What more can be done with a hymn that the Mormon Tabernacle Choir has used as their “Music and the Spoken Word” opening theme song for the last 75 years?
Plenty, it turns out.
Every now and then, a hymn just demands to be arranged for the guitar, and when thus played, sounds like it was always meant to be a guitar song. This is one such hymn.
Moreover, it contains no barre chords, no difficult chords, no especially hard techniques, and no fast or difficult chord changes, yet it sounds fantastic. What more could a guitarist ask for?
It’s in the Public Domain, too.
Nevertheless, this is not a song for beginners. There is LOTS of expression, often in long strings of ligados, and in a few places, slides on two strings simultaneously. It shouldn’t be too hard for any experienced guitarist to learn, but will require some practice.
Instructions:
This piece is based on a pattern pick, using two patterns, with modifications.
Measure [1] introduces Pattern A: treble - bass, treble - bass, treble - bass.
Measure [2] introduces Pattern B: treble - arpeggio - bass.
To avoid confusion, the right hand fingers are numbered, not named: the thumb is #1, the index = #2, the middle finger #3, and the ring finger = #4. The right pinkie is not numbered, because it is not used. (The left pinkie IS used. A lot.) Similarly, although the strings are normally distinguished by the numbers 1 - 6, to avoid confusion with the numbered fingers of the right hand, I shall call the strings by the notes they make when played open: e, B, G, D, A, and E respectively.
For these patterns, lead with the #4 finger on the initial treble note. #1 plays the bass notes of pattern A, and the first two or three notes of the arpeggio in pattern B. #2 plays the next note of the arpeggio, and #3 and 4 play the other notes as appropriate. The second chord in measure [2] is a C/G (pronounced “C over G”), and is fretted exactly like a C chord, except that the pinkie frets the bass E string in the third space.
Measure [6] breaks the pattern slightly with a glissando (a slide) on the B string, using the left pinkie. Measure [7] appears to be Pattern A again, but there’s an easier way to play it. Since the left pinkie is already in the fifth space from the last note of the previous measure, the left Index finger is perfectly positioned to fret the e string in the third space, a technique referred to as “Third Position” and usually marked in guitar music with a small Roman numeral III above the staff. Third Position means that the hand is moved up the neck of the guitar, so the Index finger, which usually frets notes in the first space, now frets notes in the third space. In this system, the normal hand position is called, “First Position,” but is only marked with a Roman Numeral I above the staff when needed.
Measure [8] returns to First Position and Pattern B, continuing in Measures [9] and [10]. To fret the last note in [9], flatten the middle finger briefly across the G string. Measure [10] introduces a pull-off, a very slight variation on Pattern B, but significant, as eight of the next nine measures contain either pull-offs, hammer-ons, or slides. You’ll have to fret the B string with the Index and Ring fingers simultaneously in the first and third spaces, then pull-off the Ring finger.
Measure [11] departs from the pattern altogether. There are two hammer-ons in this measure, shown two different ways. I use the same underscore for the hammer-on and for the pull-off. I realize that it may seem comfusing at first, but it’s really not possible to mix them up, as pull-offs always go down in tone, while hammer-ons always go up.
Measure [12] is actually a return to Pattern B, but doesn’t look it, due to all of the pull-offs. Fret the e string with the Index and Ring fingers simultaneously in the first and third spaces, to do the pull-off. Continue to hammer-on and pull off with the Index finger in the next measure, beginning with the C chord.
The next three measures, [13] through [16], completely depart from Patterns A and B, in order to follow the melody closely. In [13] there’s a --pull-off -- hammer-on -- pull-off -- riff, repeated with a --hammer-on -- pull-off -- riff in [14]. You may find it easiest to play this second riff with the pinkie.
The next measure [15], begins a series of double-glissandos, or slides done on two strings simultaneously. Play the double slide on the D and B strings with the Middle and Ring fingers respectively, to set up for the change to F which follows. You don’t actually need to do the two-string barre for the F chord at this time, as the e string is not played until the end of the next measure.
That F chord is vital, as it sets up the whole measure which follows. The word Mordent refers tp tje sound made by using a “Wa-Wa” pedal. If you are amplified and have a wa-wa pedal, use it here. If not, you’ll have to play it as two double-glissandos, as shown in the tab. Play the Mordent using the Middle and Ring fingers to fret the G and D strings respectively. Briefly lift the fingers off the fretbpoard without changing their positions, just long enough for the pinch on the open B and G strings, then replace the Index and Middle fingers on the B and G strings for the slide. Play the C chord which follows in the next measure as part of the same phrase that began in Measure [15].
Measure [16] will “make” the song in the minds of your audience if done right. Practice with a metronome until you can play it exactly on the beat, with no pause before or after the measure. Blows people away.
The next three measures, [17], [18] and [19], are a return to Pattern B, except that the previous 4th finger lead notes are now pinched chords. Play the slide in [18] on the e and B strings with the index and ring fingers respectively, starting in Third Position and sliding to First Position. This sets up your hand for the C chord which follows.
The final three measures are just chords. Measure [20] contains the only “barred” chord in the piece-- the first three strings of a normal F chord. Even if you can’t do full barre chords, there’s no reason you should have any difficulty with this simple, three-string chord.
Play the final two measures very slowly and deliberately.The second chord in [21] is actually a GaddD, but there’s no reason to fret the whole chord, when you’re only going to play three strings, and two of them are open! Just lift the fingers off the strings, maintaining the C-shape, and fret the third space on the B string with the pinkie. Quickly pinch the three strings with the #2, #3, and #4 fingers, then change right back to the C chord, using the pinkie to fret the bass E string in the third space, which changes the C into a C/G. (Pronounced, “C over G”.)
Contrary to my usual practice of including the lyrics of the first verse, I have included those of the fourth, because of the importance of its message: Repent and live! I hope you enjoy playing this song as much as I’ve enjoyed arranging it.
History:
“Gently Raise the Sacred Strain” was included in the first LDS hymnal, compiled by Emma Smith shortly after her baptism, and published in 1835. The lyrics were written by William W. Phelps, who was boarding with the Smiths at the time. No one seems to know the original tune, but we do know it was not the current one, which was composed for the Tabernacle Choir by Thomas C. Griggs, who was not even born until 1845!
Showing posts with label hammer-ons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hammer-ons. Show all posts
Praise to the Lord new version
I finally got it right, after two previous versions and months of pondering. This version is not as easy as the easy version, nor as hard as the hard one, but it’s better than either, especially the finale, which is completely new.
You won’t need many instructions for this one.
Play the first four measures from a C chord hand position. This positions your hand perfectly for the following GaddD chord, but you may substitute a full-barre GIII if it’s easier for you. I often do.
