and Jews, making it one of a handful of songs with universal appeal.

New blog name

2011-04-02T17:43:00.000-06:00

As Elder Boyd K. Packer pointed out in General Conference, "Mormons" is what others call us, referring to our belief in The Book of Mormon. But that is incorrect. Our correct name is, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and church members are correctly addressed as Latter-Day Saints. If we don't get it right, we certainly can't expect others to. So, in the spirit of emphasizing the central role of the Savior in my life, I have retitled this blog. I hope this doesn't confuse anyone.

A wonderful tribute -- "I Get Lifted Up"

2011-04-02T09:27:00.000-06:00

An old college friend, Carolyn Wing Greenlee, has posted a wonderful tribute to her deceased friend Jim. Carolyn is a blind musician, songwriter, author, publisher and producer. Her friend Jim was a great guitarist and Christian songwriter. Carolyn has posted a touching and sensitive post about his death and how it taught her the meaning of the Redemption of Christ, together with one of her favorite tracks of Jim's music, "I Get Lifted Up." I hadn't heard it before, but it's worth listening to. I told Carolyn I would post a link on my blog HERE. The track is at the end of her blog post, so you'll have to scroll to the end to find it, but it's worth it. Not LDS, but definitely Christian.

I don't often post links to other people's blogs, especially if they are not related to LDS music. This one is exceptional. I hope you like it.

Just As I Am

2011-03-27T19:10:00.001-06:00

This traditional Protestant hymn is in the public domain. Sorry, but it needs to be in the key of F to make the melody come out right on the guitar. You can transpose it to another key, if a vocalist or another instrument is going to carry the melody. A violin works very well for this.

The song itself is rather simple, except for the fact that you need to play the full barre F and the full barre Bb. You could play a regular F, but there's just no way to play Bb without barring. For this reason, and because it contains slides and pull-offs, I classify it as "Intermediate", though it's simpler than a lot of beginner songs in other ways.

Played very slowly, with lots of feeling, it's a lovely song, and I especially like the lyrics. For a truly moving version by vocalist Brian Doerksen, over a guitar/organ duet, accmpanying an Easter video, click HERE.

There are at least two versions of how the lyrics came to be written. Both agree they were written by Charlotte Elliott in 1835. One version has her writing the song immediately after a conversion experience, the other as a sort of journal entry recording her thoughts in a time of trouble.

Billy Graham claimed he was converted to Christ after hearing this song. He used it so extensively in his campaigns that many Christians think he wrote it! Many other evangelical ministries of various Protestant churches have also found it apt. I associate it with the Baptists, because I first encountered it in an independent Baptist church.

An Angel from on High, easier and better

2011-02-27T23:07:00.002-07:00

There are a few transitions in this version that may require a bit of practice for smoothness, but not as many as you might think. That’s one reason I tabbed it in C, instead of the key of G, as it’s written in Hymns. The other reason is that I have tendinitis, which makes my left hand lock up when I play in G. I got it from years of twisting my left wrist so I could see what my left hand was doing. If your guitar teacher tells you not to look at your left hand, there’s a reason!

The (slightly) hard transitions are in the fourth measure of the first line and the third measure of the last line, where you have to go rapidly from a barred GIII chord to an F note on the first string. All you really have to do is slide the left hand down to the F, but you’ll want to lift your fingers from all the strings during the slide, to avoid sliding noises. You may also find the pull-off in the third measure of the second line difficult. The trick is to leave all the fingers in place except the barring finger, then use that finger to do the pull-off. This is actually the easiest way to make the change, at least for me.

The second and fourth measures of the third line require you to play the CIII as a barred-A, a barre chord that gives lots of people problems. This could be done in other ways, but none lends itself to the quick series of rapid chord changes required so well as the barred C, F, and G progression. If you have trouble with barred-A chords, you may be exerting more pressure with the left hand than the chord really needs. Done properly, this type of chord is not really hard to play at all, but the finger placement has to be exact, using good technique, with the fingers arched, and only the tips contacting the strings. Many beginners try to muscle this chord instead of learning it right, then wonder why it seems so hard.

A word about the tempo. Switching from 6/8 to 4/4 does more than change the count. The speed of the music also increases dramatically. If you are playing more than one verse, you can play the second part in 8/8 instead of 4/4, which will make the last two lines slow and lyrical instead of quick and bright. You might also consider strumming more of the chords instead of pinching them, as shown in the tab. The bright sound of the pinches sounds really good played near the bridge, giving the piece a real “guitar” sound, especially when played a bit faster than is normal when accompanying singers.

This song is intermediate level, and is in the public domain.

Nearer, My God, to Thee, YouTube video

2011-02-27T22:10:00.001-07:00

Click here for the video. A good headset is helpful, as the guitar is rather quiet, but the tone is excellent. Thanks to Jason Booth for this one. His picking is impeccable. Nice classical guitar, nice intro and finale (Jason's own). Thanks for sharing this one, Jason. And thanks for the credit, too. Let us know if you do any others! Best way to do that is to join the site and click on my thumbnail pic to send a message. I answer all legitimate emails. Or, you can comment on the song post. I don't check comments on old posts every day, as there's a lot of spam to wade through. So member messages are still the best way.

Come, Come, Ye Saints

2011-01-16T21:04:00.000-07:00

An old favorite, and not especially hard. There are NO BARRE CHORDS! It does contain an F, which some beginners may find difficult. The only unusual chord is CaddG, which is played exactly like a regular C chord, but with the G note added in the third space on the first string with the little finger. Using this instead of a regular C allows the sound to rise with the melody of the song. You can just use the regular C if you are accompanying singing, but if you're playing it as a guitar solo, you'll want to carry the melody on the first string.

The tempo of the song is the only really weird part. In the hymnal, it keeps changing back and forth between 4/4 and 3/4. I have as usual recast this in eighth notes, as 8/8 and 6/8, which makes the counting easier. But it's still not easy, as the rhythm is sprung, and would need sixteenth notes to come out right. That's OK; sixteenth notes are no harder to play than quarter notes or eighth notes, but if I had to write them out, and count up to sixteen every measure, it would double the number of pages needed, and would not make the song any clearer to those who already know it. Which is most likely anyone who would be reading this blog anyway.

As a possibly interesting aside, I first tabbed this song while living in a housing tract built on land that was once a cattle ranch owned by William Clayton, the author of the lyrics. Sister Clayton, his great, great grand-daughter, still lived there, as a 90-year-old spinster. She didn't get out much, but I was asked to take the Sacrament to her a few times before she died. They played this song at her funeral.

Public domain, of course.

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, EASY version

2011-01-02T20:54:00.000-07:00

I never was really satisfied with the other version, but have left it on the blog, for those like me who like barre chords. For those who don't, this version has NO BARRE CHORDS, nor any hard chords or techniques at all. In fact, it is "almighty easy"!

It's so easy, there's really not a lot to say about it. If you can't do hammer-ons or pull-offs, just ignore them. The song will still sound just fine.

There are only four chords in the song, but two of them may look a little strange. GaddD and CaddG are just very simple variations on normal G and C chords. GaddD is played exactly like a regular G chord, except the ring finger of the left hand frets the second string in the third space, instead of the first string, which is not played. It's actually easier to play than a regular G, because the hand doesn't have to stretch so far. CaddG is played exactly like a regular C, except you have to add the G note on the first string, third space, with your pinkie. If this is hard for you, you can just play a regular C, but the melody will suffer. C'mon! It's not that hard!

There are a couple of spots where you have to hold the first note in the measure for a count of 1 and a half beats. If you just hold the first note a bit, then make the last two notes very quick, it'll come out right. If you don't know the song, and don't know how to count, go ahead and make all three notes equal in all the measures. It'll sound a little different in a couple of places, to those who know the song, but it won't sound bad, just a little odd. Your audience may even think you did it that way on purpose!

I like to repeat the final phrase of the last line, using a bass run, on the last time through.

That's IT! Way better than the other tab I wrote for it at first. I think you'll enjoy it. It was written in 1665, so the copyright has definitely expired, if there ever was one.

Merry Christmas, everybody!

2010-12-24T07:05:00.001-07:00

Here's my Christmas present to you all: an absolutely amazing You-tube of a guy who has become my favorite young guitarist. Click here to open your present! Sungha Jung was 8 when this video was made. He's now 11, and MUCH BETTER! To see what else he can do, I recommend three other videos:

Canon in D (with Trace Bundy)

Manha Do Carnaval

Bolero (Yes, the entire orchestral work by Maurice Ravel, with four-part orchestration, all played live on one acoustic guitar, by an eleven-year old boy.)

Sungha says his parents will only let him practice 2 hours a day when school is in session, so it usually takes him 3 days to learn a song, or up to a week for a really hard one! He currently has about 330 You-Tube videos published. Google Sungha Jung for more. Merry Christmas!

O Little Town of Bethlehem

2010-12-22T13:15:00.002-07:00

Well, I figured if I didn't get it posted soon, I'd have to save it for next Christmas. It may contain errors or need tweaking a bit; I didn't play through it as many times as usual, and I sometimes get errors anyway, so, if something looks wrong, it probably is. Let me know in a comment, or, if you're a follower, click my thumbnail photo and email me.

This is a gorgeous song, and not especially hard to play, if you can play barre chords. If you can't, don't despair: there are substitutes, and even an entire alternate last line, on the third page.

The first verse is mostly chords and melody notes. The original is written in 4/4 time, which, as usual, I've recast as 8/8 to make it easier to see the rhythm. Remember, the "100" shown as a metronome setting is for EIGHTH NOTES. If you try to play it as 100 quarter notes per minute, you'll sound way too fast.

Play the slide in the second measure with the little finger of the left hand (right hand for you southpaws). This will set you up perfectly for the barre chord that starts the third measure. CaddG is just a C chord, with the pinkie in the third fret to add the G note. No sweat.

Beginning with the 5th line, you will encounter arpeggios, grace notes, and other "extra" notes. If you don't like them, just repeat the first four lines. It's a guitar solo-- no one will know. If you're doing tEibut you can leave out all those "extra" notes.

I recommend you leave in all the "extra" notes called out in the tab, for a more Baroque sound. If it ain't Baroque, don't fix it! --motto of the Eighteenth Century Cooking Club, which I just made up. Seriously, the first four lines are better for accompanying singers, while the last four are better as an instrumental solo.

Next Christmas, I'll try to get my Christmas carols done by Thanksgiving, so you have time to learn them.

A-Soulin' video

2010-12-07T08:17:00.001-07:00

This is a video of two of my first-year students, Nicole and Corine, playing a duet in their very first "public" performance. The video and sound quality is lousy, as it was taken with an inexpensive digital camera, but it should give you an idea what the song sounds like. You'll need Windows Media Player or something similar to view it. It takes about six minutes to load on my laptop, which admittedly is not lightning fast for a 30 second video clip.

Nicole and Corine don't sing the words, because they live in the Dominican Republic and speak Spanish, so I just taught them the instrumental parts. I don't believe the lyrics have ever been translated. The lyrics are not difficult, if you speak English. The vocal part of the song uses the same guitar techniques as the instrumental duet part, though the order is slightly different, and the guitars play in unison. This gives a nice contrast, and nearly doubles the length of the piece, without requiring additional learning.

What Child Is This?

2010-12-07T07:02:00.003-07:00

Merry Christmas, Poet-With-A-Day-Job!

Poet commented on another post that this Christmas carol would be the best Christmas present ever, so here it is! Actually, it was quite easy for me to do, as the tab was already present on this website, only it was listed as Greensleeves. It's now also listed as, "What Child Is This?" The tab is the same, as there's no difference in the music. I apologize for not including the Christmas carol words for the second and third verses, but that would take more time than I have right now. You are welcome to print the tab and write in the proper words.

Poet also mentioned that he (she?) is a beginner. The song is published with complete instructions for playing all three verses, which are tabbed in order of increasing complexity. Of course, as a guitar instrumental solo, they need not be played in this order! But if you find arpeggios stuck in around the melody daunting, you can still do fine by playing the first verse or two, and learn the arpeggios later, when you have more confidence.

If you like this tab, you might also like A-Soulin', which is another very old, English Christmas carol. It was popularized in the 1960s by the folk group, Peter, Paul and Mary, but my version is a guitar duet in the form of a round. There are no difficult techniques or chords in it. In fact, there's only ONE strummed chord! It's so simple that I teach it to my first-year students. Nevertheless, it sounds absolutely stunning. Check out the video clip of two of my first-year students.

