Now Let Us Rejoice

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.