The next line is nearly identical to the first, except for the C chord in the second measure and the GIII chord in the last measure of the line. Again, if it’s easier for you, you can substitute GaddD. I like to use one of these chords in the first line, and the other in the second line, for a slight difference in the harmonies.
The CaddG chord in the next measure is necessary to carry the melody. Do not substitute a normal C chord! If the CaddG chord is too hard for you, just play the G note of the chord. Do the tremolo in the next measure with the little finger. Make the tremolo strong.
In the next-to-last measure of the third line, over the word “organ”, there’s a Roman numeral III. This indicates a change of the left hand to “Third Position” (also called “third fret”). Use your index finger to fret the G note in the third space, then slide it back to the first space and do the pull-off, leaving your hand once again positioned for the following GaddD chord. This makes an otherwise difficult transition into an easy one. Similarly, in the last line, the Roman numeral II means you play the G note on the bass string with your middle finger, and the hammer-on in the same measure with your index finger.
Play the last four measures normally. Play as many verses as you like. Then, last time around, substitute the last line for these four measures. The last line is intended to be played through as a single, long phrase, up until the final three chords. Note that the fifth and sixth measures of the line are exactly the same as the first and second measures.
This long riff ends with a double hammer-on. If you use the ring finger to hammer-on the D note on the 2nd string, it puts you in a perfect position to play the following GaddD chord. You won't need to move your fingers for the final note of the riff, as it's an open E. The riff does not need to be especially fast to be effective. It does need to be played at a steady, unvarying rhythm. Then, slow down a bit for the last three chords. Play them as cleanly as possible, without buzzing or slurring. Your audience will love it.
You won’t need many instructions for this one.
Play the first four measures from a C chord hand position. This positions your hand perfectly for the following GaddD chord, but you may substitute a full-barre GIII if it’s easier for you. I often do.
The next line is nearly identical to the first, except for the C chord in the second measure and the GIII chord in the last measure of the line. Again, if it’s easier for you, you can substitute GaddD. I like to use one of these chords in the first line, and the other in the second line, for a slight difference in the harmonies.
The CaddG chord in the next measure is necessary to carry the melody. Do not substitute a normal C chord! If the CaddG chord is too hard for you, just play the G note of the chord. Do the tremolo in the next measure with the little finger. Make the tremolo strong.
In the next-to-last measure of the third line, over the word “organ”, there’s a Roman numeral III. This indicates a change of the left hand to “Third Position” (also called “third fret”). Use your index finger to fret the G note in the third space, then slide it back to the first space and do the pull-off, leaving your hand once again positioned for the following GaddD chord. This makes an otherwise difficult transition into an easy one. Similarly, in the last line, the Roman numeral II means you play the G note on the bass string with your middle finger, and the hammer-on in the same measure with your index finger.
Play the last four measures normally. Play as many verses as you like. Then, last time around, substitute the last line for these four measures. The last line is intended to be played through as a single, long phrase, up until the final three chords. Note that the fifth and sixth measures of the line are exactly the same as the first and second measures.
This long riff ends with a double hammer-on. If you use the ring finger to hammer-on the D note on the 2nd string, it puts you in a perfect position to play the following GaddD chord. You won't need to move your fingers for the final note of the riff, as it's an open E. The riff does not need to be especially fast to be effective. It does need to be played at a steady, unvarying rhythm. Then, slow down a bit for the last three chords. Play them as cleanly as possible, without buzzing or slurring. Your audience will love it.
Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee
Actually, the name of this hymn is “Hymn of Joy”, but everybody I know calls it, “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee”. There’s a long tradition of referring to hymns by their first line, instead of by the name of the hymn. In fact, many popular hymns don’t actually have names, but this one does.
The author, Henry van Dyke, originally wrote it as a poem, which he intended to be sung to the tune “Ode to Joy,” part of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, his last and greatest creation. Beethoven, in turn, composed the tune as a musical setting to a poem by the German poet, Friedrich Schiller, which Schiller called (surprise, surprise!), “Ode to Joy.” The symphony includes a choir singing the the poem, but with some of the words changed or omitted.
Some people think it was shabby of Beethoven to steal the title and alter the words of the great poet, but Schiller got his revenge, two centuries late, when the European Union adopted the tune, with different words, as their Union anthem, without giving credit to either the poet OR the composer! Now, every schoolchild in Europe will grow up thinking of Beethoven’s masterpiece as, “that stupid song we had to sing in school!”
At the end of this post, you will find Henry van Dyke’s original lyrics. They have been altered by various churches to fit their own theology in detail, but are all pretty much the same. I am not including Schiller’s original poem, because it is quite lengthy, and I can’t read German, anyway.
Performance notes:
Not much to tell, the tab is really very simple. Only three chords, and they are dead easy: G, D7, and a slightly unusual version of D7 called D7/A. Don’t let the complex name scare you, it’s fretted EXACTLY like a regular D7, only you play the open A string too. Strum the chords where marked with a wiggly, vertical line, and pinch the others where not marked.
Playing the melody is truly easy, if you remember a couple of things:
LEFT HAND: fret the notes in the first space (between the nut and the first fret) with the index finger, the second space with the middle finger, etc., regardless of which string they are on. This does not apply to chords, just to the melody line. Strum all chords with the thumb, where marked.
RIGHT HAND: pluck the first string with the ring finger, the second string with the middle finger, the third string with the index finger, and the bass string (whichever it is) with the thumb. When two or more notes in succession fall on the same string, alternate fingers. Don’t try to pluck the same string twice in a row with the same finger-- it’ll ruin your timing!
Pinch chords involving one of the 3 bass strings and one or more of the three treble strings by plucking the bass string with your thumb and simultaneously plucking the treble string(s) with the appropriate finger(s). Pinch chords involving only treble strings using the appropriate fingers of the right hand simultaneously.
Hammer-ons are shown with an underscore between the notes. Play them by playing the open second string normally, then immediately hammering the index finger of the left hand down into the first space on the same string. This allows you to play two notes in succession very rapidly, and also gives you time to play the next note with the same right-hand finger if you wish, without ruining your timing. The two notes will sound smoothly connected to each other, so this technique is also called a ligado, Spanish for “tied”. Hammer-ons also sound way cool.
That’s it!
Henry van Dyke’s original lyrics:
Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee,
God of glory, Lord of love;
hearts unfold like flow'rs before Thee,
hail Thee as the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;
drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness,
fill us with the light of day.
All Thy works with joy surround Thee,
earth and heav'n reflect Thy rays,
stars and angels sing around Thee,
center of unbroken praise:
Field and forest, vale and mountain,
blossoming meadow, flashing sea,
chanting bird and flowing fountain,
call us to rejoice in Thee.