Before Thee, Lord, I Bow My Head-- for flat picking

2010-12-01T17:13:00.009-07:00

Yes, you read that right. This version is in the key of C, and it is specifically intended for flat picking. If you want to get a similar effect on a classical guitar, strum all the chords with your thumb, which gives an easy, laid-back sound to the piece. And it CAN be played without barre chords!

The tempo is unusual, but you can play it just like a 6/8 tempo, only it'll come out twice as fast in 6/4. I strongly recommend that you learn each part of the song slowly first, before attempting to play it at speed. You can also give the piece a more "country" sound by turning all the strummed chords into Carter licks. A Carter lick is a quick strum down and then back up again, the whole lick counting one count. Carter licks sound really good with an alternating bass note, either before the licks or after them. For this song, though, to do this, you'll need to add an extra couple of notes to each measure, converting it into 8/4 or 8/8 time. More on this later.

To play the song as written, there are only a few comments that need to be made. The melody is carried in the bass line, which is unusual for a hymn, but not for country Gospel music. The song is also written in Hymns as a round in two parts. This is also unusual, though not unique. If you're going to play it as a guitar solo, or with just one singer, use the first ending, which I think sounds better. There won't be time enough for the second singing part in the last measure, so I've included an alternative ending for accompanying duets, as published in the hymnal. The rest of the song is as close to the hymnal as I could make it and still have it come out right for the guitar.

The hammer-ons and pull-offs called for are NOT quick. Each note is a quarter note, just as in the picked notes. In fact, you can pick the ligados too, if you have trouble with ligados, but the ligado notes sound better-connected. The chord symbols appear over the spot where you need to fret them with the left hand, not necessarily where the chord is strummed. This is done to make it easier to find the notes with the left hand; if you want to do it another way, by all means do what works best for you.

F/C is read, "F, with a C bass note" and is played like a regular F chord, adding the C note with the left pinkie. You can just play a normal F if you like, but the bass note called for in the melody line happens to be the C, so it works better, if you can do it.

For the Chorus, the music specifies that the tempo be played "Brightly," hence the increased metronome setting. In the Chorus, the melody is carried in the treble strings. Play the first part of the Chorus in rapid but complete phrases: "How sweet thy word I’ve heard this day!" should be played as a complete phrase, without pauses. Similarly, "Be thou my guide, O Lord, I pray," except remember that "word", "guide" and "Lord" each have two syllables: "wor-ord", "gui-ide" and "Lo-ord" respectively. CaddG is a regular C chord, with the little finger adding the G on the first string. It's not hard to play, but it may be difficult to do the pull-off with the little finger while holding the chord. If you have trouble, don't play the full chord, just the G note, and do the pull-off, which carries the melody. The second time, fret the first string in the second space with the first joint of the index finger, as if barring the strings. This makes for a super easy transition to the GIII chord.

Don't forget, you'll have to go back to the G7 position to do the bass run in the next measure. This is made a bit easier by the change in tempo, as the tune slows back down to the original 120 beats/minute. The melody switches back to the bass strings, too. " Seal thou the word upon my heart," is also to be played as a single phrase, for the guitar solo version. I think that after you get it up to speed, you'll really like it.

To play the piece in 8/8, as a country Gospel tune, you'll need to add a few notes here and there, to make the count come out even. It's easy to add a few extra bass notes to do so, and create an alternating bass line at the same time. You'll also need to play the final chord slowly, to contrast with the Carter licks, so it sounds like the piece is definitely ended.

The Lord Is My Shepherd

2010-11-21T21:30:00.000-07:00

If you're a beginner, don't let the tab scare you. There's a very easy, strummed version shown as a cheat sheet at the end of the tab. Both are in the key of A, so you can play them as alternate verses, or as a duet, if you like.

To make this a bit easier, I've tried to use chords that lend themselves to easy changes. For example, you can easily change from Av to Dv by just flattening the fingers of the left hand across the strings. Same for D6v. To get from the (unbarred) A to the (barred) Av at the end of the song, use the first joint of the index finger (the one closest to the palm) to fret the first string, as it's already in position over the string, and just needs to be slid up to the IV space. Then, it's easy to hit the barre in the v space for the full-barre Av.

Counting this song is easy, if you remember that every two notes equal one count! I routinely recast 3/4 time songs like this as 6/8, as it rarely makes a difference. This is one of the rarelies, so I left it in 3/4. But remember the metronome setting of 70 is for two notes, not one, or the song will really drag.

I have to confess, I'm not entirely happy with this arrangement, but audiences seem to like it. If anyone knows a better one, I'd love to see it.

The cheat sheet at the end of the tab is for strumming, to accompany a singer. The chords are much easier, and you can even play it with a pick, if you want. I usually replace the high A note at the end with an Av chord, but if you aren't up to playing full barre chords, you can just tremolo the last note, and it'll sound great. Virtually any guitarist can play this version. My seven year old student Meilin picked it up and started playing it (while singing!) the first time she heard it.

Christmas! It's Coming!

2010-11-21T20:19:00.001-07:00

Christmas IS coming, and SOON! I was going to put up a poll asking which Christmas carols you wanted me to post next, but the poll gadget seems to have disappeared. So, if there's a special Christmas carol you'd like me to post, you have two options:
1. You can comment on this post.
2. You can send me a message, if you are a follower, by clicking on my thumbnail photo. If you are not a follower, you can easily become one.

I'll do my best, but please allow me some time, as I may not already have your favorite carol tabbed.

Stats

2010-11-20T01:21:00.005-07:00

For all those who think there are more folks viewing this blog than shown as Followers -- you are right! Thanks to those who recommended that I get a counter. Blogger now provides one. Here are the lifetime stats for this blog: (stats do not include my own visits)

Average usage: about 2900 visits per month
Nearly all are from the United States and Canada, but also from the Netherlands, Mexico, the UK, Australia, Honduras, Germany, Ireland, and Russia. There are others, but those are the top ten countries.

Top ten all-time favorite posts*:

# 1    I Am A Child of God                              1001 page views
# 2    A Poor, Wayfaring Man of Grief                 509 page views
#   3    Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing       313 page views
#   4    Lead Kindly Light                                       255 page views
#   5    I Know That My Redeemer Lives             235    page views
#   6    A Poor, Wayfaring Man of Grief MP3     101    page views
#   7    O Holy Night                                                 98    page views
#   8    Softly and Tenderly, Jesus Is Calling           90   page views
#   9    Praise to the Man                                        88 page views
# 10    Teach Me to Walk in the Light 87 page views

* Sorry! I can't track downloads, as they are link visits to my hosting website, which is not equipped. I'm working on it.

About 80% of the searches that resulted in hits on this blog included the words "Mormon" or "LDS" and "guitar" in the search terms. About 80% of the searches were in some form of Google.

Your favorite operating systems were: Windows, Macintosh, iPhone, iPod, iPad, Linnux, Unix, Blackberry, Danger, and Nintendo Wii. Whoever you are out there who is reading the tabs on a Blackberry, your nickname ought to be "Hawkeye!"

Now Let Us Rejoice

2010-10-31T19:47:00.002-06:00

At last, a relatively easy one! It's in the key of A, too, which many guitarists find easier than C. You'll have to play the Av, which is just an E barred at the fifth fret. C#m7IV and EIV are actually barred versions of Am7 and C, barred at the fourth fret. C#m7IV is actually one of the easiest barre chords to play. EIV is a bit harder, but if your fingers won't stretch that far, you can substitute C#m7IV. You can also use a regular E, though the melody line will suffer, as it will be going down when it should go up.

For those who do not like the "extra" notes, I've printed them in light face type, while all the others are in bold face. For those who like them, don't forget to put them in, just because they are printed in light face type! If you have trouble seeing them, let me know and I'll correct the problem in a future posting. The song was originally written in 3/4 time, but I've re-cast it in 6/8, to make counting easier.

The hardest part of the song is the slide-to-pull-off progression: -4-\-2_0- which occurs twice in each verse. It starts with a full-barre Av chord, so you only have to slide down one fret to hit the -4-. It's a bit tricky sliding down to the -2- while also shifting the index finger noiselessly across the strings, so you can do the pull-off. I have found that the easiest way for me to do this is to NOT slide across the strings, but to do the pull-off with the third joint of my left index finger. My third joint is rather fat, and provides enough of a "hook" to do an acceptable pull-off. If you have skinny fingers, I recommend ignoring either the slide or the pull-off.

Another place you might have trouble is in the next-to-last measure of the finale. You'll have to stretch the little finger of the left hand to hit the G# in the ninth fret on the second string. Alternatively, you can just hit the same note at the fourth fret on the first string, which requires a rather fast transition to get back to Av. My fingers are stretched out, so I find stretching easier, but you may not agree.

This song is in the public domain. It was included in the first LDS hymnal.

I Am A Child of God MP3

2010-10-27T23:50:00.010-06:00

Another MJ Hufford MP3! And this time, it's even better than the last one. My stats show this is your all-time favorite of the tabs on this site, accounting for literally thousands of hits per month, so enjoy!
For those who wonder why I put in all those "extra" notes, this MP3 will show you why. About half the notes in the song are bass drones-- the same note repeated over and over-- done in counterpoint to the melody. They are easy to play, as they seldom change, and they add a richness to the sound that just makes the song.

A few words of warning:

1. Due to an apparent glitch in the program, some of the strummed chords may sound louder than the rest of the notes, depending on your computer. They are NOT supposed to be louder. This does not happen when playing an actual guitar, so not to worry.

2. I neglected to write instructions to slow down a bit for the finale, so MJ programmed the song exactly the way I wrote it. Trouble is, I can't play it that fast! It definitely sounds good that way, but don't worry if you have to slow down a bit at the end. Just don't slow down so much that it drags, and you'll be fine. MJ tells me he can't play it that fast, either. Hooray for computers!

3. Remember, this is not supposed to be an easy song to play, so don't feel bad if you don't get it down perfectly, right away. But do practice until you can make it sound easy-- audiences love it.

Go ahead and comment if you like the MP3, especially if it helps you learn the song. MJ is programming these MP3s for free, and I really want him to know how much his efforts are appreciated.

The Day Dawn Is Breaking

2010-10-10T22:52:00.001-06:00

There are no hard chords in this song. Although G7addF may look odd, it's rather easy to play. It's just like a normal G7, except you have to add the F note on the fourth string, with your little finger. The only really difficult part is getting the whole song up to speed. It sounds OK played slowly, so you can play it anywhere from half speed to as posted, if you are playing it as an instrumental solo. If you intend to sing it or accompany singers, the guitar part needs to be played at the metronome speed listed on the tab.

This is the same speed called for in the hymnal, and it IS fast. I recommend that you practice it at half speed until you can play it perfectly, before attempting to increase the speed. That's how I learned it.

If you have trouble with barre chords, you may be tempted to substitute the regular F and G chords for the barred FI and GIII. If you do, the chords may not follow the melody, and, at the end of the verse, the alternate transition: F - G - C will actually be slower than the FI - GIII - C as written. An acceptable compromise, if you just cannot do barre chords at all, is to play the regular F, then slide it up two frets for an alternative G, thus: F = xx3211, G = xx5433. While this does not give as full a sound, or follow the melody perfectly, it is as fast as using the full barre chords, and does give an idea of the melody.

This song is in the public domain.

For those who do not speak Spanish

2010-10-10T22:01:00.001-06:00

The previous post was written in Spanish for the benefit of my many Latino readers. It tells them how to use this site to find the Spanish lyrics to the hymns published here. English is still the normal language of this blog, but I want to recognize that more than half of Church members worldwide speak Spanish. Rather than clutter the blog with links to each tab in both languages, I wrote a translation table. If you want to know the Spanish name of any of the hymns in the Spanish-language version of Hymns, you can look it up in the link, "Himnos y Hymns," or just click here. You may not find the hymn you are looking for, as over a hundred of the English hymns have not been translated, while 21 appear only in Spanish.

Himnos y Hymns

2010-10-10T21:51:00.009-06:00

¡Bienvenidos! mís amigos hispanohablantes.

La mayoría de los himnos que les escriben en este sitio les escriben en inglés, pero la música no cambia mucho de una idioma a la otra. Pero, la programa buscadora de este sitio les buscara solo por sus nombres ingleses. Entonces, he provecho una lista de los nombres de los himnos en todos los dos idiomas. Para verla haz click aquí, o busca el link que se llama “Himnos y Hymns.”

La lista esta en dos partes: ordenado alfabeticamente por el nombe español, y también por el numero del himno.

