This is an EASY song to play. Don’t be fooled by the Roman numerals or the final C/G chord, which is just a normal C, with the G note added on the 6th string with the little finger . There are really only two, very easy chords in this song: C and a two-finger version of G. The rest is just a bit of lead, with a trick to make it even easier.
The trick is to move your hand one fret up the guitar neck, from time to time, then back to the normal position, for the following C chord. In classical guitar, this normal position is called, “First Position”. So, one fret higher on the neck would be “Second Position,” right? It is indicated by a Roman Numeral II above the staff.
Normally, you would fret the notes in the first space with the index finger, the notes in the second space with the middle finger, and the notes in the third space with the ring finger. In Second Position, that means that any notes in the second space are to be fretted with the index finger, while those in the third space are fretted with the middle finger, and those in the fourth space with the ring finger. That’s the “trick.” By knowing when to move your hand up the neck, and how far, you can make complex-looking riffs easy!
It is a bit tough to reach a normal G chord from Second Position, so I use a modified, two-finger “wrap-around” G. Fret the first string with the middle or ring finger, while wrapping the hand around the neck, so you can fret the sixth string with the thumb. Mute the A string with the thumb also, so it doesn’t sound. This chord is actually easier to do on steel string guitars, with their narrow necks, and is often used in rock music. If it’s too big a reach for you, don’t play the fifth and sixth strings. Or you can substitute a full-barre GIII if you wish.
There are no advanced techniques in this song, but there are lots of hammer-ons, pull-offs, and slides, which makes it easy to play quickly. Nevertheless, learn it slowly first, keeping the timing perfect, until you’ve got it memorized. It won’t take long, as there’s lots of repetition. Then speed up to full speed. Learning it this way will ensure that your timing never varies, and that will blow the minds of your audience.
I did not split any measures, except for the first and last. This resulted in a split slide at the end of the third line and beginning of the fourth line. Perform this slide from 2nd to 3rd fret exactly the same as the one two measures previous. The only difference is in the way I had to write it, to go from the end of one line to the beginning of the next.
I would perform several verses. This song has the potential to be a great set opener, and a perennial crowd-pleaser.
History
The lyrics are from a poem by Joseph S. Murdock, and refer to his friendship with Joseph Smith, Jr., for whom he had acted as a bodyguard. The music is by Joseph J. Daynes, a child prodigy who became the first Tabernacle organist at age sixteen, in 1867. He held that position until 1900. Evan Stephens, the conductor of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir during Daynes’ tenure as organist, said Daynes “was, without doubt, one of the greatest organists of his time.”
The song is in the Public Domain.
Showing posts with label hammer-ons and pull-offs and slides. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hammer-ons and pull-offs and slides. Show all posts
Let Us Oft Speak Kind Words
I tried to tab this exactly as written in Hymns, but it was too hard to play, so I transposed it into the key of C and started over. It was easier to play, but too staccatto, so I eliminated some of the chords. It sounded better, so I kept simplifying, until I had produced this version. I like the full version for organ and choir, but for the guitar, it needs to be simple. Since it was so simple already, I re-wrote it one last time to eliminate the few remaining barre chords.
Special instructions:
Very few special instructions are needed for this song. There’s a slide in the first measure on page two, immediately followed by a hammer-on. You could do both as slides, but it’s difficult to sustain the note long enough. (Hint: if you’re going to try this, fret the whole riff with the index finger.) Or, you could substitute a pull-off for the slide, but it sounds harsher. The song is all about softness and sweet tones of the heart, so use the slide if you can. You may find it necessary, as I do, to slide with the index finger, so you can hammer-on with the middle finger.
Two measures later, there’s a modified C chord, with the melody note (G) added on the 1st string, 3rd space, using the little finger. This chord could also be called CaddG,but since it only occurs once, and is a simple modification of the chord you are already holding, I’ve chosen not to mention it in the tab. If it’s too hard, just put in the melody note and leave off the rest of the chord. Fret the slide which follows with the pinkie, which positions your hand back in the C chord position for the last two pinches of the measure.
In the next measure there’s a series of three-string pinches, all fretted in the fifth fret. This is actually an alternate way of playing a C chord. It is usually played as a barre chord, with the barre in the third space (barred A shape). It is not necessary to actually play it that way here, since the only strings used are the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, eliminating the need for a barre. Play it like an A chord, only fretted in the 5th space. Just be sure to only play the fretted strings!
At the end of this line, there are four notes that do not correspond to any words in the lyrics. This is a fill, put in by me, because I cannot hold a note for three beats at the slow pace of this song, without tremolo. Tremolos below the fourth fret do not work well on the guitar, and are not easy. The fill is not part of the original hymn. Leave it out if you wish.
You will want to use tremolos where called for in the tab. Place the ring finger in the indicated space, as you would if you were fretting the note normally with that finger. Then, without actually sliding the fingertip, wiggle the finger back and forth rapidly along the string by moving the whole hand along the neck. Watch a video of any violinist playing to see what this looks like. Tremolos above the fourth fret are rather easy to do, help sustain the note, and sound really cool.
History
In 1939, Joseph Townsend, the author of this hymn, who was then about ninety years old, was contacted for background information about the song. “Let Us Oft Speak Kind Words” was written, he said, while he was in the superintendency of a very large Sunday School. The people seemed given to fault-finding remarks, and he thought how much finer it would be to hear kind words spoken more often. He said the song stopped the gossip and produced a kindlier feeling in the town.
Though he wrote many hymns, this one may have been his favorite, as “Kind Words are Sweet Tones of the Heart” is the only thing engraved on his headstone, besides his name and dates of birth and death.