Thou art giving and forgiving,
ever blessing, ever blest,
wellspring of the joy of living,
ocean-depth of happy rest!
Thou the Father, Christ our Brother,—
all who live in love are Thine:
Teach us how to love each other,
lift us to the Joy Divine.
Mortals join the mighty chorus,
which the morning stars began;
Father-love is reigning o'er us,
brother-love binds man to man.
Ever singing, march we onward,
victors in the midst of strife;
joyful music lifts us sunward
in the triumph song of life.
The author, Henry van Dyke, originally wrote it as a poem, which he intended to be sung to the tune “Ode to Joy,” part of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, his last and greatest creation. Beethoven, in turn, composed the tune as a musical setting to a poem by the German poet, Friedrich Schiller, which Schiller called (surprise, surprise!), “Ode to Joy.” The symphony includes a choir singing the the poem, but with some of the words changed or omitted.
Some people think it was shabby of Beethoven to steal the title and alter the words of the great poet, but Schiller got his revenge, two centuries late, when the European Union adopted the tune, with different words, as their Union anthem, without giving credit to either the poet OR the composer! Now, every schoolchild in Europe will grow up thinking of Beethoven’s masterpiece as, “that stupid song we had to sing in school!”
At the end of this post, you will find Henry van Dyke’s original lyrics. They have been altered by various churches to fit their own theology in detail, but are all pretty much the same. I am not including Schiller’s original poem, because it is quite lengthy, and I can’t read German, anyway.
Performance notes:
Not much to tell, the tab is really very simple. Only three chords, and they are dead easy: G, D7, and a slightly unusual version of D7 called D7/A. Don’t let the complex name scare you, it’s fretted EXACTLY like a regular D7, only you play the open A string too. Strum the chords where marked with a wiggly, vertical line, and pinch the others where not marked.
Playing the melody is truly easy, if you remember a couple of things:
LEFT HAND: fret the notes in the first space (between the nut and the first fret) with the index finger, the second space with the middle finger, etc., regardless of which string they are on. This does not apply to chords, just to the melody line. Strum all chords with the thumb, where marked.
RIGHT HAND: pluck the first string with the ring finger, the second string with the middle finger, the third string with the index finger, and the bass string (whichever it is) with the thumb. When two or more notes in succession fall on the same string, alternate fingers. Don’t try to pluck the same string twice in a row with the same finger-- it’ll ruin your timing!
Pinch chords involving one of the 3 bass strings and one or more of the three treble strings by plucking the bass string with your thumb and simultaneously plucking the treble string(s) with the appropriate finger(s). Pinch chords involving only treble strings using the appropriate fingers of the right hand simultaneously.
Hammer-ons are shown with an underscore between the notes. Play them by playing the open second string normally, then immediately hammering the index finger of the left hand down into the first space on the same string. This allows you to play two notes in succession very rapidly, and also gives you time to play the next note with the same right-hand finger if you wish, without ruining your timing. The two notes will sound smoothly connected to each other, so this technique is also called a ligado, Spanish for “tied”. Hammer-ons also sound way cool.
That’s it!
Henry van Dyke’s original lyrics:
Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee,
God of glory, Lord of love;
hearts unfold like flow'rs before Thee,
hail Thee as the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness;
drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness,
fill us with the light of day.
All Thy works with joy surround Thee,
earth and heav'n reflect Thy rays,
stars and angels sing around Thee,
center of unbroken praise:
Field and forest, vale and mountain,
blossoming meadow, flashing sea,
chanting bird and flowing fountain,
call us to rejoice in Thee.
Thou art giving and forgiving,
ever blessing, ever blest,
wellspring of the joy of living,
ocean-depth of happy rest!
Thou the Father, Christ our Brother,—
all who live in love are Thine:
Teach us how to love each other,
lift us to the Joy Divine.
Mortals join the mighty chorus,
which the morning stars began;
Father-love is reigning o'er us,
brother-love binds man to man.
Ever singing, march we onward,
victors in the midst of strife;
joyful music lifts us sunward
in the triumph song of life.
Rejoice, the Lord is King!
Another one by Charles Wesley. If the name sounds familiar to you, it should. He also wrote five other hymns in the hymnal of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, as well as six thousand others not found in the LDS hymn book. The five are:
Jesus, Lover of My Soul,
Ye Simple Souls Who Stray,
Christ the Lord is Risen Today,
Hark, the Herald Angels Sing,
Come Let Us Anew.
The guy’s a heavyweight poet and lyricist for sure. Not only that, he was also an Anglican minister, a contemporary of George Washington, and his big brother John was the founder of the Methodist church. Not surprisingly, Charles grew up to be a minister, like his father and his brothers. So did his son, and grandson. How would you like to grow up in a family like that?
Rejoice, the Lord is King! was written as a poem, to celebrate the kingship of Jesus, as mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments, the only books of scripture available to Wesley at that time. We don’t know exactly when it was written, but it was first published in Wesley’s book, Moral and Sacred Poems, in 1744, and had been set to music as a hymn by 1770. It has since become a favorite of Christians around the world.
As the hymn gained in popularity, it attracted other composers including George Handel and William E. Fischer. Different churches have standardized on three separate tunes. The one most Mormons are familiar with is called, “Jubilate,” and was written in 1894 by Horatio W. Parker, an American organist, choirmaster, and composer who began composing at age 15. He composed “Jubilate” when he was 21, and already successful on both sides of the Atlantic.
Play this song rapidly. The metronome setting shows 160 eighth-notes per minute, but you may wish to count it in quarter-notes, as written in Hymns. I recast it in 8/8 time, to simplify the counting of sixteenth-notes. It was written in the key of C, which makes it easy to play. Only one chord is played in an unusual way.
Play the Dm as it is shown in the chord chart, to ease the transition to the following notes. Instead of showing the position of the left-hand fingers in the chord chart with zeros, as usual, I have used the numbers 1 - 4, to show which finger goes where, with 1 = index finger, 2 = middle finger, 3 = ring finger, and 4 = little finger. As a rule, I just use zeros, as it doesn’t really matter which finger goes in which spot as long as you are comfortable, and using finger numbers gets confusing. But this time it’s important, so I have broken my rule. Fret the Dm in the refrain the same way, but play it as a broken chord. Do not strum or pinch it. That is why it is shown in lightface, italic type.
In the next-to-last measure, hold the single D note with lots of tremolo. Since this note is found at the third fret, you can get a much better tremolo effect by vibrating the string across the neck, rather than along it, as you normally would. Notes fretted in the first three frets require this technique to achieve a strong tremolo.
This song is in the public domain.
Jesus, Lover of My Soul,
Ye Simple Souls Who Stray,
Christ the Lord is Risen Today,
Hark, the Herald Angels Sing,
Come Let Us Anew.