Para el guitarista, se debe cambiar los nombres de las acuerdas de las letras (del estilo inglés) por los nombres del estilo español, de la siguente forma:

do = C, re = D, mi = E, fa = F, sol = G, la = A, ti = B

Todas las otras partes de los nombres de las acuerdas no cambian:

Do#m7 = C#m7, etc.

Sing We Now At Parting

2010-10-03T21:54:00.001-06:00

No, I didn't add this just for General Conference, though I did love the way the Tabernacle Choir sang it! I've been working on it for weeks.

This is not an easy song to play on the guitar. It uses LOTS of barre chords, and relies heavily on some of the more difficult ones. My only excuse is that it's beautiful. I have tried to arrange it so that the chord transitions come as naturally as possible, which you may think isn't very. I won't argue. It's in C, so you could dumb it down and just strum C, F, and G7, if you only want to accompany a singer, but you won't get any of the melody notes that way.

On my classical guitar, it sounds way better if you finger-pick the chords as arpeggios, than simply strumming the chords, as shown in the first verse, but I've included both ways, as the left hand is a bit different if you're finger-picking. You can leave out some of the harder chords that way, especially some of the Fv's, which I find hard to fret well. In this way, the arpeggio version is actually easier!

No bar-by-bar explanation on this one. If you're good enough to play it, you won't need it, and if you're a beginner, the explanations won't help.

Error notice

2010-09-05T22:55:00.002-06:00

So, I was playing through some old favorites, and discovered I'd forgotten a few riffs. So I looked them up, and started playing them directly from the tab. Horrors! I discovered multiple errors in several tabs! Most are simple transcription errors, where I wasn't careful enough with my computer, and chord symbols or words were printed out of place. But more than a few were actual errors in the tab itself. Yeah, I just plain wrote the notes in wrong, and never noticed. Weird, as I play each tab at least three times before I publish it.

Corrections have now been made. Here's a list of the songs, and the changes I made to fix them:

Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing: In the next-to-last measure, the last two notes are written on the wrong string.

Lead, Kindly Light: Chord symbols printed out of place on almost every line. The tab itself was OK.

Master, the Tempest Is Raging: Multiple font problems, putting most words in the wrong place. Chord symbols and tab were both OK.

Sweet Hour of Prayer: The next-to-last note in the fourth line should be a 6, not a 5.

There were lots of other errors, but fortunately, they were in tabs I have not yet published. If you find any other problems, please post a comment on the song, or email me so I can correct them. Just click on my small photo under FOLLOWERS to send me an email. Sorry if these errors have created any confusion.

Don

Be Still, My Soul

2010-08-22T21:00:00.002-06:00

My daughter Amy requested this hymn. If I’ve got it right, [NOT QUITE! See Amy's comment.] her best friend had just died suddenly, her husband was recovering from a triple stroke, and she also had to cope with her three-year-old, autistic son, while holding down a major ward calling. One of her Relief Society sisters sang this hymn to her. It was the first time she had heard it. The message, the melody, and the gorgeous harmonies really impressed her. They’ll impress nearly anyone, but they were perfect for her at that moment. This is for you, Amy.

PRACTICE NOTES:

This is NOT a song for beginners! Even though it's all strummed, and slowly at that, with no arpeggios or melody notes, the chords are not easy. For those who are not afraid of barre chords, it's not too bad, but there are a few unusual ones. The harmonies and gorgeous chord progressions make it worthwhile to learn them, though.

It's in the key of F. No, it's not any better if you transpose it. The first line is the easiest, containing only normal C and F chords, plus a Cmaj7, which is an easy chord to play, and sounds great. If you have trouble changing from F to C and back, you'll want to get some help before you tackle the rest of the song, as these are about the easiest changes in the song. Don't say I didn't warn you. It's not easy, just worth it.

The next line basically repeats the chord progressions of the first line, but one octave higher. Instead of Cmaj7, there's a Bb, for a slightly different harmony. It's just a barred A. If you're still with me, you've pretty much got it licked. The rest of the barre chords are just variations of the barred E and barred A, played at different frets.

The Dm/Av in the third line is only unusual in that you DO play the bass string. This is necessary for the melody. Read the name of this chord, "D minor with an A bass, barred 5th fret." Don't let the Roman numerals throw you, they only describe where the barre goes. Play the rest of the chords as shown in the chord charts.

COUNTING

The count is mostly a straightforward 4/4, but it's syncopated, because each verse begins on the SECOND count of the measure. I have put in underscores to show how the notes are extended over several counts. For example, the chord played for the word "soul" in the second measure is extended for three counts, while the chord for the word "on" in the next measure is held for one-and-a-half counts. Thus, the bold face & under the word "thy", to show it is only half a count. Trust me, it comes out even. If this does not make sense to you, click HERE to listen to an a capella version. After you hear it once, you should have no trouble. You'll want to get the beat right, as this combination repeats in every line.

At the end of the song, I have included the finale, but also the repeat sign. You can either repeat from the next-to-last verse, or play the final measure and stop.

Comments from beginners

2010-08-04T09:16:00.001-06:00

I welcome comments, if they pertain to the music. I get a lot from beginning guitarists. If you have a question or comment that's too long or that you don't want to share with everyone, email me HERE. Here's a response I wrote to Melissa, who asked about the difference between strumming and picking:

IN GENERAL, tabs are for picking, and cheat sheets are for strumming. To see the difference, check out both links to "Dream a Little Dream of Me", which I have posted in both forms. Some of my tabs are arranged for strumming AND picking. They will say at the top of the first page, "Strum all chords." In other tabs, where some chords are to be picked and others strummed, the strummed chords are indicated by a wiggly line at the left of the chord. In all cases, though, it is possible to strum any of the chords, whether so marked or not. All of these tabs are my own arrangements, and I've written them the way I like to play them. You may have different preferences.

If you just want to accompany singing, by all means, just strum the chords, and disregard the tab. Usually this will work fine, but sometimes I leave out a chord, when I only need a single note from it, and that note is covered in the tab. I never mention this, either in the tab or in the posting about the tab, because the songs on this blog are intended for instrumental guitar solos.

A good source for those who want to accompany singers is the book, Hymns, Simplified, published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It's arranged for easy piano, but also contains guitar chords, with chord charts at the back of the book.

If I had unlimited time, I would add a section of cheat sheets to the blog, but I also have a full-time job, two major callings, and a HUGE family. If you would like to write cheat sheets for the blog, send me a couple to review!

For new readers

2010-07-25T23:28:00.002-06:00

All the tabs were arranged and tabbed (and copyrighted) by me. They are hosted on my "mission" website, so I can keep control, hence the links. Any that are based on music not in public domain say so in the related posting. I have permission from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to publish hymns with their copyright, under the same rules as the hymnal: they are for "incidental home or church use." You can print them, copy them, and play them, but not for money or for public distribution. Please follow these rules; I DON'T want to lose the Church's permission to publish their hymns!

Most of the tabs are intended to be used for instrumental solos in church. Contrary to popular opinion, there is nothing in the Bishop's Handbook forbidding the use of guitars for music in church, even in Sacrament Meeting, according to Elder Moody, who wrote the relevent parts of that handbook. He said, "We are a worldwide church, and do not discriminate against any musical tradition or instrument, as long as the music played is in keeping with the sacred character of the meeting." The bishop decides what is in keeping and what is not. I have heard brass, and even bagpipes, used for special numbers in Sacrament meetings; there is no reason why a guitar cannot also be used the same way. I have done so many times, sometimes playing hymns to accompany singers, and sometimes as an instrumental solo.

For those new to my tabs, please do not let the Roman numerals after some of the chords scare you off. That's just my way of indicating where the barre goes when playing barre chords. It's based on the way barres are indicated in classical guitar music. I believe you'll find it handy and intuitive. If so, please spread the word. At present, there is no standardized way in tablature to indicate when a chord is a barre chord, and where on the neck it is to be played. I'm hoping this way of notating barre chords will catch on. All other chord symbols follow standard notation.

High on the Mountain Top in G (for beginners)

2010-07-21T11:13:00.001-06:00

Actually, it's played a lot like the version in C. Most beginners find it easier to play in the key of G than in C, as there are no barre chords. This version includes a couple of minor chords, where the other version only has single notes, but they are very easy, common chords. If you already know them, you may find it easier to play the chord than to learn the melody line. The tab is simpler, too, without split measures, metronome count, etc. In the second line, there is one pull-off and one slide, but you can just play the notes without using those techniques, and it'll still sound good. No special instructions are needed to play this version, just play the tab as it is written.

High on the Mountain Top is in the public domain. The patriotic lyrics were taken from a poem by Joel Hills Johnson. Click HERE for the story of how this poem came to be written, including the fifth and sixth verses, which do not appear in the hymnal.

High on the Mountain Top in C (intermediate version)

2010-07-21T08:37:00.000-06:00

Actually, it's easy, if you can do the barre chords. Much as I hate to split measures between two lines, I've done so on every line, as that's the way it's written in the hymnal. About the only changes I've made from the hymnal have to do with the tempo. If you try playing this as a guitar solo at the speed called for in the hymnal, it will really drag, so I've specified a much faster beat. I've also recast it in 4/4 instead of 2/2. The difference is almost imperceptible, and I find it easier to count "1-2-3-4" than "1-&-2-&". If you want to be perfectly faithful to the original, emphasize the #3 beat, so it's equal to the #1. That's the only difference.

In some ways, this song is easier than the "beginner" version in G, as there are no minor chords, and all the transitions are straightforward, if you are comfortable with barre chords. The only remotely difficult transitions are in the 5th - 6th measures and 9th - 10th measures, where you have to slide the whole GIII chord down to GbII to catch the F# on the first string with the index finger, then back again immediately to GIII for the chord. This may seem a bit odd to you, but it's one of the things barre chords were invented for.

High on the Mountain Top is in the public domain. The patriotic lyrics were taken from a poem by Joel Hills Johnson. Click HERE for the story of how this poem came to be written, including the fifth and sixth verses, which do not appear in the hymnal.

How Gentle God's Commands, again

2010-07-08T07:10:00.001-06:00

As promised, here's the C version. Actually, it's played very much like the A version, but uses more chords and a slightly different pattern pick. For a really dynamite sound, start with the A version, play through the first verse, then do a key change by switching to the first verse of the C version, then switch back to the second verse of the A version, play the arpeggios in A, minus the final chord, and then change keys back to C again, for the last verse. Switching keys three times makes it sound hard, but it really is no harder than playing the whole song through once in each key.

A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief MP3

2010-07-03T22:17:00.002-06:00

A really nice guy named MJ Hufford has offered to create automated MP3 files of some of my tabs, so you can hear them exactly as written. This is his first one. I hope he does lots more! MJ is also the creator and guiding light of an entire online guitar community called, http://www.guitarvoice.com [Insert shameless plug!] Actually, it's a great site for all kinds of guitarists, but especially those who don't like nasty stuff. MJ is a cool dude. If you like the idea of more MP3s, leave a comment on this post, or email me, especially if you have a particular favorite that you'd like to hear.

How Gentle God's Commands

2010-06-21T21:32:00.001-06:00

Two versions -- an easy one in A, that uses only TWO chords (E and A), and a harder one in C that requires barre chords and harder techniques. Both are in public domain.

First, the easy version. The first verse uses pinched chords, and there are only two measures in the whole verse that require more than one pinch. Easy. It's in 3/4 time, and all the notes are quarter-notes. There are a couple of measures where only two of the three beats are shown. In both cases, that's the first and third beats. You can let the first beat ring for two counts (a half-note), or damp the first beat to a quarter-note and insert a quarter-rest. Or, you can mix and match. It's a simple tune to learn, but still sounds good. If you're playing steel strings, you might try using finger-picks on this one. If you're playing nylon strings, use your fingernails, for a crisp, "classical guitar" sound, or use your fingertips, if you want a mellow tone.

In the fifth measure, the A chord is slightly changed. Note the F# played on the third string at the fourth fret. It's just a bit of a stretch, but don't leave it out or substitute another note for it; it's necessary to carry the melody. It also provides a nice contrast with the normal A chord in the next measure.

The second verse is in 6/8 time, so all the notes are eighth-notes. The chording is the same as the first verse, but the chords are all "broken chords". A lot of "extra" drone notes on the open A string and E string are set in, to fill out the bass. Rock the right hand, playing the bass notes with the thumb, and the melody notes with the fingers. The audience will think it sounds much more difficult than the first verse, but it's actually very nearly as easy. If you're comfortable with barre chords, substitute a barred Av for the last note, for a dynamite finale.