Composition
Like so many others, this tune was composed by Ebenezer Beesley (1840-1906), a prolific writer and composer of LDS hymns, handcart pioneer, and an early director of the Tabernacle Choir. Besides this hymn, there are eleven more of his compositions in the current (green) LDS hymnal:
5 “High on the Mountain Top”
16 “What Glorious Scenes Mine Eyes Behold”
32 “The Happy Day at Last Has Come”
76 “God of Our Fathers, We Come unto Thee”
77 “Great Is the Lord”
153 “Lord We Ask Thee Ere We Part”
156 “Sing We Now at Parting”
177 “‘Tis Sweet to Sing the Matchless Love”
185 “Reverently and Meekly Now”
280 “Welcome, Welcome, Sabbath Morning”
282 “We Meet Again in Sabbath School”.
Special instructions:
Very few special instructions are needed for this song. There’s a slide in the first measure on page two, immediately followed by a hammer-on. You could do both as slides, but it’s difficult to sustain the note long enough. (Hint: if you’re going to try this, fret the whole riff with the index finger.) Or, you could substitute a pull-off for the slide, but it sounds harsher. The song is all about softness and sweet tones of the heart, so use the slide if you can. You may find it necessary, as I do, to slide with the index finger, so you can hammer-on with the middle finger.
Two measures later, there’s a modified C chord, with the melody note (G) added on the 1st string, 3rd space, using the little finger. This chord could also be called CaddG,but since it only occurs once, and is a simple modification of the chord you are already holding, I’ve chosen not to mention it in the tab. If it’s too hard, just put in the melody note and leave off the rest of the chord. Fret the slide which follows with the pinkie, which positions your hand back in the C chord position for the last two pinches of the measure.
In the next measure there’s a series of three-string pinches, all fretted in the fifth fret. This is actually an alternate way of playing a C chord. It is usually played as a barre chord, with the barre in the third space (barred A shape). It is not necessary to actually play it that way here, since the only strings used are the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, eliminating the need for a barre. Play it like an A chord, only fretted in the 5th space. Just be sure to only play the fretted strings!
At the end of this line, there are four notes that do not correspond to any words in the lyrics. This is a fill, put in by me, because I cannot hold a note for three beats at the slow pace of this song, without tremolo. Tremolos below the fourth fret do not work well on the guitar, and are not easy. The fill is not part of the original hymn. Leave it out if you wish.
You will want to use tremolos where called for in the tab. Place the ring finger in the indicated space, as you would if you were fretting the note normally with that finger. Then, without actually sliding the fingertip, wiggle the finger back and forth rapidly along the string by moving the whole hand along the neck. Watch a video of any violinist playing to see what this looks like. Tremolos above the fourth fret are rather easy to do, help sustain the note, and sound really cool.
History
In 1939, Joseph Townsend, the author of this hymn, who was then about ninety years old, was contacted for background information about the song. “Let Us Oft Speak Kind Words” was written, he said, while he was in the superintendency of a very large Sunday School. The people seemed given to fault-finding remarks, and he thought how much finer it would be to hear kind words spoken more often. He said the song stopped the gossip and produced a kindlier feeling in the town.
Though he wrote many hymns, this one may have been his favorite, as “Kind Words are Sweet Tones of the Heart” is the only thing engraved on his headstone, besides his name and dates of birth and death.
Composition
Like so many others, this tune was composed by Ebenezer Beesley (1840-1906), a prolific writer and composer of LDS hymns, handcart pioneer, and an early director of the Tabernacle Choir. Besides this hymn, there are eleven more of his compositions in the current (green) LDS hymnal:
5 “High on the Mountain Top”
16 “What Glorious Scenes Mine Eyes Behold”
32 “The Happy Day at Last Has Come”
76 “God of Our Fathers, We Come unto Thee”
77 “Great Is the Lord”
153 “Lord We Ask Thee Ere We Part”
156 “Sing We Now at Parting”
177 “‘Tis Sweet to Sing the Matchless Love”
185 “Reverently and Meekly Now”
280 “Welcome, Welcome, Sabbath Morning”
282 “We Meet Again in Sabbath School”.
I Stand All Amazed
I couldn’t find this hymn, in my records, so I rewrote it, then found the old one here on the blog. I like the new version MUCH better! It’s actually easier to play, too. I feel I was inspired to do the new version. Try it!
Level of difficulty
This is going to be one of my personal favorites! Play it with lots of feeling. There are no barre chords, no hard chords-- not many chords at all. Most of the piece is melody. I’ve tried to avoid hard chord changes. There’s a lot of repetition, too: the second two lines of the verse are almost a complete repetition of the first two lines.
There are quite a few hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides, and tremolos. For this reason, I was tempted to classify the piece as Intermediate level, but honestly, it’s not beyond most beginners. You could actually omit those special techniques and it would sound okay, but please don’t! It sounds SOOO much better with “expression.” The following paragraphs tell in detail how to do this.
Chording
I’ve tried to arrange the fingering to make it easy and smooth. This requires a slight alteration in the way you play the CaddD chord. Play it like a C chord, but with the D added on the 2nd string, 3rd space, as shown in the chord charts. Leave the index finger in place too, on the same string, as in a normal C chord, and it positions your hand perfectly for the pull-off which follows.
Phrasing
Play the last line on page one as a single phrase. In the fourth measure of that line, move your hand position up the neck of the guitar, and fret the D on the 2nd string, 3rd space with your index finger. That’s what the Roman numeral III above the note indicates. This allows you to fret the C on the third string, 5th space, with your ring finger. Your middle finger then falls naturally into position for the slide, making an easy transition to the strummed G7 chord. This may seem like a lot of finger dancing for the sake of one easy chord change. Trust me, it’s not. I spent nearly as much time smoothing out chord changes as I did in arranging the rest of the song.