The guy’s a heavyweight poet and lyricist for sure. Not only that, he was also an Anglican minister, a contemporary of George Washington, and his big brother John was the founder of the Methodist church. Not surprisingly, Charles grew up to be a minister, like his father and his brothers. So did his son, and grandson. How would you like to grow up in a family like that?
Rejoice, the Lord is King! was written as a poem, to celebrate the kingship of Jesus, as mentioned in both the Old and New Testaments, the only books of scripture available to Wesley at that time. We don’t know exactly when it was written, but it was first published in Wesley’s book, Moral and Sacred Poems, in 1744, and had been set to music as a hymn by 1770. It has since become a favorite of Christians around the world.
As the hymn gained in popularity, it attracted other composers including George Handel and William E. Fischer. Different churches have standardized on three separate tunes. The one most Mormons are familiar with is called, “Jubilate,” and was written in 1894 by Horatio W. Parker, an American organist, choirmaster, and composer who began composing at age 15. He composed “Jubilate” when he was 21, and already successful on both sides of the Atlantic.
Play this song rapidly. The metronome setting shows 160 eighth-notes per minute, but you may wish to count it in quarter-notes, as written in Hymns. I recast it in 8/8 time, to simplify the counting of sixteenth-notes. It was written in the key of C, which makes it easy to play. Only one chord is played in an unusual way.
Play the Dm as it is shown in the chord chart, to ease the transition to the following notes. Instead of showing the position of the left-hand fingers in the chord chart with zeros, as usual, I have used the numbers 1 - 4, to show which finger goes where, with 1 = index finger, 2 = middle finger, 3 = ring finger, and 4 = little finger. As a rule, I just use zeros, as it doesn’t really matter which finger goes in which spot as long as you are comfortable, and using finger numbers gets confusing. But this time it’s important, so I have broken my rule. Fret the Dm in the refrain the same way, but play it as a broken chord. Do not strum or pinch it. That is why it is shown in lightface, italic type.
In the next-to-last measure, hold the single D note with lots of tremolo. Since this note is found at the third fret, you can get a much better tremolo effect by vibrating the string across the neck, rather than along it, as you normally would. Notes fretted in the first three frets require this technique to achieve a strong tremolo.
This song is in the public domain.
Rock of Ages
Short, easy, beautiful piece. Only twelve full measures, only three chords, all easy. No barre chords. No hard or fast changes. Lots of fun expression-- it can make people weep. And it’s in the public domain. What’s not to love?
Tempo is approximate; don’t even try to use a metronome. You’ll find yourself wanting to adjust the tempo throughout the song, as you speed up and slow down for emphasis. The count is approximate, too, as I found it confusing to try to put in sixteenth notes.
I recommend you try to stick with the chord strums and pinches as tabbed, as well as the slides, hammer-ons and pull-offs, at least until you get a feel for the arrangement. Yeah, it’s easier without all that expression, but it’s not nearly as beautiful. Done correctly, after three verses, you should see members of the congregation dabbing their eyes.
There are two ways to make a tremolo, and this piece requires both, depending on fretboard position. For notes at the fifth fret and above, make the tremolo by vibrating the fretting finger along the string. For notes below the fifth fret, vibrate across the string, or the tremolo will be weak, or even inaudible.
A few of the slides and changes require you to use specific fingers:
In the last two measures of the second line, use the middle finger for the slide, leaving the index finger free to fret the G on the 6th string in the last measure. The ring finger then plays the B in the IV space of the third string, pulling off to G. It’s not difficult at all, just unusual.
For similar reasons, in the second measure of the last line, I like to use the middle finger for the double slide on the 4th string. In the next measure, the second note is actually part of the strummed chord, but is a quarter note, for emphasis, while the rest of the chord receives a standard strum.
Try to hold the tremolo in the penultimate (next to last) measure as long as you can. You can slide down to the D on the 2nd string if you wish, or play it separately as shown. The rest of the song need not be played very deliberately for the first two verses, but the last time, play at half speed as shown, with great deliberation, emphasizing each chord separately.
The final chord may be played as a standard C if desired, but I think adding the G bass note with the little finger gives a fuller sound. Tip: Play the standard C for the first two verses, reserving the C/G for the final resolve of the song. This chord is properly called, "C with a G bass," but guitarists often call it "C-slash-G," or "C-over-G." Whatever you call it, it's a strong way to end a beautiful song.
Tempo is approximate; don’t even try to use a metronome. You’ll find yourself wanting to adjust the tempo throughout the song, as you speed up and slow down for emphasis. The count is approximate, too, as I found it confusing to try to put in sixteenth notes.
I recommend you try to stick with the chord strums and pinches as tabbed, as well as the slides, hammer-ons and pull-offs, at least until you get a feel for the arrangement. Yeah, it’s easier without all that expression, but it’s not nearly as beautiful. Done correctly, after three verses, you should see members of the congregation dabbing their eyes.
There are two ways to make a tremolo, and this piece requires both, depending on fretboard position. For notes at the fifth fret and above, make the tremolo by vibrating the fretting finger along the string. For notes below the fifth fret, vibrate across the string, or the tremolo will be weak, or even inaudible.
A few of the slides and changes require you to use specific fingers:
In the last two measures of the second line, use the middle finger for the slide, leaving the index finger free to fret the G on the 6th string in the last measure. The ring finger then plays the B in the IV space of the third string, pulling off to G. It’s not difficult at all, just unusual.
For similar reasons, in the second measure of the last line, I like to use the middle finger for the double slide on the 4th string. In the next measure, the second note is actually part of the strummed chord, but is a quarter note, for emphasis, while the rest of the chord receives a standard strum.
Try to hold the tremolo in the penultimate (next to last) measure as long as you can. You can slide down to the D on the 2nd string if you wish, or play it separately as shown. The rest of the song need not be played very deliberately for the first two verses, but the last time, play at half speed as shown, with great deliberation, emphasizing each chord separately.
The final chord may be played as a standard C if desired, but I think adding the G bass note with the little finger gives a fuller sound. Tip: Play the standard C for the first two verses, reserving the C/G for the final resolve of the song. This chord is properly called, "C with a G bass," but guitarists often call it "C-slash-G," or "C-over-G." Whatever you call it, it's a strong way to end a beautiful song.
In Our Lovely Deseret
THE HISTORY:
Eliza R. Snow wrote the lyrics to this popular Nineteenth Century tune to convert it into a Latter-Day Saint hymn, but it began as a quite secular march. George F. Root composed the tune and wrote the original lyrics to a song called, “Tramp! Tramp! Tramp! The Boys Are Marching.” Published in 1864, it was one of the most popular songs of the American Civil War. In fact, it was so popular that, though it was written originally to console Union POWs, it was adopted by the Confederacy, with altered lyrics, and was sung by both sides as a marching song.