Praise to the Man

2010-06-13T18:33:00.002-06:00

This is about as easy as it gets! The only thing even faintly scary about this song is the F/C chord. Read that, "F with a C bass," and you won't be scared. It's just a normal F chord, but you add the C on the 5th string, third space, with your pinkie, to follow the melody. Or, if you are already comfortable with barre chords, just play the full-barre F, but avoid the #6 string. If you really are a beginner, just play a regular, four-string F, but it won't sound quite as good.

There are also pull-offs in measures # 3, 11, and 27. These are easy to do. Fret the second string in the first space (C) with your index finger, and simultaneously in the third space (D) with your pinkie. When you pluck the string with your right hand, only the D will sound, of course. Leaving the index finger in place, pull the pinkie off the string, so it plucks the string again, sounding the C. This produces a legato sound, (search "ligado" on this blog), and also allows you to play the two-note sequence much faster than you otherwise could.

The song was originally written in 2/4 time, but I have re-cast it in 4/8. There is actually no difference, except that it's easier to count in eighth notes. The metronome setting has therefore been increased to 132. To be perfectly faithful to the piano music in the hymnal, it should have been somewhere between 152 - 192, but this just sounds too fast to me. If you are accompanying a singer, 132 would probably be too slow, but if you are playing it as a guitar solo, the speed is not terribly important, anyway.

Both the tune and the lyrics are in the public domain.

How Great Thou Art

2010-05-26T05:14:00.001-06:00

An all-time favorite of the entire Christian world. The arrangement is my own, but the lyrics are NOT in public domain. I could not obtain permission to publish them, so, sorry-- no lyrics! If you simply MUST have them, they are in the LDS Hymnal, where they are published with permission.

Most of the chords are easy and common, with a few exceptions. You'll want to use the FI instead of the normal, four-string version, as the bass strings are what lend the chord its fullness. The G7 add 5 chord is just a normal G7, with one finger added. It's no harder to play than a normal C7. It's only the name that makes it look tough, but the sound is beautiful, and necessary for the melody.

You can either pinch all the chords, or strum some of them. I have put in strum lines on a few chords, to illustrate how to do this, but you can strum as many as you like-- or none at all. I've put in some of those "dread arpeggios" in the refrain, to make it sound different from the verses, and because I like them. They also liven up a song that otherwise seems to drag a bit, when played as a purely instrumental solo.

There are a couple of places where slightly non-standard techniques are used, but they are easier than standard, rather than the reverse. In the second measure of the refrain ("Then sings my soul, my Sav-ior..."), the D note at the third fret, second string can be most easily reached by flattening the little finger of the left hand briefly, instead of moving the finger. This leaves the fingers in an advantageous position for the transition to the following FI chord. Similarly, five bars later, on the word "great", you can catch the A on the third string (second fret) by flattening the middle finger briefly, instead of moving it to the next string and back again. This avoids a finger dance that I find a bit awkward.

The finale is my own, and you can certainly leave it out, by simply deleting the BVII chord and slide, going straight to the CVIII. I originally put it in because I have short arms and small hands, and had trouble reaching the CVIII while staying in rhythm. Unless I really concentrated, I'd hit the BVII every time! Once, I did it while performing, so I just faked a "Hawaiian" riff, and slid the whole chord up a notch. It sounded great, the congregation loved it, and I've been playing it that way ever since! If your fingers squeal on the strings when you slide, spray the strings with string lubricant, available at guitar shops or online.

Do not use any kind of grease or oil to lube strings, unless you just love changing them. Grease and oil are dirt magnets, and will pull dirt right out of your fingers. Before you know it, your strings will sound dull and hard to tune. I tell my students to wash their hands with soap, before they pick up the guitar, to cut the natural oil in their fingertips.

We Thank Thee, O God, For a Prophet

2010-04-28T11:43:00.001-06:00

This song is unusual, in that it is actually easier to play the melody from the tab than to strum accompaniment from the chords. That’s because strumming it requires frequent, fast chord changes, especially between G7 and F. The tab allows you to simply play the needed note as a melody note, without changing the chord at all, so most of the song is played from the C chord.

There is one barre chord in the entire song, a GIII. Of course, you can substitute a normal G, or use the G7 position, without playing the #1 string, as I do in the rest of the song, but the melody won’t be exactly right. All the G7 chords shown in the tab are actually Gs, but it’s just lots easier to fret the chord as a G7 and leave out the F on the high E string, than it is to change from C to G. I’ve specified the four-string F chord, as it’s easier to play than the full barre F, and the musical difference in this case is not great. But if you can do bar chords easily, the full, six-string F does sound a bit better.

I’ve included all the chord changes needed for strumming accompaniment, in small type, in italics, in brackets, to minimize confusion. You can replace some of the single notes with strummed chords, or pinched chords, for variety, when playing solo. It also makes a lovely duet, with one guitar playing lead, and the other strumming. If you are playing with a more legato* instrument, such as a violin or flute, pinched chords, near the bridge, give a more classical sound.

There are lots of hammer-ons and pull-offs in this song. If you don’t like such ligados*, you can eliminate them, and just play each note normally, but that sounds rather staccato* to my ear. Putting in the ligados did make it somewhat more challenging to write clearly, though. Fourteen of the seventeen measures either begin or end with a ligado that crosses the bar. It was inevitable that at least one of them would also cross from the end of one line to the beginning of the next.

* The term legato comes from Itallian, and refers to the sound of notes that flow into each other. Staccato is its opposite: notes that end abruptly. The phrase, “La-la-la-la-la,” is legato, while, “Dot-dot-dot-dot-dot,” is staccato. These two terms are used in all orchestral, choral, and piano music. Ligado comes from Spanish, like other classical guitar terms, and indicates a hammer-on or a pull-off. These are only two of several popular techniques for producing the legato sound, but those other techniques, such as slides, taps, and harmonics, are never called ligados. Ligados are the only legato techniques used in this song.

Technical stuff:

When I write tab, I indicate ligados by tying the notes together with underscores. Other techniques are indicated in other ways, specific to the technique. Slides are shown by a slash between two notes: a forward slash (/) means slide to a higher note, a back slash (\) means slide to a lower note. Harmonics are indicated by an exclamation point before the note: !12 means to play a harmonic at the twelfth fret, with the string open. Taps are shown by the word Tap, in italics, above the tab. If I don’t have room, I just use the capital T. This can be confusing, because the capital T above the tab is also frequently used by other tab writers to indicate a thumb wrap. I have small hands and a wide-neck guitar, so I never do thumb wraps.

Published by permission of the copyright holder.

Metronome

2010-04-26T21:42:00.000-06:00

Here's a cool tool! It's online, and it's free. No axes to grind, (you should forgive the expression!), just something really useful. See "Metronome online" in the links section.

He Is Risen

2010-04-18T22:26:00.002-06:00

I had intended to publish this for Easter, but somehow filed it in the wrong folder and forgot it, until Jared Hillam sent me this request:

Hi Don,

I've really enjoyed learning your rendition of "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief."

I was wondering if you happend to have a tab for "He Has Risen." My wife was playing it on the piano and I thought it would be really neat on the guitar.

Thanks,

Jared Hillam

Well, Jared, thank YOU for reminding me! This is indeed a beautiful song. It goes well with a piano, and makes a fantastic duet with a violin! A piano tends to drown out my classical guitar, but you could play it on an electric guitar, and adjust the volume as needed.

The tab is pretty straightforward, without any special chords or techniques, except you really do need to play the F and G chords as full barre chords, to follow the melody. I especially like the contrast between the pinched chords and the strummed ones. Remember, the GIII chord is just an E, barred at the third fret, and you're in business.

This piece is in the public domain.

Music theory for real newbies

2010-04-16T19:38:00.006-06:00

CPA OTR Trucker asked:

When you start talking 7ths and 5ths, etc. I get blown away . . . I know a few basic cords but I am really a total newbie . . . I really don't know where to start. Will you provide me with some guidance?

ANSWER:

Well, OTR, we’ve all been there! There are two kinds of learning that have to happen to turn you into a musician: muscle learning, and theory. When you train your hands to make chords, that’s muscle learning. It’s not so different from learning any other physical skill. After much practice, your muscles learn to do it by habit, and you have to struggle to do it differently. That’s one reason to learn from a teacher, who will make sure you learn to do it RIGHT by habit, so you don’t have to unlearn it and relearn it right later, when you discover the limitations of doing it the wrong way. In fact, the reason the “right way” to play the guitar IS the right way, is because it’s EASIER, once you learn how. Once or twice in a generation, along comes a genius like Jimi Hendrix or Andres Segovia, to show us an even better way, but that’s another story. The theory part is “head learning.” That seems to be what’s got you stumped. I’ll try to go back to the very beginning.

When a string vibrates, the note produced is determined by the length and thickness of the string, and the tension on it. To change the note, you can either change the tension, as in tuning, or change the vibrating length of the string. The first stringed instruments were like harps, with a different length string for each note desired. Eventually, some genius figured out that you could change the length of the vibrating part (the “speaking length”) by putting a board behind the strings, and pressing down with the fingers in different places, to make different notes. It was soon discovered that the spots for making some notes were separated by very different intervals. This was especially apparent when frets were invented. Some of the notes were nearly twice as far apart as others! Most notes are separated by approximately equal intervals. But the intervals B-to-C, and E-to-F, are only half the size of all the others. Guitar makers quickly learned that they could not make all the notes on all the strings, unless they placed their frets at every half interval. That’s why the notes on the E string are E (open), F (1st fret), F# (2nd fret), G (3rd fret), etc. E and F are separated by only a half-tone, but F, G, A, and B are separated by a whole tone, or two frets.

This becomes important to know, when you are trying to figure out the scale of a song. The key of C, for arcane reasons, is the one that includes only the named notes (the white keys on a keyboard): C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. There are no sharps or flats (the black keys on the keyboard). In every other key, some of the notes of the scale fall on a sharp or flat (black key). For example, if you start playing a scale on the G string, the notes will be G, A, B, C, D, E, and F#. The reason for this is that the human ear expects to hear a scale in which the first note and second note are separated by a whole tone, the second and third by a whole tone, the third and fourth by a half-tone, etc. If we number the notes of the scale 1 through 7 and start counting on any given note, the scale will be:

1 (+ 2 frets) 2 (+ 2 frets) 3 (+ 1 fret) 4 (+ 2 frets) 5 (+ 2 frets) 6 (+ 2 frets) 7 (+ 1 fret) 8

where 8 is the same note as 1, only an octave (from the Greek word for 8) higher. If we start counting on a C, the notes of the scale will be:

C D E F G A B C

But if we start on D, the scale would look like this:

D E F# G A B C# D

The intervals are the same, no matter which note we start on. Musicians recognize this by referring to the notes of the scale by their interval, instead of by the note the scale starts on. Thus, in the key of D, the third note is F#, and the interval between the first and third note (four frets) is called a “third”, the interval between the first note and the fifth note (7 frets) is called a “fifth”, etc. We can even speak of intervals greater than an octave this way, as in a “ninth” (fourteen frets), etc.

Because the guitar has six strings, tuned to different notes, the interval between the lowest note on the guitar (the open bass E string) and the highest note easily played (the twelfth fret on the high E string) is three octaves, so it is perfectly possible to play two notes separated by a ninth, an eleventh, or a thirteenth, using two different strings.

It is also possible to construct other scales with different interval patterns, but this one is the most common, and is therefore called the “major” scale. Middle Eastern music, and lots of western music, is built on a scale in which the third note and sixth note are each one fret flat of their position in the major scale:

1, 2, 3b, 4, 5, 6b, 7, 8.

This "minor" scale makes the interval between the minor 6th and 7th notes three frets, and gives the scale an interesting sound. In the key of C minor, the scale would look like this:

C D Eb F G Ab B C

Remember that Eb and D# are the same note, midway between D & E. The names depend on which direction you are counting. D minor would look like this:

D E F G A Bb C# D

C# is also the same note as Db, halfway between C and D. There are reasons for this difference in nomenclature, but they are too technical to go into here.

CHORDS:

Two or more notes played at the same time are called a chord. Most commonly played chords have at least three different notes. Each chord is named for:

--the first note of its scale,
--whether it is a major or minor scale,
--which notes of the scale it contains,
--any other special characteristics.