In the next-to-last measure of the next-to-last line of the Chorus, I've made one significant change. Instead of pinching the 2nd and 4th strings for the double slide, as in the previous line, strum the first four strings, with strings #1 and #3 open. These strings will continue to ring as you do the double slide on the other two strings, giving an interesting effect.
The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th measures of the Chorus also need to be played as a single musical phrase. I suggest you practice with a metronome until you can play each phrase with absolute regularity. The fastest way to do this is to start slowly, maybe even at half speed. Do not increase your speed until you can play each phrase with absolute regularity of tempo. Gradually increase the speed with increasing fluency, until you can play at full speed in perfect tempo.
Expression
In the next line, do the “strong tremolo” with the ring finger, to set up for the double slide that follows. Make the tremolo as strong as possible, vibrating the ring finger along (not across) the string, without actually moving the end of the finger. Use the middle and ring fingers for the double slide. Pre-spray the strings with string lubricant if necessary, to avoid squeaking. Trust me, all this “expression” without ever pausing or changing pace will blow the minds of your listeners.
You can strum the pinched chords, or pinch any of the strummed ones, if you wish. I’ve put in a variety, with mostly pinched chords in the verse, and mostly strummed ones in the chorus. In some places, I’ve done it to make playing easier, in others for the sound effect. Try it as tabbed, then make any modifications you like. I don’t have an electric guitar available to try this song on, but I bet it would sound great. Somebody please try it and let me know.
History
Charles Hutchinson Gabriel composed the music and wrote the lyrics. Known as a child prodigy of the organ, he began writing and composing hymns for his own church by age 16. As a young adult, he began a career as a prolific professional gospel song writer / composer. He is said to have written and/or composed between 7,000 and 8,000 songs, many still available in hymnals of various churches. He wrote under several names, including Charlotte G. Homer!
Gabriel was also known as a humble man, apparently unaffected by the adulation that often gives child prodigies a swelled head. This song reflects his humility in Christ. It is in the public domain. I have been unable to find any more specific details about its composition. The message speaks for itself.
Level of difficulty
This is going to be one of my personal favorites! Play it with lots of feeling. There are no barre chords, no hard chords-- not many chords at all. Most of the piece is melody. I’ve tried to avoid hard chord changes. There’s a lot of repetition, too: the second two lines of the verse are almost a complete repetition of the first two lines.
There are quite a few hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides, and tremolos. For this reason, I was tempted to classify the piece as Intermediate level, but honestly, it’s not beyond most beginners. You could actually omit those special techniques and it would sound okay, but please don’t! It sounds SOOO much better with “expression.” The following paragraphs tell in detail how to do this.
Chording
I’ve tried to arrange the fingering to make it easy and smooth. This requires a slight alteration in the way you play the CaddD chord. Play it like a C chord, but with the D added on the 2nd string, 3rd space, as shown in the chord charts. Leave the index finger in place too, on the same string, as in a normal C chord, and it positions your hand perfectly for the pull-off which follows.
Phrasing
Play the last line on page one as a single phrase. In the fourth measure of that line, move your hand position up the neck of the guitar, and fret the D on the 2nd string, 3rd space with your index finger. That’s what the Roman numeral III above the note indicates. This allows you to fret the C on the third string, 5th space, with your ring finger. Your middle finger then falls naturally into position for the slide, making an easy transition to the strummed G7 chord. This may seem like a lot of finger dancing for the sake of one easy chord change. Trust me, it’s not. I spent nearly as much time smoothing out chord changes as I did in arranging the rest of the song.
In the next-to-last measure of the next-to-last line of the Chorus, I've made one significant change. Instead of pinching the 2nd and 4th strings for the double slide, as in the previous line, strum the first four strings, with strings #1 and #3 open. These strings will continue to ring as you do the double slide on the other two strings, giving an interesting effect.
The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th measures of the Chorus also need to be played as a single musical phrase. I suggest you practice with a metronome until you can play each phrase with absolute regularity. The fastest way to do this is to start slowly, maybe even at half speed. Do not increase your speed until you can play each phrase with absolute regularity of tempo. Gradually increase the speed with increasing fluency, until you can play at full speed in perfect tempo.
Expression
In the next line, do the “strong tremolo” with the ring finger, to set up for the double slide that follows. Make the tremolo as strong as possible, vibrating the ring finger along (not across) the string, without actually moving the end of the finger. Use the middle and ring fingers for the double slide. Pre-spray the strings with string lubricant if necessary, to avoid squeaking. Trust me, all this “expression” without ever pausing or changing pace will blow the minds of your listeners.
You can strum the pinched chords, or pinch any of the strummed ones, if you wish. I’ve put in a variety, with mostly pinched chords in the verse, and mostly strummed ones in the chorus. In some places, I’ve done it to make playing easier, in others for the sound effect. Try it as tabbed, then make any modifications you like. I don’t have an electric guitar available to try this song on, but I bet it would sound great. Somebody please try it and let me know.
History
Charles Hutchinson Gabriel composed the music and wrote the lyrics. Known as a child prodigy of the organ, he began writing and composing hymns for his own church by age 16. As a young adult, he began a career as a prolific professional gospel song writer / composer. He is said to have written and/or composed between 7,000 and 8,000 songs, many still available in hymnals of various churches. He wrote under several names, including Charlotte G. Homer!
Gabriel was also known as a humble man, apparently unaffected by the adulation that often gives child prodigies a swelled head. This song reflects his humility in Christ. It is in the public domain. I have been unable to find any more specific details about its composition. The message speaks for itself.