The tune became so popular that parodies were inevitable. It bears the distinction of being the basis of two different popular children’s hymns, “In Our Lovely Deseret,” and “Jesus Loves the Little Children”.) The Mormon lyrics were written by Eliza R. Snow, acerbic wife of Brigham Young, who never had any children of her own, but did spend much of her life surrounded by “a multitude of children,” who learned to dread their rather strict “Aunt Eliza.”
There are many stories about Eliza Snow’s volatile relationship with her step-children. My favorite is the one that tells how Aunt Eliza spotted some of her step-daughters wearing colorful sashes and took “those worldly things” away from them. It turned out they had been gifts from their father, the prophet, and Eliza had to suffer the embarrassment of being openly chastised by her husband, who told her not to deny his children the gifts he saw fit to give them. Although this was done en famille, the children gleefully repeated it, and it soon became public knowledge.
Eliza fancied herself quite a poet, and no fewer than ten of her works are still found in the current LDS hymnal. “In Our Lovely Deseret” holds the distinction of being the only LDS hymn that specifically mentions the Word of Wisdom.
THE MUSIC:
The tune is meant to be a sprightly march, and should be played quite fast, and with perfect regularity. The only way to learn this is to practice with a metronome, slowly (45 - 70), until you can play it correctly, then try for speed. This will not be easy if you are not used to practicing with a metronome. For this reason, I have classified the tune as Intermediate level, even though there are only four fairly common chords.
Because the tune is a march, I have elected to keep the 4/4 time signature, even though nearly all the notes are eighth-notes. I tried putting “&s” in the count, to show this, but they made the count line so cluttered that it became confusing, so I left them out. If you are not familiar with the song, go to lds.org and listen to it.
There are a few fast transitions involving barre chords. If you are a beginner, you may need to practice them for speed, or you’ll never get the tempo right. Please do not substitute non-barre chords for the barre chords, or you will lose the melody entirely.
There are a few spots where I have called for a chord, but only a single note, or a two-note pinch, is actually played. There’s a reason for this. The following notes can be played quickly and easily if your left hand is already in position. In cases like this, I have tried to put the chord changes for the left hand where you have the most time to make them. This means the changes don’t always fall on the downbeat. Hence, the count line.
Specifically:
In the first (lead-in) measure, fret a normal C chord, adding the F on the D-string in the third space with the pinkie, lifting it quickly for the rest of the measure. Do the pull-off in measure [4] with the pinkie, too. It’s going to be your “finger-dancing” finger for the rest of the song.
When playing the hammer-on in measure [3], lift the barring index finger of the F chord, then hammer it back down to make the hammer-on. This works best with high-tension strings. Do the same thing in measures [6] and [15].
In measure [5], the last two notes are musically the same as the first two note of the song, but I have put them in as a slide to ease the transition from the GIII chord back to C. This works best if you use the ring finger to do the slide. Also, the slide adds variety to a musical phrase that is otherwise a simple repeat of the first four measures.
For similar reasons, I have called for some of the chords to be strummed in one part of the song, and pinched in others. If you have trouble keeping the rhythm while switching from pinches to strums, you might try making all the chords pinches, or even leave out all but the melody notes.
Measure [8] requires some finger dancing. The easy way to hit the fifth note of the measure is to flatten the hand so the pinky frets the G-string at the fifth fret briefly. Just arch the finger so you can play the D note on the B-string. Use the tip of the little finger to fret the G string normally, at the sixth fret, then lift it from the strings to get the D again. Lift the whole hand to play the E-string open, while moving the left hand to First Position for the C chord. Meanwhile, the right hand will have to play the same string with the same finger, twice in succession. There’s no easy way around it.
In Measure [10], catch the A on the G-string by flattening the middle finger, then releasing the entire hand for the open note that begins [11]. This gives you time to change to the C/G chord. I have written in the chord name with a one beat delay to allow time for the transition. You're actually playing some of the notes of that chord while making the chord change. It's easier than it sounds. The last note of [12] is fretted by briefly flattening the pinkie again.
The last three measures recap measures [7], [8], and [9] nearly exactly, with only a slight difference in the melody notes in [16].
THE LYRICS:
I have only included the lyrics for the first verse. The other verses are:
2. That the children may live long
And be beautiful and strong,
Tea and coffee and tobacco they despise,
Drink no liquor, and they eat
But a very little meat;
They are seeking to be great and good and wise.
3. They should be instructed young
How to watch and guard the tongue,
And their tempers train and evil passions bind;
They should always be polite,
And treat ev’rybody right,
And in ev’ry place be affable and kind.
4. They must not forget to pray,
Night and morning ev’ry day,
For the Lord to keep them safe from ev’ry ill,
And assist them to do right,
That with all their mind and might
They may love him and may learn to do his will.
Baptist minister Clare Herbert Woolston wrote a different set of lyrics, calling the song, “Jesus Loves the Little Children.” Woolston wrote three verses and a refrain, but the refrain is all that most people know. Even professional music ministers may not know that there are verses, which follow the same music lines as “In Our Lovely Deseret.” You get two songs for the price of one, both in the public domain!
1. Jesus calls the children dear,
“Come to me and never fear,
For I love the little children of the world;
I will take you by the hand,
Lead you to the better land,
For I love the little children of the world.”
Refrain:
Jesus loves the little children,
All the children of the world.
Red and yellow, black and white,
All are precious in His sight,
Jesus loves the little children of the world.
2. Jesus is the Shepherd true,
And He’ll always stand by you,
For He loves the little children of the world;
He’s a Savior great and strong,
And He’ll shield you from the wrong,
For He loves the little children of the world.
Refrain
3. I am coming, Lord, to Thee,
And Your soldier I will be,
For You love the little children of the world;
And Your cross I’ll always bear,
And for You I’ll do and dare,
For You love the little children of the world.
Refrain
Eliza R. Snow wrote the lyrics to this popular Nineteenth Century tune to convert it into a Latter-Day Saint hymn, but it began as a quite secular march. George F. Root composed the tune and wrote the original lyrics to a song called, “Tramp! Tramp! Tramp! The Boys Are Marching.” Published in 1864, it was one of the most popular songs of the American Civil War. In fact, it was so popular that, though it was written originally to console Union POWs, it was adopted by the Confederacy, with altered lyrics, and was sung by both sides as a marching song.
The tune became so popular that parodies were inevitable. It bears the distinction of being the basis of two different popular children’s hymns, “In Our Lovely Deseret,” and “Jesus Loves the Little Children”.) The Mormon lyrics were written by Eliza R. Snow, acerbic wife of Brigham Young, who never had any children of her own, but did spend much of her life surrounded by “a multitude of children,” who learned to dread their rather strict “Aunt Eliza.”