The most common chord contains the first, third, and fifth notes of the major scale, and is therefore called a “major” chord. Thus, the chord of C major contains the notes: C, E, and G. C minor has the notes: C, Eb, and G. Since music used to all be hand written, it was easier to leave out the word “major”, unless it was specifically needed for clarity, so the C major chord was written as “C”. Minor chords were indicated by the letter m. A chord in which the seventh note has been flatted is called a seventh chord, thus:

C = (1 - 3 - 5)
Cm = (1 - 3b - 5)
C7 = (1 - 3 - 5 - 7b)
Cm7 = (1 - 3b - 5 - 7b)

Most instruments only play one note at a time, so most musicians do not know much about chord theory, but guitarists begin with chords. Guitars also have so many strings that it is possible to play almost any note on the guitar in several different ways. For example, the E note formed by the open, high E string (the #1 string) on the guitar occurs in only one spot on the piano, the harp, the flute, etc. But on the guitar, you can play it by playing:

- the E string, open
- the B string, fretted at the fifth fret
- the G string, fretted at the ninth fret
- the D String, fretted at the fourteenth fret, etc.

This is bad enough when you are playing only one note at a time, but if you are trying to read chords as shown in piano music, you will quickly learn that ordinary sheet music is not well-suited to guitars. Most guitarists just memorize one way of playing each of the chords they use most often, and think of them as “the” way to play that chord. This works fine, if all you want to do is strum accompaniments for a vocalist. But if you want to learn to play a particular riff exactly as it is played on a record, or add melody notes to your music, or make the chords “follow” the melody as it rises and falls, something else is needed. That something is tablature, called “tab” for short.

The five-line musical staff of sheet music shows the musician where each note falls on the scale, and it is presumed that he knows where to find that note on his instrument. In tablature, the guitarist is shown exactly how to make each note on the guitar, which string to play it on, which fret to use, etc.

The six lines of tab represent the six strings of the guitar, as you would see them if you bent your head over and looked. (Don’t do it. You’ll end up playing with a bent wrist, and give yourself tendinitis.) That is, the top line in the tab is the high E string, the next is the B string, then the G string, etc. The numbers are the frets where that string is to be fretted. The number 0 is used to denote a string that is played unfretted, or "open". If there is no number on a string, don’t play it.

Unlike “real” sheet music, tablature has not been around very long, and there are few standardized ways of writing it. Some tab writers put in vertical measure lines (or “bars”), but not all do. The big disadvantage of tablature is that there is no easy way to tell how long a note lasts, unlike sheet music, with its half notes, quarter notes, etc. Fortunately, most notes on an acoustic guitar seem to come out as eighth notes, which makes tab-writing easier. So, tab is most useful for those who want to learn how to play a song they are already familiar with.

It’s easier to read tab if the lyrics of the song are included, so you can see where the notes go. That’s great if the song writer is dead, and cannot object to you publishing his work without permission. This is called, “being in the public domain,” which means that the copyrights have expired (or never existed at all). Most hymns were not written for guitar, so the guitar arrangement usually is the intellectual property of the guitarist who arranged it. The sticking point is the lyrics, which often are still in copyright.

Without the permission of the copyright holder, you cannot publish the lyrics, which means you cannot put them on the tab, even if you’re not charging money. You can usually get away with putting them on a sheet of tab you create for your own use, but many aspiring tab writers have learned to their sorrow that publishing on the web is indeed publishing, as far as the courts are concerned. That’s why you seldom see tabs with lyrics on the Internet. All the tabs I publish are either in the public domain, or I have gained permission from the copyright holder to publish them. Getting permission is usually a more difficult and lengthy process than arranging the music and writing the tab.

For further instruction in chord theory, see “Chord Theory”, and “What’s all this stuff about 7ths and 5ths, etc.?” on this blog.

Poll

2010-04-16T11:19:00.000-06:00

This blog is for YOU. Please let me know how well I am meeting your needs by rating my success in the following categories. I will publish the results in May, 2010, and take them into consideration when planning future posts. Please email your answers to me at: d.fallick@hotmail.com with the word “assessment” in the subject field. Questions A through K require numerical answers, such as, “A3, B5, C1,” etc. That makes it much easier to tabulate the results. In the Suggestions section, please be as specific as you can. General comments are also OK, but what I really need is specific suggestions.

Key:
1 = need lots fewer
2 = need fewer
3 = proportion about right
4 = need more
5 = need lots more

A: LDS hymns:

B: Hymns of other churches:

C: Christmas carols:

D: Other Christian music (not hymns or Christmas carols):

E: Love songs:

F: Foreign songs (other cultures / other languages):

G: Beginner’s songs:

H: Advanced songs:

I: Non-musical posts (theory, history, etc.):

J: Difficulty of songs posted in general: 1 = way too easy; 2 = too easy;
3 = just right; 4 = too hard; 5 = impossible

K: Adequacy of explanations / instructions in general: 1 = inadequate;
2 = almost enough; 3 = just right; 4 = too detailed;
5 = total over-kill

L: Your favorite and least favorite tabs: (Why?)

M: Your favorite and least favorite posts: (Why?)

N: Suggestions and comments:

Teach Me to Walk In the Light

2010-04-15T20:59:00.002-06:00

FOR RANK BEGINNERS:

At the top of the page is the title of the hymn, and the hymn number, as found in the LDS hymnal, Hymns. Then follow general instructions, such as “Strum all chords.” This means that anywhere you see a chord in the tablature, it is to be strummed, not plucked or pinched. Individual notes are always plucked unless otherwise instructed.

Each line of music is divided into four separate parts. The top line shows the chord names. They are given only when the chord changes, so the first line of the tab shows the E chord only once, though it is strummed nine times. The B7 chord shown next continues onto the second line, even though it is only shown on the first line, etc. Sometimes, special instructions are also included in this line, such as, slow, or hold.

The next six lines are the actual tablature. Each horizontal line of dashes represents a string of the guitar, with the top one representing the high e-string, the next representing the B-string, etc., as shown at the beginning of the tab. I usually omit the names of the strings when writing tab, unless they are tuned in a non-standard tuning, but I put them in on this song, for the use of true beginners.

In reading tablature (tab for short), the strings are fretted where the numbers indicate the proper fret: 1 = the first fret, etc. A zero -- 0 -- indicates the string is to be played “open” (unfretted). If there is no number on the string, do not play it. Vertical lines indicate measures, as in traditional music.

The next line is the lyrics of the song. Since the purpose of the tablature is to teach how to play a guitar instrumental solo, only the first verse of the song is included, for those who are familiar with it, to help them know where they are in the song.

The bottom line contains the time count, or tempo. This song is in “three-four” time, meaning that each measure contains three beats, and the first beat of each measure is accented by being played a bit louder than the others: ONE two three; ONE two three, etc. The accented beats are shown in bold face type. In general, each beat is accompanied by either a strummed chord or a plucked note, except for the last measure of each line, where the chord is strummed and allowed to ring through the other two beats, which are counted, but not played. This is shown by placing the other two beats in parentheses: (2 3). In the last line, the third beat of the first measure is also treated this way, and is shown in parentheses, too: (3) .

The next-to-last measure is also counted differently. There are six notes in the measure, but they are “eighth notes”, instead of the “quarter notes” that make up the rest of the song. The measure takes exactly the same length of time as the other measures, because the notes are played twice as fast. To count these notes, count the last two measures, “ONE-and-two-and-three-and-ONE, (two, three)”. The beat remains steady.

All but the very last note of the next-to-last measure can be easily played by simply strumming an E chord slowly, so each string sounds separately. You’ll have to stretch your pinkie to reach that note in the 4th fret, or else, let your hand slide slightly up the neck of the guitar, hit the note, then slide right back down to play the E chord.

Chord charts are shown at the end of the song. If you don’t know how to play a chord, the chord charts show you how. The vertical lines represent the guitar strings, and the horizontal lines show the frets. The top line shows the nut of the guitar, with Xs above strings that are not played. Finger positions are usually shown with zeros, or large, black dots, but I have used numbers to indicate which finger is placed where: 1 = the index finger, 2 = the middle finger, 3 = the ring finger, and 4 = the pinky.

I have tried to arrange the song so it would be as easy as possible to play, since I’m arranging it for my seven-year-old student, Meylin. If you are really a rank beginner, start by just strumming the chords as shown in the counting line, until you can make the chord changes without missing a beat. Only then should you try to learn how to put in the melody notes.

Most of the notes are part of the chords, and can be played just by selecting the proper string. Some of the notes are different, though. In the first line, a couple of the “extra” notes in the second fret can be reached just by flattening the left hand across the strings. Others need to be added with the pinky. In the third line, the E chord can be changed to an E7 just by lifting the 3rd finger. Replace it to hit the third note in the next measure.

This song is not in the public domain, but I have received written permission of the copyright owner (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) to publish it in this format, for personal or incidental, non-commercial home or church use.

Softly and Tenderly easier version

2010-04-04T17:09:00.001-06:00

Due to requests to make this song a bit easier to play, I've tried to do so without dumbing it down, just simplifying it a bit. If you're a beginning guitarist, try this one first. I've removed the hammer-ons and pull-offs, and changed some of the chords to single melody notes. Otherwise, it's the same, so if you can already play the harder version, this may not be much of an improvement for you. Sometimes its aggravating that a piece that sounds so simple when played well is actually rather difficult to play. Sorry!

I Need Thee Every Hour

2010-04-04T13:58:00.001-06:00

The chords are pretty standard, except for C9, which is just a normal C chord with the D note added with the little finger. Try to use the full barre chords if you can, as they emphasize the melody. The final measure, ending in C VIII, is just an E chord, barred at the 8th fret. This is much easier to do than it appears, as the frets are so much closer together at the top end of the fretboard.

Note that chords with a wavy line to the left are to be strummed, while others, without the wavy line of slashes, are to be pinched. Of course, you can strum them all or pinch them all if you wish, but playing it this way adds variety to the sound of what otherwise would be a rather simple song.

Public Domain.

Come, Ye Children of The Lord

2010-02-23T20:19:00.000-07:00

Two versions-- one easy, one somewhat harder. Oddly enough, though I arranged both versions, and have labeled the harder one "performance version", I like the easy one best. It uses plain, easy chords, all strummed, with the melody picked out in single notes, making it perfect for picking out on a steel-string flat-top. Which I seldom do. So seldom that I gave away my old flat-top some years ago, and don't often miss it.

In either version, you can hit the D note after the F chord with the little finger, a lick that repeats a few times. There's also a repeating lick where you have to hit the A note on the G string from a C chord, which you do by briefly flattening the middle finger, to catch the A, then immediately returning to the C chord.

If you're accompanying singers, definitely use the "easy" version, as the "performance" version has too much other stuff going on, and would either confuse the singers, or distract the audience.

The "performance" version is actually closer to the sheet music printed in the hymnal, which it follows almost perfectly. But frankly, I think it sounds better on the piano or organ than on the guitar.

Ayiti cheri (Haiti Cherie)

2010-02-14T20:03:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite creole songs from Haiti. It has no hard chords, no barre chords, no special techniques, besides the Calypso strum, and is in the key of C. It's REALY EASY, except for the strum, and the lyrics, which are entirely in kreyòl, the spoken dialect of Haiti. For those of you who may not be fluent in kreyòl, I've included a pronouncing, etymological, kreyòl-English vocabulary on the last page.

The first page is a cheat sheet, with the kreyòl words on one line, the approximate pronunciation on the second line, and an English translation on the third. You will notice that the words do not mean exactly what Harry Belafonte sang in the English version, but they're mostly fairly close, allowing for "poetic licence."

The next two pages are another cheat sheet, but with the Calypso strum and counting numbers included, and the pronunciation and translation left out. I had some room, so I included chord charts and some notes about kreyòl.

Page Four is a detailed explanation of how to play the Calypso strum, for those who don't already know how. It's tricky to explain, but not so tricky to do, so I'm planning to video it and post the video here soon. I haven't done this before, so it's new ground for me. Who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks?

Adieu for a while

2010-01-27T06:41:00.001-07:00

My wife, Barbara, and I are going to Haiti to work in relief efforts for the next three weeks. We won't be able to take laptops, so I won't be adding any new posts for a while. We leave Thursday, January 28, and will be gone 21 days, and will be helping to rebuild an orthopedic hospital. We can surely use your prayers. Anyone interested in contributing can go to the website healinghandsforhaiti.org. Be sure to write "Utah Hospital Task Force" in the Special Instructions section. Adieu !

What's all this stuff about 7ths, 5ths, etc.?

2010-01-19T21:13:00.003-07:00

Ever wonder why chords have such weird names? Here's a brief lesson on chord theory. See CHORD THEORY in the list of links at right. It contains explanations, charts, and a handy slide rule for finding chord elements and scales. Stuff every guitarist should know.

NOT included is an explanation of my own addition to standard notation- adding Roman numerals to show fret position-- where the barring finger goes in barred chords.