The Iron Rod
I had thought to fancy this up, with cool chords and lots of fill, but after trying to do so, I decided this simple and easy version sounds better. This is one of the easiest hymns I've ever published. It's in the key of C, so you can easily transpose it into D, as shown in the hymnal, just by using a capo in the 2nd space, which makes it even easier to play. There are no barre chords, and only three basic chords, though a couple of times you'll want to alter the C chord to a C/G by adding the G note on the #6 (bass) string with your pinkie.
There's also an alternate G7 chord voicing labelled G7*, which requires you to add the F note on the 4th string, III fret. If you're not used to it, and you're not using a capo, this may be slightly difficult for you. If so, you can play it as a three-finger chord by not playing the #1 string, which isn't needed for the melody at that time anyway. In the chord diagram, I have shown this by printing the 0 on the first string in light-face type, and placing an X above the nut over that string. Musically, there is no difference between the two ways of playing this chord; use whichever is easiest for you.
Other than those two slight differences, there are no unusual chords at all. My only other departure from my usually tabbing is to list "strum all chords" at the beginning of the tab, then leave off all the "strum" signs as unnecessary. Let's keep it simple!
There are a couple of techniques that make the song easier to play and nicer to hear. There are a few slides, hammer-ons, and pull-offs. These are not strictly necessary to play the melody. You could play them as individual notes, but they sound very much nicer as written. And, unless the techniques are just impossible for you, they actually make the song easier to play. One is written a little strangely. In the first measure of the Refrain, the second note (over the word, "to") is plucked and allowed to ring briefly, before hammering-on the next note. This follows the normally sung rhythm,
"Hold__to__the-rod__...." It shouldn't take much practice for you to get it right, as even children have been singing that rhythm for years.
There's also an alternate G7 chord voicing labelled G7*, which requires you to add the F note on the 4th string, III fret. If you're not used to it, and you're not using a capo, this may be slightly difficult for you. If so, you can play it as a three-finger chord by not playing the #1 string, which isn't needed for the melody at that time anyway. In the chord diagram, I have shown this by printing the 0 on the first string in light-face type, and placing an X above the nut over that string. Musically, there is no difference between the two ways of playing this chord; use whichever is easiest for you.
Other than those two slight differences, there are no unusual chords at all. My only other departure from my usually tabbing is to list "strum all chords" at the beginning of the tab, then leave off all the "strum" signs as unnecessary. Let's keep it simple!
There are a couple of techniques that make the song easier to play and nicer to hear. There are a few slides, hammer-ons, and pull-offs. These are not strictly necessary to play the melody. You could play them as individual notes, but they sound very much nicer as written. And, unless the techniques are just impossible for you, they actually make the song easier to play. One is written a little strangely. In the first measure of the Refrain, the second note (over the word, "to") is plucked and allowed to ring briefly, before hammering-on the next note. This follows the normally sung rhythm,
"Hold__to__the-rod__...." It shouldn't take much practice for you to get it right, as even children have been singing that rhythm for years.
Today, While the Sun Shines
This song has a rather quick tempo, though not as fast as the SATB version in Hymns. But it should not be too difficult to play-- if you memorize it first. The lines of music are rather short, and if you try to play at speed from the tab, you’ll spend lots of time hesitating between the end of one line and the beginning of the next, giving the piece a very choppy sound. Practice it that way, and that’s how you’ll learn it.
The solution is to play the song at about half speed at first. Practice until you can play the whole piece at a regular tempo from memory. THEN work on speed. Please trust me on this. You really need to go slowly at first on this piece, even though many parts may seem simple and easy.
I have tabbed some of the chords as pinches, and others as strums, but there’s no specific rule about this. If you feel like playing all pinches, all strums, or changing them up differently than the way I have tabbed them, go ahead.
The last two measures in the first line are a little bit “tricky”. To get the melody notes out of the F chord, you have to lift the middle finger and replace it, then lift the barring index finger in the last measure, and replace it. With a bit of practice, you should be able to do it quite fast, and in perfect tempo, but it does feel a bit odd at first.
The second note in the second line is a grace note (not part of the melody). It is inserted to help the rhythm. Fret the next note, on the 3rd string, by briefly flattening the left pinkie while playing the note. You must immediately correct this flattened condition, in order to play the next note, on the 2nd string. Fret the last note of the second measure (E) on the 2nd string, 5th fret, with the left pinkie. I know, it’s easier to just play the 1st string open, but that makes for a significantly harder transition to the next note played on the 2nd string, 6th fret. You’re going to have to fret that one with the pinkie anyway-- no other way to do it. So, you might as well play the E with the pinkie too. You can leave out the following pull-off if you want, and just play the notes separately, but it sounds way better with the pull-off.
The third line is played almost exactly like the first, with the exception of a few melody notes. What a difference a couple of notes can make! When you play the song at speed, the audience will most likely have no idea you are just repeating the first line, even if they are seasoned guitarists.
The first half of the fourth line is very similar to the first half of the second line. Lift the middle finger and then hammer it on in the 4th space. Play the C note on the third string by flattening the pinkie. The pull-off that bridges the last two measures is very important. If you leave it out, and play the two notes separately, they will sound much too staccato. Also, they will be harder to play quickly in the right tempo.
The Chorus has a lively, up-tempo melody-- so lively in fact, that it seems to go faster than the verse. It’s an illusion. Both are played at exactly the same speed. The second and third notes of the first six measures are grace notes, forming a counterpoint to the melody and giving it drive.