There are many stories about Eliza Snow’s volatile relationship with her step-children. My favorite is the one that tells how Aunt Eliza spotted some of her step-daughters wearing colorful sashes and took “those worldly things” away from them. It turned out they had been gifts from their father, the prophet, and Eliza had to suffer the embarrassment of being openly chastised by her husband, who told her not to deny his children the gifts he saw fit to give them. Although this was done en famille, the children gleefully repeated it, and it soon became public knowledge.
Eliza fancied herself quite a poet, and no fewer than ten of her works are still found in the current LDS hymnal. “In Our Lovely Deseret” holds the distinction of being the only LDS hymn that specifically mentions the Word of Wisdom.
THE MUSIC:
The tune is meant to be a sprightly march, and should be played quite fast, and with perfect regularity. The only way to learn this is to practice with a metronome, slowly (45 - 70), until you can play it correctly, then try for speed. This will not be easy if you are not used to practicing with a metronome. For this reason, I have classified the tune as Intermediate level, even though there are only four fairly common chords.
Because the tune is a march, I have elected to keep the 4/4 time signature, even though nearly all the notes are eighth-notes. I tried putting “&s” in the count, to show this, but they made the count line so cluttered that it became confusing, so I left them out. If you are not familiar with the song, go to lds.org and listen to it.
There are a few fast transitions involving barre chords. If you are a beginner, you may need to practice them for speed, or you’ll never get the tempo right. Please do not substitute non-barre chords for the barre chords, or you will lose the melody entirely.
There are a few spots where I have called for a chord, but only a single note, or a two-note pinch, is actually played. There’s a reason for this. The following notes can be played quickly and easily if your left hand is already in position. In cases like this, I have tried to put the chord changes for the left hand where you have the most time to make them. This means the changes don’t always fall on the downbeat. Hence, the count line.
Specifically:
In the first (lead-in) measure, fret a normal C chord, adding the F on the D-string in the third space with the pinkie, lifting it quickly for the rest of the measure. Do the pull-off in measure [4] with the pinkie, too. It’s going to be your “finger-dancing” finger for the rest of the song.
When playing the hammer-on in measure [3], lift the barring index finger of the F chord, then hammer it back down to make the hammer-on. This works best with high-tension strings. Do the same thing in measures [6] and [15].
In measure [5], the last two notes are musically the same as the first two note of the song, but I have put them in as a slide to ease the transition from the GIII chord back to C. This works best if you use the ring finger to do the slide. Also, the slide adds variety to a musical phrase that is otherwise a simple repeat of the first four measures.
For similar reasons, I have called for some of the chords to be strummed in one part of the song, and pinched in others. If you have trouble keeping the rhythm while switching from pinches to strums, you might try making all the chords pinches, or even leave out all but the melody notes.
Measure [8] requires some finger dancing. The easy way to hit the fifth note of the measure is to flatten the hand so the pinky frets the G-string at the fifth fret briefly. Just arch the finger so you can play the D note on the B-string. Use the tip of the little finger to fret the G string normally, at the sixth fret, then lift it from the strings to get the D again. Lift the whole hand to play the E-string open, while moving the left hand to First Position for the C chord. Meanwhile, the right hand will have to play the same string with the same finger, twice in succession. There’s no easy way around it.
In Measure [10], catch the A on the G-string by flattening the middle finger, then releasing the entire hand for the open note that begins [11]. This gives you time to change to the C/G chord. I have written in the chord name with a one beat delay to allow time for the transition. You're actually playing some of the notes of that chord while making the chord change. It's easier than it sounds. The last note of [12] is fretted by briefly flattening the pinkie again.
The last three measures recap measures [7], [8], and [9] nearly exactly, with only a slight difference in the melody notes in [16].
THE LYRICS:
I have only included the lyrics for the first verse. The other verses are:
2. That the children may live long
And be beautiful and strong,
Tea and coffee and tobacco they despise,
Drink no liquor, and they eat
But a very little meat;
They are seeking to be great and good and wise.
3. They should be instructed young
How to watch and guard the tongue,
And their tempers train and evil passions bind;
They should always be polite,
And treat ev’rybody right,
And in ev’ry place be affable and kind.
4. They must not forget to pray,
Night and morning ev’ry day,
For the Lord to keep them safe from ev’ry ill,
And assist them to do right,
That with all their mind and might
They may love him and may learn to do his will.
Baptist minister Clare Herbert Woolston wrote a different set of lyrics, calling the song, “Jesus Loves the Little Children.” Woolston wrote three verses and a refrain, but the refrain is all that most people know. Even professional music ministers may not know that there are verses, which follow the same music lines as “In Our Lovely Deseret.” You get two songs for the price of one, both in the public domain!
1. Jesus calls the children dear,
“Come to me and never fear,
For I love the little children of the world;
I will take you by the hand,
Lead you to the better land,
For I love the little children of the world.”
Refrain:
Jesus loves the little children,
All the children of the world.
Red and yellow, black and white,
All are precious in His sight,
Jesus loves the little children of the world.
2. Jesus is the Shepherd true,
And He’ll always stand by you,
For He loves the little children of the world;
He’s a Savior great and strong,
And He’ll shield you from the wrong,
For He loves the little children of the world.
Refrain
3. I am coming, Lord, to Thee,
And Your soldier I will be,
For You love the little children of the world;
And Your cross I’ll always bear,
And for You I’ll do and dare,
For You love the little children of the world.
Refrain
Joseph Smith's First Prayer (Oh How Lovely Was the Morning)
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.
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.
Amazing Grace
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.
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.
Before Thee, Lord, I Bow My Head-- for flat picking
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 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.
Ghost Riders In the Sky / Ghost Chickens in the Sky
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.
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.
O My Father
Here it is, just in time for Father's Day! The beautiful lyrics by Eliza R. Snow are in the public domain. It's a bit late for Sister Snow to object, but I doubt she would mind. Don't let the unusual tempo throw you. The music is easy to play.
The time signature of the original, as published in the old, blue hymnal, was 9/8, a difficult tempo for pianists to read, though not really difficult to play. For those who are purists, it should be counted something like this:
ONE, two, three; FOUR, five, six; SEVEN, eight, nine. The major accent falls on the first note of the measure, with minor accents on the fourth and seventh notes.
In the new, green hymnal, it was rewritten in 3/4 time, with a triplet at the end of virtually every measure. This may make it easier for pianists, but all the triplets are confusing in guitar tab. I have divided each measure of the original 9/8 score into three measures of 3/8 tempo for clarity. It sounds just like regular, old 3/4 time, except twice as fast. All the notes are eighth notes, which makes it very easy for guitarists to play.