Nearly every chord that can be played on the guitar can be played in several ways. The most common of these alternative fingerings are distinguished by their position. For example, C can be played the regular way, or by barring an A at the III fret, or by barring an E at the VIII fret. Strange as it may seem, there is no universally accepted way to write these chord symbols so a guitarist will know which is meant, even though they sound quite different. After years of struggle, I gave up and invented my own way, based on the way classical guitar music shows position with Roman numerals. If anyone knows a better way, please tell me.

Otro año ha pasado

2010-01-17T16:58:00.003-07:00

There are no hard chords in this piece. In fact, there are no chords at all! It's a relatively easy classical piece, based on the soprano and alto lines of the hymn in the Spanish hymnal. It's not in the English hymn book.

One of the hardest things to do in tablature is to convey a complex rhythm. This is even harder when working in a foreign language, particularly one like Spanish, where the words are often run together in peculiar ways when singing. So I wrote out a silly, little ditty in English to illustrate the way the rhythm changes:

verses:

Drink some lemonade / sitting in the shade
with a pretty girl / who you love.
Tell her everything / promise her a ring
make her laugh and sing like / Saints above!

refrain:

Boys and girls are / often seen together
strolling slowly / walking hand in ha__nd.
Summer, winter / any kind of weather.
Ad-o-les-cent / love is truly grand.

These words have nothing at all to do with the actual lyrics of the hymn, and little enough to do with each other, but they do make a kind of sense, if you don’t look too closely! Divisions of measures within each line are shown by slashes.

The refrain (estribillo) is quite different from the verses, in melody, rhythm, and feeling. The verses have a serious tone, while the refrain sounds more like a children’s song. The last word in the second line of the refrain is drawn out, where the tab has a hammered-on C, on the 5th fret of the third string, added almost as if it were an afterthought. Other than that one note, every note of the song has a corresponding syllable in the lyrics-- both the real, Spanish lyrics, and my frivolous ditty above.

Oh, and yes, the phrase, con resolución, does indeed mean that it is to be played “with resolution!” How very appropriate, for a New Years song!

Dream A Little Dream Of Me

2010-01-02T21:47:00.009-07:00

It’s not really LDS, or even religious, but it’s such a pretty lovesong, and a chaste one at that, that I couldn’t resist including it as a Valentine’s Day treat. Yeah, I know, it’s barely New Years, but it might take you a while to get this one down pat, as the chord progressions, while beautiful, are a bit unusual. I’m including two versions. If you like instrumental guitar solos, play the tab version. If you’re intending to sing it to someone special, the cheat sheet is probably better. Or, you can do as I do most of the time -- play the chords and sing it, but include some finger-pickin’ as an interlude.

The “cheat” version is intended to be strummed, either with a soft, flat pick or with the thumb. Strum slowly and easily, DOWN up-down-up, DOWN up-down-up, DOWN up-down-up, DOWN up-down-up. The song makes extensive use of barre chords, to bring out the melody, even when chording. They are not especially difficult ones, but you may find the use of the GVII chord (a barred C) difficult, if you are not used to it. I often play it as a four-string chord, which makes it much easier.

The transitions: CIII - B7II - Fm7sus & CIII - B7II - A7 are central to the song. The only really hard part of this is making the transition B7II - A7 quickly. I do it by just lifting the barre and sliding the whole chord two frets toward the nut. It may feel “wrong” to play A7 this way at first, but it’s lots faster than trying to change finger positions to play it the normal way, and it does pre-position your hand perfectly for the full-barre F which follows.

The song will sound LOTS better if you put in the melody notes on the F - Fm phrase. See the tab version for the exact notes to play. The AV - A6V - AV transition is even easier, as all you are doing is moving the little finger. You have to be quick to hit the following E7 and stay in the rhythm, but again, you can do it much faster if you just pick up the barring finger and move the whole hand, playing the chord with the “wrong” fingers. Try hard not to actually slide the chord. It sounds bad if you do, though sliding UP the bass string to the AV works really well. Barbara says it’s her favorite part of the song!

I wrote the tab version in 8/8 time, to make all the notes come out eighth notes, or very nearly all of them. I don’t know what the original time signature was-- 4/4, or even 2/4. I tried writing it as 4/4, and it just looked too “busy” to be easily readable. The hard thing is to make it sound slow and relaxed. It might take a month of practice, which is why I’m posting it now. If you haven’t been working on “Til There Was You” from last year, this makes an acceptable replacement, and it’s not nearly as hard. It even works well as a duet -- if one of you has a throaty, contralto voice like Mama Cass!

This is NOT in public domain, so -- SORRY! You don't get the full lyrics with the tab. I've included them with the cheat sheet, because you can't write a cheat sheet without the lyrics! The arrangements are all mine, including simplified (really!) chords. Papa Denny must be double-jointed, to play the chords he's written. I can't!

Un Flambeau, Jeanette, Isabelle (Bring a Torch!)

2009-12-27T16:25:00.006-07:00

An old, French Christmas carol, much beloved in France, and practically unknown in the English-speaking world. Possibly because the English lyrics don't seem to flow very well. The French lyrics don't, either, but the French don't seem to care. They can deal with a slightly "sprung" rhythm. I have "un-sprung" it in this version, (to make it easier to play) by adding and extra "Ah" and stretching out the word, "bell-e, and then adding another "Ah!" to make it all come out even. Non-French audiences don't seem to mind the change.

If anybody asks, I'll tab the last line in the traditional manner and add it.

I know it's too late for Christmas Carols, two days after Christmas, but it's the best I can do. Maybe it'll help next year. When you're my age, that doesn't seem so far away.

A-Soulin'

2009-12-19T21:08:00.004-07:00

Similar to the old Peter, Paul, & Mary version of this very old, English carol, but arranged as a round for two guitars. There's a very short lyric section, which isn't at all hard to sing. The round is in two "parts", but they're almost exactly the same, except for the end of the intro and the coda, where they have to transition to unison. Meylin, my seven-year-old beginning guitar student, can play it. The hardest part is not getting "pulled off" of your part by listening to the other player.

Play at a steady pace, without variation, and it'll sound fantastic. Especially if you can do it while looking a bit bored. Mind you, no one will think it's actually easy. They'll just think you're showing off. And that you have talent worth showing off. It's actually not bad as a solo piece, too, but the duet round just blows people away.

Christmas Duet for Guitar & Violin

2009-12-18T21:17:00.004-07:00

My own arrangement. Actually, this is a medley of the Christmas carols, "Angels We Have Heard On High," and "Joy to the World," plus the Easter song, "Christ the Lord is Risen Today." I first tried the medley as a tribute to President Hinckley's statement that without Easter, there would be no Christmas. The three songs go so well together, musically, too!

You'll want too play right through the transitions from one song into the next without hesitation. If this is hard for you, practice just the measure before and after each transition, over and over, until you can play the transition without hesitation. The second time around, the songs are not complete, just a few bars of each to remind the audience what they are hearing, ending with the joyous finale of "Let Earth receive her King!" (tum ta-TUM!)

Sounds really, REALLY good with a decent violinist. The guitar part fits around the violin melody just right. I don't have a program for writing sheet music, so you have to transpose and print out the violin part. Fortunately, that's not very hard. Instructions follow the chord charts at the end of the guitar part. Anybody know a good, CHEAP (preferably free) program for writing violin music?

Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring

2009-12-18T03:35:00.005-07:00

The old Bach perennial. It's not necessarily a Christmas song, but it seems to get played a lot around Christmas time. This is a somewhat simplified version. Feel free to add all the flourishes you want.

I love Baroque music. In fact, I once dreamed of starting an 18th Century Cooking Club. Our motto would be, (are you ready for this?)

If it ain't Baroque...don't fix it! (AAAAAAgh!)

More new Christmas tabs

2009-12-18T03:18:00.002-07:00

Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring, & a Christmas Duet for Guitar & Violin. Also, Regocijad, the Spanish version of Joy to the World, and an easy version. More details later.

New Christmas Music

2009-12-17T07:27:00.002-07:00

Away In A Manger
A-Soulin' (instrumental duet)
Un Flambeau (Bring A Torch)

I'll post more about each one when I have time. For now, just a reminder that they are listed in the Links.

How great it is to have my files back!

Where's all the new Christmas music?

2009-12-14T17:27:00.004-07:00

On my old computer with a dead Motherboard. My backup flash drive is not compatible with Windows 7, on my new computer. Yeah, I know I can get the files transferred from my old hard drive-- someday. Right now, I'm so caught up in all the obligatory holiday festivities, I don't have time for "inconsequential" things like repairs. All my oldest files are backed up to floppies. The new laptop doesn't even have a floppy drive. Who'da thought I would need one? I'm hoping my son-in-law Joseph will have time Wednesday to help me transfer files. Then, maybe, I'll be able to find some Christmas music to upload here, that's already tabbed.

Play "Misty" for me!

2009-11-29T19:46:00.008-07:00

NOT public domain, but I have permission of the copyright owner to publish this arrangement. More about this later.

I first fell in love with this tune in the 1960s. I could spend hours trying to hear when Johnny Mathis would start singing "Onnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn my own..." Never did. I always wanted to learn to play it. Couldn't find a guitar arrangement, so I eventually did my own. I didn't realize it at the time, but "Misty" was originally written as a jazz instrumental. This is the first solo instrumental arrangement I ever did "on my own." My daughter Amy loved it so much, I eventually gave her the rights to the arrangement one Birthday when I was too broke to buy anything suitable, hence the odd copyright notice. Amy very kindly gave me permission to publish "her" song here.

Though there are a lot of different chords listed in the charts, they are REALLY EASY. to play. They are not nearly as hard as they may seem from the odd names. Though there are eighteen different chords shown in the charts, eight of them are movable chords, the chief differences being the fret where the chord is played. Of the other ten, three are very common chords you almost certainly know already, six are slight and easy variations on common chords, and the other is played with all the strings open. What's not to love?

I wasn't as skilled twenty-five years ago, when I made this arrangement, so the transitions are easy. I was really proud of myself, and couldn't wait to show MY arrangement to my mom, who once played piano in Carnegie Hall. Her comment was, "It needs to be more legado." Trust Mom to take you down a peg when you need it.

At the time, I didn't know how to get that "legado" sound, but over the years I've learned a few tricks, like hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides, and right hand tapping, note-bending, etc. I've used them all in this piece, and it now sounds polished. Wish my mom had lived long enough to hear it!

There are a few unusual techniques. Quite a few of the hammer-ons and pull-offs are done with the little finger. Right in the first line, there's a riff involving both hands. You have to tap (hammer-on) in the VIII space with the index finger of the RIGHT hand, then do a pull-off with the same finger, followed immediately by a pull-off with the little finger of the LEFT hand. It's LOTS easier if you are already picking near the middle of the string, and gives a really mellow sound.

Go immediately to a C to A7 chord change, strumming one extra time while all the fingers of the left hand are off the strings. In other words, play: C - [off] - A7. The five-note run in the last measure of the line sounds great played VERY vast. It sounds MUCH harder than it actually is, thanks to the two hammer-ons.

In the second line, don't be freaked out by the F#7 to Fmaj7 transition. You just slide the whole chord to the nut, allowing the open first string to ring through the change. You may have to hold the chord a bit tighter than you are used to, to get it to sound throughout the change, without strumming again. After the tempo change, make each of the strums very definite.

Play to the end of the first verse, then go back to the beginning, excluding the half-measure of F9 at the beginning, and play the second verse. At the end of the second verse, go straight to the coda and play it. In the last line of the coda, there's a mordant on the B7 chord. This means you have to slide the whole chord down to the VI fret and back up again within ONE beat, producing a sort of a "WAH-ooo-WAH" sound. Or you can use a Wah-Wah pedal, if you've got one. Bend the A note on the second string by pulling it sideways. I wouldn't use electronics to simulate it-- they just don't sound the same.

At the end of the coda, return to the beginning again (minus the first half-measure) and play through the third verse, adding the tag line, "Look at me!" Add it, even if you're not singing, as it resolves beautifully to the Cmaj7. There are a few tricks in there, such as the bent E note on the second string, but the timing is critical, so I've included a line of counting numbers. Strum the Cmaj7 SLOWLY, but still within ONE beat, then tremolo the chord. This is easy, if your ax has a whammy bar. Mine does not, so I get the tremolo by flutter-fanning air into the sound hole with my cupped right hand. I'm not at all sure why it works, but it looks and sounds just like you're playing an invisible whammy bar. Brings down the house.