In the fourth measure of the chorus’ first line, switch to a GIII chord, even though you’re only playing a single note. There’s a reason for this. It’s easier to make the change from the C chord here than in the beginning of the next measure, giving just a bit more time to reach the full barre chord.
In the next line, the C/GIII is played exactly like a normal CIII, except that the bass string is fretted by the barring index finger, and the resulting G note is allowed to sound. You could play it as a normal, five-string chord, but the lead note would not be a G. This is not exactly vital, but it’s so easy to do it right. The only difficulty is a rather weird-looking chord name. Read it as, “C with a G bass, barre three.” Some prefer to call it, “C over G,” or even “C slash G.” There are other ways to play this chord, but they don’t sound right, in this spot.
Hold that chord for four measures. This would be difficult if you really had to barre all six strings, but in fact, only the first string and the last two strings actually need to be barred. The rest are part of a barred A-shape, so you’re never actually barring more than three strings at a time. Finger pick the second string notes with the middle finger, and the first string notes with the ring finger of the right hand, and play the notes on the sixth and fifth strings with the thumb. Not only is this the easiest way to play it, but it accents the counterpoint.
The chord change to GIII is easy. Just leave the barre in place and change from an A-shape to an
E-shape. In the last measure of the line, lift the whole hand off the strings when you play the first string open, and then fret the F in the first space lightly with the index finger. The idea is to be ready for the quick chord change to C in the next measure.
In the second measure of the last line, the notes on the fifth and fourth strings (C and E) are grace notes. The final note is a repeat of the partial measure that begins the song. When you return to the beginning of the song for the next verse, ignore that partial measure, and go right into the second measure of the first line.
Play as many verses and you like, but on the last time around, use the final two measures. You’ll have to fret the D in the third space, second string with the pinkie, then quickly move it to the sixth string, third space. Omit the pull-off on the second string. Strumming the C/G chord UP gives you a little more time for the finger dancing, resolves with a bass note, and just sounds all-around cool.
The solution is to play the song at about half speed at first. Practice until you can play the whole piece at a regular tempo from memory. THEN work on speed. Please trust me on this. You really need to go slowly at first on this piece, even though many parts may seem simple and easy.
I have tabbed some of the chords as pinches, and others as strums, but there’s no specific rule about this. If you feel like playing all pinches, all strums, or changing them up differently than the way I have tabbed them, go ahead.
The last two measures in the first line are a little bit “tricky”. To get the melody notes out of the F chord, you have to lift the middle finger and replace it, then lift the barring index finger in the last measure, and replace it. With a bit of practice, you should be able to do it quite fast, and in perfect tempo, but it does feel a bit odd at first.
The second note in the second line is a grace note (not part of the melody). It is inserted to help the rhythm. Fret the next note, on the 3rd string, by briefly flattening the left pinkie while playing the note. You must immediately correct this flattened condition, in order to play the next note, on the 2nd string. Fret the last note of the second measure (E) on the 2nd string, 5th fret, with the left pinkie. I know, it’s easier to just play the 1st string open, but that makes for a significantly harder transition to the next note played on the 2nd string, 6th fret. You’re going to have to fret that one with the pinkie anyway-- no other way to do it. So, you might as well play the E with the pinkie too. You can leave out the following pull-off if you want, and just play the notes separately, but it sounds way better with the pull-off.
The third line is played almost exactly like the first, with the exception of a few melody notes. What a difference a couple of notes can make! When you play the song at speed, the audience will most likely have no idea you are just repeating the first line, even if they are seasoned guitarists.
The first half of the fourth line is very similar to the first half of the second line. Lift the middle finger and then hammer it on in the 4th space. Play the C note on the third string by flattening the pinkie. The pull-off that bridges the last two measures is very important. If you leave it out, and play the two notes separately, they will sound much too staccato. Also, they will be harder to play quickly in the right tempo.
The Chorus has a lively, up-tempo melody-- so lively in fact, that it seems to go faster than the verse. It’s an illusion. Both are played at exactly the same speed. The second and third notes of the first six measures are grace notes, forming a counterpoint to the melody and giving it drive.
In the fourth measure of the chorus’ first line, switch to a GIII chord, even though you’re only playing a single note. There’s a reason for this. It’s easier to make the change from the C chord here than in the beginning of the next measure, giving just a bit more time to reach the full barre chord.
In the next line, the C/GIII is played exactly like a normal CIII, except that the bass string is fretted by the barring index finger, and the resulting G note is allowed to sound. You could play it as a normal, five-string chord, but the lead note would not be a G. This is not exactly vital, but it’s so easy to do it right. The only difficulty is a rather weird-looking chord name. Read it as, “C with a G bass, barre three.” Some prefer to call it, “C over G,” or even “C slash G.” There are other ways to play this chord, but they don’t sound right, in this spot.
Hold that chord for four measures. This would be difficult if you really had to barre all six strings, but in fact, only the first string and the last two strings actually need to be barred. The rest are part of a barred A-shape, so you’re never actually barring more than three strings at a time. Finger pick the second string notes with the middle finger, and the first string notes with the ring finger of the right hand, and play the notes on the sixth and fifth strings with the thumb. Not only is this the easiest way to play it, but it accents the counterpoint.
The chord change to GIII is easy. Just leave the barre in place and change from an A-shape to an
E-shape. In the last measure of the line, lift the whole hand off the strings when you play the first string open, and then fret the F in the first space lightly with the index finger. The idea is to be ready for the quick chord change to C in the next measure.
In the second measure of the last line, the notes on the fifth and fourth strings (C and E) are grace notes. The final note is a repeat of the partial measure that begins the song. When you return to the beginning of the song for the next verse, ignore that partial measure, and go right into the second measure of the first line.