The downbeat begins at the word, “father.” Thereafter, every three measures of 3/8 time equals one of the original 9/8 measures. Every syllable that begins one of the original 9/8 measures is printed in bold face type. Emphasize these notes just a little stronger than the lead notes of the other measures, to restore the subtle rhythm of the original 9/8 tempo.
Use strong tremolo on the final note. It'll sound gorgeous.
The time signature of the original, as published in the old, blue hymnal, was 9/8, a difficult tempo for pianists to read, though not really difficult to play. For those who are purists, it should be counted something like this:
ONE, two, three; FOUR, five, six; SEVEN, eight, nine. The major accent falls on the first note of the measure, with minor accents on the fourth and seventh notes.
In the new, green hymnal, it was rewritten in 3/4 time, with a triplet at the end of virtually every measure. This may make it easier for pianists, but all the triplets are confusing in guitar tab. I have divided each measure of the original 9/8 score into three measures of 3/8 tempo for clarity. It sounds just like regular, old 3/4 time, except twice as fast. All the notes are eighth notes, which makes it very easy for guitarists to play.
The downbeat begins at the word, “father.” Thereafter, every three measures of 3/8 time equals one of the original 9/8 measures. Every syllable that begins one of the original 9/8 measures is printed in bold face type. Emphasize these notes just a little stronger than the lead notes of the other measures, to restore the subtle rhythm of the original 9/8 tempo.
Use strong tremolo on the final note. It'll sound gorgeous.
Master, the Tempest Is Raging
LOTS of "extra" notes in this one! But if you don't want them, you can ignore any notes except the ones directly over the words of the song. Of course there are lots of chords, so if you just want the melody line, you'll have to pick it out of the chords.
Play this song fast, and it'll sound just great. As an experiment, I switched to using the letters h and p to indicate hammer-ons and pull-offs, instead of my usual underscore. Does it make a difference to anyone?
All the chords are normal, common chords, including some barre chords, indicated by Roman numerals to show where the barre goes. All the notes are eighth notes, which makes keeping the tempo really easy, even though it's fast. That's one reason I put the "extra" notes in. They actually make it easier to play. The only exception is the last chord, which needs to be held for a count of three. Alternatively, you could play the first chord in the last measure as a three-note "broken" chord, saving the last chord for a full measure of its own.
Play this song fast, and it'll sound just great. As an experiment, I switched to using the letters h and p to indicate hammer-ons and pull-offs, instead of my usual underscore. Does it make a difference to anyone?
All the chords are normal, common chords, including some barre chords, indicated by Roman numerals to show where the barre goes. All the notes are eighth notes, which makes keeping the tempo really easy, even though it's fast. That's one reason I put the "extra" notes in. They actually make it easier to play. The only exception is the last chord, which needs to be held for a count of three. Alternatively, you could play the first chord in the last measure as a three-note "broken" chord, saving the last chord for a full measure of its own.
Brightly Beams Our Father's Mercy
This is one of my favorite hymns, both to sing and to play. There are very few "grace notes" in it; nearly all of it is melody. The few grace notes are put in parentheses, in light face type. You can safely ignore them if you only want to play the melody. You can also substitute the regular C chord for all the different C chords, the regular F for all the F chords, and the regular G for all the different G chords, if you are not comfortable with barre chords. It won't sound as nice or follow the melody as well, but will be perfectly fine for accompanying vocalists.
Notes:
I usually play the first F as a regular, four-string F, just because the chord change from C and back is easier that way, and it's a very fast change.
The transition F(I) to F(V) may be hard to make rapidly, if you are not used to playing these chords. It is perfectly acceptable to avoid the change by playing all the F chords in the tenth measure the same. If you do this, it sounds much better if you leave out the F(I) chord and substitute the F(5) chord, rather than the other way around.
It's also perfectly OK to make the final C chord a normal one, without the G bass, if your pinkie isn't up to it. But it sounds a bit thin for a finale. The full, six-string chord sounds much better to end the song on.
It wouldn't hurt to put tremolo on the E note on the third string in the next-to-last measure. That's why I play it in the 9th fret of the third string, instead of just playing the first string open, which is the same note. When performed as a guitar solo, this piece sounds better with lots of pauses, holds, and tremolos. I like to use these forms of expression to emphasize the words of the hymn that feel most important to me at the time I am playing them. You cannot be too expressive with this song-- the more expression you put in, the better your audience will like it, even at the risk of totally losing the rhythm!
This song is in the public domain.
Notes:
I usually play the first F as a regular, four-string F, just because the chord change from C and back is easier that way, and it's a very fast change.
The transition F(I) to F(V) may be hard to make rapidly, if you are not used to playing these chords. It is perfectly acceptable to avoid the change by playing all the F chords in the tenth measure the same. If you do this, it sounds much better if you leave out the F(I) chord and substitute the F(5) chord, rather than the other way around.
It's also perfectly OK to make the final C chord a normal one, without the G bass, if your pinkie isn't up to it. But it sounds a bit thin for a finale. The full, six-string chord sounds much better to end the song on.
It wouldn't hurt to put tremolo on the E note on the third string in the next-to-last measure. That's why I play it in the 9th fret of the third string, instead of just playing the first string open, which is the same note. When performed as a guitar solo, this piece sounds better with lots of pauses, holds, and tremolos. I like to use these forms of expression to emphasize the words of the hymn that feel most important to me at the time I am playing them. You cannot be too expressive with this song-- the more expression you put in, the better your audience will like it, even at the risk of totally losing the rhythm!
This song is in the public domain.
Christ the Lord Is Risen Today
An easy one, in time for Easter. There are no hard chords in this song. No barre chords. Chord changes are easy, as long as you can do hammer-ons, pull-offs, and slides. The only remotely hard parts come in the last two Hallelujahs, and the first measure of the last line, with multiple hammer-ons and pull-offs in each of the three measures. But they are all easy ones. Play them slowly, until you get the hang of playing the strings with the left hand, then speed up gradually.
This song sounds especially good with a crisp, bright sound. Play it close to the bridge, and use your fingernails, or finger picks, if you don't have nails, for a clear, crisp, "classical guitar" sound. This song is in the public domain, though I reserve copy rights to my arrangement and tablature. If you reproduce it, please give me credit.
This song sounds especially good with a crisp, bright sound. Play it close to the bridge, and use your fingernails, or finger picks, if you don't have nails, for a clear, crisp, "classical guitar" sound. This song is in the public domain, though I reserve copy rights to my arrangement and tablature. If you reproduce it, please give me credit.