Amazing harmonica virtuoso

2009-11-20T22:20:00.002-07:00

It's not guitar.
It's not tabs.
It's not even religious, much less LDS.

It's just the most amazing feat of musicianship I've ever seen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SlukDf4k8E

Did You Think to Pray?

2009-11-08T19:12:00.004-07:00

This hymn is so much like Sweet Hour of Prayer, it's a shame not to post them both together. Same key, same techniques, even the same subject! Only the time signature and the actual melody are different, but still so similar it's uncanny. Even the pattern picks are very similar. If you like one, you're sure to like the other.

For those who don't like pattern-picking ("all those darned arpeggios!"), I apologize. I do like them, but I usually try for more variety. The next one will be VERY different!

Public domain. For those who are interested, I've included a brief pattern-picking chart at the end. Enjoy!

Sweet Hour of Prayer

2009-11-01T20:42:00.011-07:00

Public domain.

One of my favorite hymns. I couldn't figure out why I never tabbed it, especially as it's written in C, the easiest key of them all to tab! Then I tried to do it. It turns out it's IMPOSSIBLE to play in C (for me, anyway).

I tried transposing it into all twelve keys. The only one that's really playable on the guitar is A, so that's what I used. If you want to sing it, or play with another instrument, you'll have to use a capo, or go to the Church website and use their music transposer. Go to lds.org. Click on Gospel library/music, and search for the hymn you want, then select the key you want it in. It'll give you an exact transcription, for any hymn in the current, English-language hymnal. It won't do hymns that have been dropped from older editions, or ones that are only in foreign language editions. And it won't do Primary songs. It won't do tablature, either, of course. For that, you need me. You can't have everything.

If you don't like pattern-picking, you won't like this arrangement. If I get enough comments, maybe I'll do a different arrangement, with more chords and with fewer arpeggios. For now, though, this is it. It was a bear to do, though it's not hard to play, once I figured out where to put the melody notes. There's really only one barre chord in it-- Av, which is an E barred in the V fret. There is also a Dv called for, but it's really just a slight modification of the Av chord.

There are a couple of places in the refrain, where you have to stretch to fret the 2nd string in the IX fret, while maintaining a barre at the V fret. On paper, it looks like quite a stretch, but that high on the neck, the frets are quite a bit closer together, so it's not as hard as it looks. Hitting the V fret on the 1st string while playing a D chord (in the first line) is actually harder.

My hand won't stretch that way, but fortunately, it doesn't matter if you let the fingers on the 1st and 2nd strings slide out of position a bit, since you aren't going to play them until later anyway. I just let my whole hand slide up the neck a fret and back down again. If you're quick about it, no one will ever know.

Nearer, My God, to Thee

2009-10-25T16:34:00.003-06:00

The Legend:

It is said that a string quartet played this hymn on the deck of the sinking Titanic. The musicians did not survive, and there are conflicting reports about exactly which hymn they did play, but there is pretty universal agreement that they did play a hymn, and it might very well have been this one, as it has long been a favorite, and would certainly have been appropriate.

The Music:

It's really a simple tune, with only three chords. I use the barred G chord, because it makes the notes come out in the right register. I also like to include a lot of "fill" notes. If you just want the melody, play only the notes directly above a written syllable of the lyrics. All the rest are fill. It's easy, and it's in the Public Domain.

Ghost Riders In the Sky / Ghost Chickens in the Sky

2009-10-18T21:54:00.004-06:00

This is my version of the Burl Ives cover of this song, which involves chords, not the flat-picked version more suitable for electric guitars. It works well for accompanying a singer, as rhythm, but not as a guitar solo, unlike practicaly all my other postings. I include it, only because I love it. I love the Christian message, the beat, and the tune. The chords are easy-- so easy in fact that you can hammer-on the entire chord, which is well, as that's what gives the song its beat. If you can't do the hammer-ons, you can still play the song without them, but it won't sound as good.

The chart may be a little unclear about the ending. The first chorus ends, "Ghost herd in the sky!" Second time, it's "Ghost riders in the sky!" Third time, it's "ghost herd in the sky," descending to a very low E note on "sky." Then repeat, "ghost riders in the sky," rising to and hitting the high E on "sky" (two octaves higher than the low E) and holding it. There's a transition measure between the end of the chorus and the beginning of the next verse, except for the last time.

After the chart and the lyrics, there's a Scout version, which cub scouts especially love. Play it straight, try not to laugh, or even crack a smile, and the young boys will just die laughing. Older kids will laugh, too, but they'll be laughing AT you. When performing for older kids, I play up to this by flapping my elbows on the chorus: Pok, pa-pok, POK; Pok, pa-pok, POK! If you can do it without laughing, you're better than I am! Don't try it unless you don't mind looking truly ridiculous!

Both versions are in the public domain.

I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go

2009-10-09T22:29:00.003-06:00

Easy to DO (Go where the Lord wants)
Easy to SAY (what the Lord wants)
HARD to BE (what the Lord wants!)

Fortunately, it's not hard to PLAY!

One of my family's long-time favorite hymns, and the very first one I ever learned to sing without the hymnal. Sounds really good with a mandolin, violin, flute, or clarinet as a duet, or as part of an instrumental group. As a duet, I'd have each instrument take the lead during one verse, then play together for the last verse. You can even do this as a trio. Who says it can only have three verses?

Only three chords: G, C, & D. If you just want to accompany a singer, just strum the regular chords; you don't need to play the barre versions. I include them because it makes it possible to hit all the melody notes, easily.

Placentero nos es trabajar

2009-09-30T10:49:00.004-06:00

This song is in the public domain, but you won't find it in the English hymnal, only in the Spanish one. It is one of the best-loved hymns of the Latin-American saints.

For those who do not read Spanish, I have included a time count, and have changed the time signature from the original 4/4 to 8/8, to simplify the tab. It will still sound the same. Play it fast, "with enthusiasm" ("con entusiasmo") Here is my attempt to translate the Spanish words into English. For those who do speak Spanish, I apologize if my translation is lacking in any way. I'm not much of a poet.

ENGLISH TRANSLATION:

It is pleasant for us to work
In the vinyard of the great God Jesus
And honorable for us to to preach
To His people, His law and His light.
By His light, by His light,
It is pleasant for us to work.
By His light, by His light,
We will die in Him without sadness.

Hear the Word of God
With eagerness, loyalty and fervor.
Forever and always remember
His purity, truth, and love.
With love, with love,
Hear the Word of God.
With love, with love,
Bear the flag of God.

Oh, brothers! Good-by, then Good-bye!
The moment to leave has come.
If we keep the faith in the great God,
We will yet see each other far Beyond.
Far Beyond, far Beyond,
O, brothers! Good-by, then Good-by!
Far Beyond, far Beyond,
We will live with God in love.

THE STORY:

Clate W. Mask, Jr., of the Second Quorum of the Seventy, loves to tell how his grandfather, Andrés C. González, came to write this song. With apologies to Elder Mask, the story goes like this:

Andrés C. González was a schoolmaster’s son, and was one of the first called to serve a mission in Mexico City during the revolutionary era. Preaching on a street corner, he and his companion thought they could attract more attention by singing the popular Protestant hymn, “In the Sweet By and By.” Instead, they attracted the attention of the police, who jailed them for “stealing” the Protestants’ song.

Unable to sleep in the jail, Elder González wrote “Mormon” lyrics to the song. Back on the street corner after being released, the Elders sang “Placentero,” with the new words. The police were ready to haul them back to jail, but Elder Gonzalez exclaimed, "You can't take us to jail. It's not the same song."

Later, in another place, the same missionaries were arrested by the federales, and stood before a firing squad. Convinced they were about to die, Elder González took a lesson from the great Book of Mormon missionary, Abinadi. Remembering how Abinadi gained his reprieve so he could preach to the King, Elder González told the federales, “You can’t kill us yet, we have a message for your Presidente which we have not yet delivered.”

The soldiers were sceptical, but eventually took Elder González to see the President of Mexico. On learning Elder González’ identity, the Presidente told him, “Your father was my favorite teacher.” He pardoned the two missionaries, and at Elder González’ request, proclaimed that the Mormons could preach the Gospel freely throughout Mexico without harassment. This was the beginning of the hugely successful LDS missionary movement in Mexico.

THE TABLATURE:

It's a simple song, really. The difficulty is in trying to play it fast. The hammer-ons and pull-offs help, but there are still pleny of transitions that will need practice to get smooth and fast. Keep the beat regular; it's better to play slow than irregularly, especially on this piece. You don't need lots of expression, except for the many ligados (hammer-ons and pull-offs).

In general, most of the notes are easiest to get if you leave your left hand in the C chord position, using the little finger to do the ligados. It's not as hard as it sounds, really! If you do this, there will be a few pull-offs you will need to do with the middle finger, in the second space. Since your finger is already bent, it can be hard to accomplish. I do a "reverse pull-off" by flicking the middle finger off the string in a straightening motion. Again, not hard, just counter-intuitive.

If it's too hard for you to reach the C chord
in the last measure of each verse, after performing the pull-off on the third string, you can reach the same notes on the second string, pulling off --1__0--. Musically, there's no difference, just do it whichever way is easiest for you.

After playing the three verses (if you wish to), add the finale as shown. I like to end with the high-sounding C VIII chord, but you can substitute a regular C, or even split the dirrerence with a C III (barred A at the third fret.)

Families Can Be Together Forever 2

2009-09-20T16:34:00.011-06:00

I like this version better, but it is harder to play. Maybe not as hard as it looks, though. You already know how to play D, E, Em, A, and Am, and they, with barred versions and/or very slight variations, account for seventeen of the eighteen chords in this piece. B9 is the ONLY uncommon chord, and it's dead EASY to play. Just lay your index finger across the first four strings in the second space, and the ring finger across the first three strings in the third space, and squeeze. You can be real sloppy about it, and it'll still work just fine.

The many barre chords lend the song a rich, full sound that works well with a slower, more deliberate delivery than is usual when singing as a hymn or a Primary song. As a guitar solo, it doesn't matter if the tempo is too slow for singing, of course, and it sounds nice. The G9, B9 and Am0 chords add harmonies and chord progressions more suited to adult listeners. Classical music uses the degree sign 0 to indicate a diminished chord. The abbreviation "dim" has already been taken-- it means diminuendo {"getting softer"). Similarly, the minus sign means to play a note flat, so we just have to live with the 0. It's standard musical notation.

I did take some liberties with the original score, especially right at the end. I hope you like it.

Families Can Be Together Forever

2009-09-12T16:28:00.007-06:00

Just for you, Sabina! I've tried to keep it as simple as possible, but that was not easy. The original song is written in F, which goes well with children's high-pitched voices, and is easy to play on the piano, but is horrible to play on the guitar. C would have been much easier, but was way too low. The best compromise I could come up with is the key of D. It's low enough that most of the chords do not require barring, and those that do, are not especially hard to play. Most of the song is melody notes, anyway, with few actual chords to strum. But you asked for the chords, Sabina. I'm not realy sure why you wanted them, as they are not terribly useful for guitarists, but I've attached them at the end of the tab anyway.

This song is not in the public domain, but the copyright is owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, which has given permission to copy it "for incidental, noncommercial, church or home use," as are all tabs published here. Please do not abuse the privilege.

The D chord called out in the 4th measure is to position your left hand for the proper notes of the measure. It is not to be strummed. In the second measure of the chorus, fret the notes on the second string with the little finger of the left hand, until you reach the barre at the 5th fret, then move the barring finger to the third fret, preparatory to playing the Em in the next measure. It makes the transition much easier.

In the second line of the chorus, the transition to the high E chord (EVII) must be quick. You might try replacing the hammer-on in the previous measure with a slide to get your hand moving in the right direction. Fortunately, although that E chord is not a commonly used barre chord, it's not hard to play, especially high on the neck, where the frets are closer together.

The downward run on the 2nd string is similar to the one on the first string in the second line, and sets up the transition to F#. The A7II chord in the next-to-last measure is also very easy to play, as you only have to barre four strings.

Before Thee Lord, I Bow My Head

2009-09-06T16:42:00.006-06:00

One of the easiest tabs I've ever done. Everything's easy enough for beginners, except the time signature, but I've written out the count below the words. This is actually easier to play on the guitar than it is to sing! Nevertheless, it's fun to play.

The only slightly unusual chord is the D/A, (pronounced, "D, with an A bass"), which just means you strum five strings, instead of only four, allowing the open A string to sound. It's fretted exactly the same as a normal D chord.

If you find the hammer-ons and pull-offs too hard, you can just leave them out. But I strongly urge you to try them. They're not really hard, and they give the faster part of the song a different sound.