Play as many verses and you like, but on the last time around, use the final two measures. You’ll have to fret the D in the third space, second string with the pinkie, then quickly move it to the sixth string, third space. Omit the pull-off on the second string. Strumming the C/G chord UP gives you a little more time for the finger dancing, resolves with a bass note, and just sounds all-around cool.
Easter Medley: a duet for piano and guitar
This is an original arrangement for piano and classical guitar, by Joanne Niewinski and me. We played it last year in our ward’s Easter Sacrament Meeting. Some of the ward leaders resisted having a guitar perform in such a holy setting, until we challenged them to show us the handbook’s ban on guitars. There never was such a ban, of course, Mormon legends to the contrary notwithstanding. As Michael Moody said, speaking as Church General Music Director, “We are an international church and do not discriminate against any instrument or musical tradition, as long as the sacred character of the Sacrament is preserved.”
For those who would like to try an ambitious project like this, I am including both my guitar part and Sister Niewinski’s piano part, (with her kind permission.) I'm sorry the piano part didn't scan well, but it is playable. It is a medley of “He Is Risen,” and “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today.” Both sound very good as a piano-guitar duet, and are in the key of C, an easy one for both instruments.
It’s intended to be an instrumental duet; the words are only included for reference. The music goes faster than it would if it were sung. Even with all three verses of “He Is Risen,” a complete verse of “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today,” a four-bar introduction, several reprises, and a finale, it barely occupies three minutes of time. Feel free to lengthen the introduction and finale, add more verses, or make other changes, if you wish.
I played my Cervantes classical guitar, with high-tension D’Addario strings, and used a regular, Church microphone on a boom, playing through the chapel sound system, which was set a notch louder than usual. The piano was not amplified. The sound balance was good, but I had to place the microphone right at the sound hole, very close to the strings, which made playing around the microphone rather awkward. It would have been possible with a straight microphone stand, but really clumsy. The boom helped a lot. A guitar mic or acoustic pickup would have solved the problem perfectly, but I couldn’t find one that would interface with the Church’s sound system. If I’d had a “stand-alone” sound system, designed for a guitar, I’d have used it.
At the end of the Guitar Coda, the meter changes briefly to 2/4, so the last two counts of the measure can be dropped. We go right into the beginning of “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today,” dropping the last syllable of “vic-tor-y.” We did this to create some musical tension, which we resolved by bringing the piano in for the “alleluyah” at the end of the line. We tried bringing the piano in at the beginning of the line, but it sounded like the pianist came in early by mistake.
There are lots of ligados-- hammer-ons, pull-offs, and slides. They make a nice contrast to the more staccato piano. Most of the ligados are simple, but in a few places, there are several in a row. The trickiest part is in the last line on page two, where you have three ligados, a fast bass run, then a complex riff in the last measure. The hard part is the timing. Some of the notes are eighth-notes, while others are quarter-notes. Remember to count: “ONE-and-TWO-and-THREE-and-FOUR-and” for every measure, paying attention to which notes fall on the counting numbers and which fall on the “ands”.
The piano part in the third verse is lighter and more delicate than most piano music played in church. It sounds a bit like a music box. The guitar just plays rhythm here, hence the strummed chords. Where the piano plays loud in the last line of the verse (“Death is conquer’d, man is free”), the guitar needs to be as loud as possible (ff, or fortissimo), or the piano will drown it out. The rest of the line can be a little less forte, but still moderately loud (mf, or mezzo-forte).
After the piano and guitar each take a solo on the same line, the finale is played together. We used these multiple repetitions to drive home the message that “Christ has won the victory,” which is the whole point of Easter. Even though the words were not sung, the congregation heard them in their heads, and got the point.
The two parts diverge musically in the finale, then reunite for the final chord, which both instruments sound simultaneously. Do whatever it takes to make it simultaneous. The slightest error in timing will be obvious. Hold the chord for two full measures, if possible. Unless you have an electric guitar, you will not be able to sustain the chord as long as the piano. It’s important that guitarist and pianist damp or release the chord at the exact same instant. If not, it will sound like you were competing for the longest hold. (And the piano won.)
We performed this duet as the climax of the Easter Sacrament Meeting, just before the closing prayer, and not as an instrumental “rest hymn” in the middle of the service. It was a wonderful, spiritual experience for everyone. Even those who had resisted having a guitar in Sacrament Meeting loved it. Several came up to me afterwards and admitted their prejudice. Only then did I learn that one of them had been the bishop.
For those who would like to try an ambitious project like this, I am including both my guitar part and Sister Niewinski’s piano part, (with her kind permission.) I'm sorry the piano part didn't scan well, but it is playable. It is a medley of “He Is Risen,” and “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today.” Both sound very good as a piano-guitar duet, and are in the key of C, an easy one for both instruments.
It’s intended to be an instrumental duet; the words are only included for reference. The music goes faster than it would if it were sung. Even with all three verses of “He Is Risen,” a complete verse of “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today,” a four-bar introduction, several reprises, and a finale, it barely occupies three minutes of time. Feel free to lengthen the introduction and finale, add more verses, or make other changes, if you wish.
I played my Cervantes classical guitar, with high-tension D’Addario strings, and used a regular, Church microphone on a boom, playing through the chapel sound system, which was set a notch louder than usual. The piano was not amplified. The sound balance was good, but I had to place the microphone right at the sound hole, very close to the strings, which made playing around the microphone rather awkward. It would have been possible with a straight microphone stand, but really clumsy. The boom helped a lot. A guitar mic or acoustic pickup would have solved the problem perfectly, but I couldn’t find one that would interface with the Church’s sound system. If I’d had a “stand-alone” sound system, designed for a guitar, I’d have used it.