Til There Was You
From The Music Man by Meredith Willson. Start practicing NOW for next Valentine's Day. This is one of the most beautiful love songs ever written, and one of the hardest to play. It's the most difficult in my personal repertoire. It is NOT in the public domain, so no lyrics. You can get them on nearly any lyrics website. Hard as this version is, the original is even harder, as Willson wrote it in the key of Eb. I've transposed it down (one fret) to D, where it's slightly easier to play. There are so many barre chords, it scarcely makes a difference.
The chords in this song are unusual, hauntingly beautiful, and excruciatingly difficult to play. The chord changes are fast, and there's no room for error. Do NOT attempt this song unless you are an ADVANCED guitarist. If you are an advanced guitarist, don't let the weird chords scare you off. It took me more than a year to master, but it was well worth the effort. It's that pretty.
The chords in this song are unusual, hauntingly beautiful, and excruciatingly difficult to play. The chord changes are fast, and there's no room for error. Do NOT attempt this song unless you are an ADVANCED guitarist. If you are an advanced guitarist, don't let the weird chords scare you off. It took me more than a year to master, but it was well worth the effort. It's that pretty.
I Know That My Redeemer Lives
I know that some of the chord names look odd, but they are not hard to play. C/G simply means, "C, with a G bass." It is played like a normal C chord, but the #6 string is fretted at the third fret, thus giving the chord a G bass note. This gives the chord a fuller sound, and can also be used to bring out the melody, or to simplify transitions to GIII. It's really easy to play if you are playing the C chord as an A barred at the third fret; all you have to do is NOT mute the #6 string! In keeping with my system of notating barre chords with Roman numerals, I call this chord, C/GIII.
Counting the time in this song would be difficult, if you don't know it already. Some of the notes are eighth notes, some are quarter notes, and some are sixteenth notes. I've tried to reduce the confusion a bit by keeping all notes over a word that are played while that word is being sung. (Sung in your head, that is; this is actually a guitar solo.) Sorry if that confuses you. I know several systems for tabbing notes that show the count of each note, and I don't like any of them. At best, they clutter up the tab and make it nearly unreadable; at worst, they are actually misleading. I used to write my tabs as a double staff, like piano music, with the tab on top and classical guitar notation on the bottom. It took way too much time and effort, and people who like tab couldn't read the music anyhow, while those who could read the music didn't need the tab. Futility!
Counting the time in this song would be difficult, if you don't know it already. Some of the notes are eighth notes, some are quarter notes, and some are sixteenth notes. I've tried to reduce the confusion a bit by keeping all notes over a word that are played while that word is being sung. (Sung in your head, that is; this is actually a guitar solo.) Sorry if that confuses you. I know several systems for tabbing notes that show the count of each note, and I don't like any of them. At best, they clutter up the tab and make it nearly unreadable; at worst, they are actually misleading. I used to write my tabs as a double staff, like piano music, with the tab on top and classical guitar notation on the bottom. It took way too much time and effort, and people who like tab couldn't read the music anyhow, while those who could read the music didn't need the tab. Futility!
Etude in Am by Don Fallick
Happy Birthday to me! Herewith, one of the few original songs I've ever written. It was inspired by the first four notes of Greensleeves, but uses a very different chord progression, and is meant to be played considerably faster. Sounds best if played with the fingernails, classical style, or use the lower end of the strings, for a twangy sound. Easy Intermediate level. Uses standard chords and barre chords (F, G, and Am only), with only a couple of hammer-ons.
For the Beauty of the Earth
A great hymn for Thanksgiving! I'll try to get timely posts for specific holidays, but I'm new at this. Fortunately, this is a relatively easy one, without hard chords or difficult transitions. All the notes are 1/8 notes, except for the hammer-ons, of course.
The arpeggios, like the one at the end of the second and sixth measures, can be slow strummed with the right thumb, or picked with the fingers, at your preference. These F chords can also be played on four strings, or you can use the full-barre F and substitute the bass string for the F note on the fourth string. All other F chords should be played full-barre.
The 3 to 1 transition on the second string in the first measure of the last line can be played as a pull-off, if you like. Sometimes I think it sounds better that way; other times I like it played straight, as I have written it.
The G chord in the next-to-last measure is played G*: 32003x, a somewhat unusual way to play G, but no harder than the traditional G: 320003. The only hard part is hitting the C note on the very last count of the measure. Just takes a bit of practice.
Sometimes, if I'm feeling like getting a bit fancy, I'll substitute a quick strum for the first note in measures 1 and/or 9. It adds variety, but I'm not sure the results justify the quick transition this requires.
The arpeggios, like the one at the end of the second and sixth measures, can be slow strummed with the right thumb, or picked with the fingers, at your preference. These F chords can also be played on four strings, or you can use the full-barre F and substitute the bass string for the F note on the fourth string. All other F chords should be played full-barre.
The 3 to 1 transition on the second string in the first measure of the last line can be played as a pull-off, if you like. Sometimes I think it sounds better that way; other times I like it played straight, as I have written it.
The G chord in the next-to-last measure is played G*: 32003x, a somewhat unusual way to play G, but no harder than the traditional G: 320003. The only hard part is hitting the C note on the very last count of the measure. Just takes a bit of practice.
Sometimes, if I'm feeling like getting a bit fancy, I'll substitute a quick strum for the first note in measures 1 and/or 9. It adds variety, but I'm not sure the results justify the quick transition this requires.
The Old Rugged Cross
This is not an LDS hymn, but it is beloved by other Christians, especially Protestants, all over the world. I learned this version from Jeff Moore, who is not a Christian, and does not even believe in God, but Boy! can he play Gospel music! This one will make people weep. Play it slowly, with LOTS of expression, and don't be shy with the tremolo. Study guide is included with the tab. If you're not familiar with the tune, a really great vocal by Brad Paisley, with guitar accompaniment, can be found HERE. I especially like this ACOUSTIC GUITAR SOLO, too (tablature available at www.graytoney.com). But perhaps my version is closest to Chet Atkins's version, or would be if you played it with an organ, a string bass, and a rhythm guitar backup!
This song does require you to play artificial harmonics. They are not really any harder to play than regular harmonics, but you play them with one hand, while fretting the string with the left hand. They are easy to do if you rest the right index finger lightly on the string, exactly twelve frets above the fretted note, then pluck the string with the ring finger, allowing the index finger to come off the string at the same time. With a little practice, you can achieve a gorgeous, bell-like tone, exactly one octave higher than the fretted note.
This song does require you to play artificial harmonics. They are not really any harder to play than regular harmonics, but you play them with one hand, while fretting the string with the left hand. They are easy to do if you rest the right index finger lightly on the string, exactly twelve frets above the fretted note, then pluck the string with the ring finger, allowing the index finger to come off the string at the same time. With a little practice, you can achieve a gorgeous, bell-like tone, exactly one octave higher than the fretted note.
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