There are no "extra" notes. In fact, I've simplified it a bit, to make it easier to play on the guitar. This hymn is in the public domain, though the author and composer died in the year I was born.

An Angel from on High

2009-08-30T14:52:00.003-06:00

I REALLY HATE splitting measures up between lines, like the green hymnal does but I had to to, to get it all on one page. I held it to a minimum-- just one measure split. This hymn is in public domain, so enjoy!

I've also tried to keep the "extra" notes to a minimum. The few I have put in, I have set in light face type. You can substitute "normal" chords for the barre chords in the refrain, but you will find that the melody doesn't work very well. Fortunately, the barre chords are easy to play.

Play the first part lyrically, strumming all the chords, then play the refrain more tutti, so it sounds about twice as fast, and quite stacatto, for contrast.

Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

2009-08-16T20:35:00.004-06:00

This is not in the LDS hymnal, but it used to be. I wish it still was. I have not been able to determine exactly why it was removed, but I have my own ideas. It's in the public domain, so it wasn't because of copyright problems, nor do the lyrics contradict LDS theoology, and it's been a popular hymn for ages.

There is a discrepancy in attributing the music to John Wyeth. Other sources attribute the tune to Asahel Nettleton, but it was published in a collection of hymns by Wyeth. If the tune reminds you of "Precious Savior, Dear Redeemer," you're not alone; they're close enough that you could easily confuse them.

I've tried my best to keep the song as simple as possible, even retaining the 3/4 time signature of the original. Tablature does not provide any way to know the relative lengths of the notes. In most hymns, you'd be safe just playing every note as an eighth note, but that won't help you here. So I've added a line of counting numbers below the lyrics, to show where the notes actually fall.

This song is very easy to play, if you leave out the bridge and just play the verses. I've included optional chords for those who just want to strum along while singing. If you want to make a guitar solo of it, play the bridge, too. You'll need to play a few of those pesky barre chords, if you want to do that. Optional chords are shown in light face type, while everything else is in bold face.

I only included my favorite two verses. There are several others, and they vary with the book you consult. I especially dislike the verse that goes,

Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Hither by Thy help I’ve come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it;
Seal it for Thy courts above.

I have nothing against the sentiment, but the rhymes seem forced, and I have never met any normal person who could tell me what an Ebenezer* is, or why, exactly, a body would want to raise one. I prefer to leave out the verse entirely, substituting the more modern

Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it;
Seal it for Thy courts above.

Purists will hate me for throwing out the Ebenezer, of course. So I usually just sing the first and last verses, and raise the guitar solo instead of the Ebenezer, which I cannot say without laughing, anyway. No one laughs when I play the guitar.

* Ebenezer comes from two Hebrew words meaning "a stone of help", and raising one can refer to testifying of anything that reminds us of God's miraculous assistance to His saints.

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty

2009-08-09T21:44:00.007-06:00

Public domain. This is a beautiful piece for classical guitar, but you don't have to be a classical guitarist to play it. There are a few advanced techniques, such as ligados (hammer-ons, pull-offs,), slides, and multiple ligados. When playing one of these double or triple ligados, you may have to hammer the last hammer-on very hard to make it sound as loud as the first one.

This piece does contain one relatively hard barre chord: Fv. It's a normal C chord, barred at the fifth fret. You'll need to practice it a bit if you're not used to playing this chord, as it uses all the fingers of the left hand, and stretches your hand, to boot. A good loosening-up exercise is to press all four fingers of the right hand between each pair of left-hand fingers, to stretch them. Hold the exercise just short of the point of pain, then go to the next pair of fingers.

There are a couple of other, easy chords you may not be familiar with. CIII / G is a normal C III chord. Read the name as, "C, with a G bass." Play it by barring an A chord in the third space, but fret the bass string in the third space and let it sound. G7add5, is really just a normal G7, with the fifth note of the scale (D) added on the second string, third fret, using the little finger. You should find it rather easy to do.

I included the grace notes shown in light face type, because they are in the hymnal, but I don't think they add much to the song, and they make it significantly harder to play. I don't play them when performing, and I have deliberately chosen chord inversions that are easiest to play without the grace notes. Consider them optional.

That's a lot of notations for a song that's really not that hard to play. Enjoy!

Carry On

2009-08-06T19:16:00.006-06:00

Well, the reason I've been carrying on about barre chords is to prepare you for this song. Now that the Mission website is back up, we can carry on as usual. There are lots and lots of barre chords in Carry On-- all easy ones. Just the regular, old, barred E, Em, E7, A, Am, and A7. The only hard chord in the song is Cadd5, which is NOT a barre chord! (It's actually not that hard, either.)

You COULD play this song using only the non-barre versions of these chords. This would be OK if you were just strumming accompaniment for a singer, but for a guitar solo, it sounds terrible, as the melody would often be going down, when it's supposed to go up.

This piece does require a reasonably high-quality instrument, where the high notes are not grossly out of tune with the low notes on the same string. On nearly all guitars, as you play higher and higher up the neck, the the notes sound progressively more out of tune. This happens because you have to exert more pressure on the strings to fret them, stretching them and making them play sharper than intended.

If your high notes and chords seem excessively sharp, try using less pressure on the strings. If this doesn't help, change to high-tension strings. The extra pressure needed to fret the high notes is a smaller fraction of the total string tension, with high-tension strings. Besides, there's hardly a guitar in the world that can't be improved by putting new strings on it. If that's not good enough, have a professional luthier (guitar technician) look at your guitar. There are modifications that are relatively easy and cheap for a luthier to make, that can help a lot. Most good guitar stores have a luthier on staff. If he can't fix it, it's probably time to upgrade your guitar. This song is a good one to use when trying out new guitars.

Carry on!

For Beginners -- Why barre chords?

2009-07-23T19:33:00.011-06:00

While my archive site is down, I thought I'd share my thoughts on barre chords. Some call them, "bar chords." Either is correct, but I like to spell it, "barre" so as not to confuse it with the other musical "bar," which means a measure of written music.

Learning barre chords will increase your choice of keys available, increase the range of notes available in any given chord, make it easier to learn new chords, and allow faster and easier chord changes. Barre chords can even be easier to play than their "regular" equivalents. Really. Let's take these advantages one at a time.

CHOICE OF KEYS:

Each key is based on the first note of the scale in that key. The key of A major is based on the scale that begins with the note A. Within each key, there's a group of "basic" chords that are the most commonly played. In the key of G, these are G, C, D7, and Em, all easy to play. The trouble is, there are some chords that just can't be played without using a barre, such as F#m. If you transpose the basic chords for G into the key of A, you have to play A, D, E7, and F#m, so you wouldn't be able to play most music written in that key. Eliminating all the keys that require the use of barre chords (just for the "basic four") eliminates about 75% of all keys. Or, in a more positive light, learn to play barre chords, and you can quadruple your repertoire.

RANGE:

If you play an F chord the "normal" way, you can only play the first four strings, but if you play it as an E chord, barred at the first fret, you can play the low F on the bass E string, thus adding an entire octave to the notes available while playing F. But that's not all. You can also play F by playing a C chord-shape, barred at the fifth fret. This allows you to reach notes five frets higher than you could do while playing a "normal" F. Learning barre chords allows you to increase your range in both the bass and the treble.

LEARNING NEW CHORDS:

If you barre an E chord-shape in the first space, it becomes an F. Barre it in the third space, and it's a G, etc. For every new barre chord you learn, you are actually learning twelve or more different chords, depending on where you put the barre on the guitar neck. Barre chords are just the same, simple chords you already know, such as E, Em, A, Am, C, etc., played with a barre. You probably already know how to play Am, Dm, and E7, the most important chords in the key of Am. By barring them, you can play the same three chords at a different fret, and you've learned a whole new key! But it gets even better, 'cause you can play that key at any of the twelve frets, so by learning one group of three chords, you've added twelve entire keys to your repertoire.

LIGHTNING CHORD CHANGES:

With barre chords, the ONLY difference between an F, a G, an A, a Bb, etc. is which fret is barred. This means you can change chords just by sliding the left hand up and down the neck, which is much faster and easier than actually changing finger positions. Or you can switch back and forth between the barred E-shape and the barred Am-shape, while sliding your hand up or down the neck of the guitar one fret at a time. This is exactly what Bob Dylan did in "Lay Lady, Lay", beginning at the fifth fret with a barred E-shape, then the fourth fret with a barred Am-shape, then a barred E-shape again in the third fret, then a barred Am again in the second fret, creating a chord progression of unsurpassed beauty (A-C#m-G-Bm) without working up a sweat.

EASIER TO PLAY?

That's right! Once you learn to barre all six strings with the index finger, that part of all barre chords is the same. Always. But as you play further and further up the neck, the frets get closer together. Some chords that require you to stretch when played normally, are lots easier to play when playing in higher positions. Want proof? Play a normal C chord, then put a capo at the fourth or fifth fret and play the same chord. Which is easier?

SO, WHAT'S THE TRICK?

PRACTICE! You didn't learn the chords you already know all at once. You had to practice. But little by little, you got better, until it became easy. Persevere. If Django Reinhardt, who invented modern jazz guitar technique, could still play after losing three of the fingers on his left hand, you can learn to play barre chords.

Web site is down!

2009-07-21T22:58:00.002-06:00

It's not your computer, or your internet connection. My son Soren Stoutner, who hosts the Mission website where I archive the songs, has moved to Arizona. He'll be re-loading the hosting hardware as soon as he gets moved. I'll let you know when it's up again. Meanwhile, please feel free to comment on any of the songs you've previously downloaded, or by adding comments to this posting.

Softly and Tenderly, Jesus is Calling

2009-07-15T08:10:00.005-06:00

By Will Thompson, but in public domain. One of the best-beloved hymns of the English-speaking world.

The Legend:

When world-renowned evangelist Michael Moody lay on his death-bed, he called his friend Will Thompson to his side, and whispered, "Will, I would rather have written "Softly and Tenderly" than anything I have done." The song holds a prominent place in nearly every Protestant hymnal in the world, and has been translated into many languages. Nearly every Gospel recording artist has covered it, but perhaps the best-known version (and my personal favorite) was done by Elvis Presley.

The Tablature:

Play this song SLOWLY! The melodies and harmonies are sweet, but if the bar chords are too much for you, play just the first 4 strings, and it'll still sound good. You can also leave out the ligados (hammer-ons and pull-offs) and the tremolo at the end, if you don't know how to do them. For those who just want the absolute basics, you can also leave out the last three notes in the first line, holding the G chord for two measures, to compensate.

This song sounds good on any kind of guitar, from classical to electric. You can play the tab as a solo by itself, or as an introduction or a bridge if accompanying a singer. For accompaniment, I have found it very effective to just strum the chords at the beginning of each measure, holding each chord for a full count of 3, while letting the voice carry the melody. I also like to use the guitar solo for a fourth verse, or sometimes let the guitar solo carry one or more of the choruses. This song has lots of possibilities!

For Rank Beginners

2009-07-12T23:09:00.003-06:00

The best posting on learning to play the guitar that I have ever seen is Steve Krenz's on Perseverance. I teach my own students to practice for just a few minutes, five times a day. Most of guitar learning is done not with the mind, but with the muscles. Real guitarists don't just practice a lick or a piece until they get it right, they practice until they can't get it wrong. For this kind of muscle learning, minimizing forgetting time is much more effective than increasing learning time. I'd much rather see my students practice for five minutes, five times a day, than for an hour, once a day. Every one of my students who has ever done this has progressed from rank beginner to advanced guitarist in one year or less, without exception.

Ah! The wonders of technology!

2009-07-12T22:26:00.002-06:00

For those who may have experienced problems reading "All Creatures of Our God and King" EASY version, the fault is mine. I forgot to save it in PDF format before posting it. You may be able to read it in Open Office-- or maybe not. Blogger seems not to get along with Open Office all the time. I don't know why the glitch, or why it works sometimes, but not others. I've gone ahead and exported the easy version to .pdf format, saved it to the Mission website, then posted the link here, a process I find much more daunting than writing the tabs in the first place. Thank you, Peggy, for pointing out the problem. If you find any others like that or other technology problems, please comment on the most recent post, which I will always check for comments.

Sorry, also, for not visiting here for a while. I was attending a family reunion in Yellowstone, with no computer or net access. (But with most of my 18 living grandchildren and their parents. Lovely!)

In the next week or two, the Mission website will be down, while my son, who is hosting the site, moves to Arizona. If you can't download a song, wait a few days and try again. Meanwhile, I'll be picking out some more music to post.