At the end of the Guitar Coda, the meter changes briefly to 2/4, so the last two counts of the measure can be dropped. We go right into the beginning of “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today,” dropping the last syllable of “vic-tor-y.” We did this to create some musical tension, which we resolved by bringing the piano in for the “alleluyah” at the end of the line. We tried bringing the piano in at the beginning of the line, but it sounded like the pianist came in early by mistake.
There are lots of ligados-- hammer-ons, pull-offs, and slides. They make a nice contrast to the more staccato piano. Most of the ligados are simple, but in a few places, there are several in a row. The trickiest part is in the last line on page two, where you have three ligados, a fast bass run, then a complex riff in the last measure. The hard part is the timing. Some of the notes are eighth-notes, while others are quarter-notes. Remember to count: “ONE-and-TWO-and-THREE-and-FOUR-and” for every measure, paying attention to which notes fall on the counting numbers and which fall on the “ands”.
The piano part in the third verse is lighter and more delicate than most piano music played in church. It sounds a bit like a music box. The guitar just plays rhythm here, hence the strummed chords. Where the piano plays loud in the last line of the verse (“Death is conquer’d, man is free”), the guitar needs to be as loud as possible (ff, or fortissimo), or the piano will drown it out. The rest of the line can be a little less forte, but still moderately loud (mf, or mezzo-forte).
After the piano and guitar each take a solo on the same line, the finale is played together. We used these multiple repetitions to drive home the message that “Christ has won the victory,” which is the whole point of Easter. Even though the words were not sung, the congregation heard them in their heads, and got the point.
The two parts diverge musically in the finale, then reunite for the final chord, which both instruments sound simultaneously. Do whatever it takes to make it simultaneous. The slightest error in timing will be obvious. Hold the chord for two full measures, if possible. Unless you have an electric guitar, you will not be able to sustain the chord as long as the piano. It’s important that guitarist and pianist damp or release the chord at the exact same instant. If not, it will sound like you were competing for the longest hold. (And the piano won.)
We performed this duet as the climax of the Easter Sacrament Meeting, just before the closing prayer, and not as an instrumental “rest hymn” in the middle of the service. It was a wonderful, spiritual experience for everyone. Even those who had resisted having a guitar in Sacrament Meeting loved it. Several came up to me afterwards and admitted their prejudice. Only then did I learn that one of them had been the bishop.
Beautiful Savior
ABOUT THE SONG:
For such a well-beloved old hymn, there is remarkably little agreement about any part of this song. The title, lyrics, composer(s), lyricist(s), English translator(s), even the authenticity of the score are all hotly disputed. Legend has it The Crusaders’ Hymn was sung by German Crusaders on their way to the Holy Land. But no one has established which of the nine Crusades (spanning three centuries) is meant, much less documented the legend. Others attribute the original German lyrics to 17th Century German Jesuits, three or four centuries later.
Most Protestants call it Fairest Lord Jesus, and most Catholics call it The Crusaders’ Hymn, but Lutherans and Mormons call it Beautiful Savior, and use different lyrics. All versions refer to the Son of God and Son of Man, whose beauty and purity exceed those of all natural phenomena. But there is little or no agreement on specifics. Due to the multiplicity of “original German sources,” it is perfectly possible that all those claiming to be the “original” translator are correct!
The music itself is cited as an old, Silesian folksong, in a German text published in 1842, while the Crusades lasted from 1095 to 1291. Eight centuries is plenty of time for a hymn to give rise to a folksong, or vice-versa. No one truly knows which came first. To further muddy the water, the first English translation was published in 1677, almost two centuries before the “original” German text that it was translated from! Nevertheless, we know that the English version is not the original, as it is listed as a translation in its earliest extant version. That may be the only fact about this beautiful, old hymn that can be stated without dispute.
ABOUT THE CHORDS:
I arranged this song at the request of my daughter Thora. It will stretch your hands. If you are not up to that, you can dumb it down and sing the melody. To facilitate this, I’ve left it in the key of D, as published in The Children’s Songbook. If you are accompanying vocalists, substitute D, A, and G for the relevant barre chords, and it becomes a very easy song to play. You can strum the chords, or use a pattern pick. Play all the chords listed, including those in brackets.
To include the melody and all the cool harmonies in your solo, play it as written. Played this way, it is not a song for beginners, but it’s not as hard as it looks. True, there are seventeen chords, and some of them look rather strange, but five are common chords you already know, or very slight variations. For example, D/A is just a regular D chord, but you play the open A string, too. Read it as, “D, A bass.”
Of the rest, nine are slight variations of barred E, barred A, and barred Am, chord shapes you probably already know if you are used to playing barre chords. A#dim and A7II are less common, but are simple, two-finger chords. There is really only one difficult chord, called DII, but also called D/F#II. Read these as D (barred at the second fret), and D, F# bass (barred at the second fret). They are really the same chord; the only difference being whether or not you play the #6 string. This chord is a barred C shape, which is a tough chord shape for many people to master. It is not by any means impossible, though, and its full, rich sound makes it very important in nearly all music genres.
PLAYING INSTRUCTIONS:
To minimize finger dancing, I begin the Intro by barring at the tenth fret, but you don’t have to if it’s not comfortable. Steel-string guitars have two “extra” frets on the neck, which makes this much easier. If you have large hands and a classical guitar, it may be easier to play the notes as written, or invent an intro of your own. There is nothing “official” about introductions; you can use whatever you like. You may even wish to use the coda (the underlined measures on the last page) as an introduction. If you do, the actual coda at the end becomes a reprise of the intro, which is a cool way to end a song.
At the end of the second line, after playing A7II, lift the whole hand off the strings when you play the open E string. This gives you time to move up the neck for the upcoming DX. This chord makes the fingering way easy: all changes can be made by flattening and un-flattening the pinky. There are other ways to play these notes, but this way minimizes chord changes. The last measure of the third line includes an [A] in lightface type. If you are playing the tab, just ignore it, as the necessary notes are in the tab. But if you are strumming accompaniment, you should play the [A], and the following [A7], or it will sound wrong.
At the end of the line, lift the whole left hand from the strings while playing the open E string. This gives you more time to move to the fifth fret, easing the chord change to AV. The mordant (--5_7_5--) in the next measure sets up the transition to the following DV. There’s no slick way to make the change to EmVII in the middle of the next measure, but the change from a barred A shape to a barred Am shape is not a difficult one. The only tricky part is doing so while moving up the neck two frets. Remember to lift the fingers from the fretboard slightly while changing, or the slide will be audible.
In the first line of page two, make the same changes in reverse, ending the line with a regular D. I tried using DV, to minimize the change from AV, but it just doesn’t sound the same. D also eases the chord changes at the beginning of the next line. The D probably will not sustain for the full measure, unless you are playing an electric guitar. Use the [rest] at the end of the measure to start the change to D/F#II. This chord is a barred C shape, played at the second fret, allowing the #6 string to sound. Read it as, “D, F# bass”. You can substitute a D/AV (DV, allowing the open A string to sound), which many find easier, and sounds almost as good. Try it both ways, and decide for yourself. The barred C shape is a difficult one to master, but worth the effort. This song is all about gorgeous harmonies; if you dumb it down, you cheat yourself and your audience.
At the beginning of the fourth line, hold the AV as long as possible, while fretting the G note on the 2nd string with the pinky. That converts the chord into an A7, an interesting resolve to the preceding phrase. Starting in the next measure, there's another one of those barred C shapes. This time, it actually makes the transition to the following BmII easier. I have added arpeggios between the next, strummed chords. Playing the arpeggios with the thumb gives a soft sound. Slow down a bit for emphasis.
The coda (the underlined measures) will sound faster, because you are playing eight notes to the bar, but the tempo doesn’t really change at all. Play the chord and the first two notes at the beginning of each measure with the thumb, then pluck the treble strings with the fingers. The slides, hammer-ons, and pull-offs add even more variety. You could play all the D chords in the coda the same way, as a regular D, but starting at the fifth fret and working down to the regular D lends a sense of closure that would otherwise be lacking. In the next-to-last measure, you will have to release the A chord to do the hammer-ons. Slow down for emphasis, and hold the final D chord as long as you can. Stunning!
For such a well-beloved old hymn, there is remarkably little agreement about any part of this song. The title, lyrics, composer(s), lyricist(s), English translator(s), even the authenticity of the score are all hotly disputed. Legend has it The Crusaders’ Hymn was sung by German Crusaders on their way to the Holy Land. But no one has established which of the nine Crusades (spanning three centuries) is meant, much less documented the legend. Others attribute the original German lyrics to 17th Century German Jesuits, three or four centuries later.
Most Protestants call it Fairest Lord Jesus, and most Catholics call it The Crusaders’ Hymn, but Lutherans and Mormons call it Beautiful Savior, and use different lyrics. All versions refer to the Son of God and Son of Man, whose beauty and purity exceed those of all natural phenomena. But there is little or no agreement on specifics. Due to the multiplicity of “original German sources,” it is perfectly possible that all those claiming to be the “original” translator are correct!
The music itself is cited as an old, Silesian folksong, in a German text published in 1842, while the Crusades lasted from 1095 to 1291. Eight centuries is plenty of time for a hymn to give rise to a folksong, or vice-versa. No one truly knows which came first. To further muddy the water, the first English translation was published in 1677, almost two centuries before the “original” German text that it was translated from! Nevertheless, we know that the English version is not the original, as it is listed as a translation in its earliest extant version. That may be the only fact about this beautiful, old hymn that can be stated without dispute.
ABOUT THE CHORDS:
I arranged this song at the request of my daughter Thora. It will stretch your hands. If you are not up to that, you can dumb it down and sing the melody. To facilitate this, I’ve left it in the key of D, as published in The Children’s Songbook. If you are accompanying vocalists, substitute D, A, and G for the relevant barre chords, and it becomes a very easy song to play. You can strum the chords, or use a pattern pick. Play all the chords listed, including those in brackets.
To include the melody and all the cool harmonies in your solo, play it as written. Played this way, it is not a song for beginners, but it’s not as hard as it looks. True, there are seventeen chords, and some of them look rather strange, but five are common chords you already know, or very slight variations. For example, D/A is just a regular D chord, but you play the open A string, too. Read it as, “D, A bass.”
Of the rest, nine are slight variations of barred E, barred A, and barred Am, chord shapes you probably already know if you are used to playing barre chords. A#dim and A7II are less common, but are simple, two-finger chords. There is really only one difficult chord, called DII, but also called D/F#II. Read these as D (barred at the second fret), and D, F# bass (barred at the second fret). They are really the same chord; the only difference being whether or not you play the #6 string. This chord is a barred C shape, which is a tough chord shape for many people to master. It is not by any means impossible, though, and its full, rich sound makes it very important in nearly all music genres.
PLAYING INSTRUCTIONS:
To minimize finger dancing, I begin the Intro by barring at the tenth fret, but you don’t have to if it’s not comfortable. Steel-string guitars have two “extra” frets on the neck, which makes this much easier. If you have large hands and a classical guitar, it may be easier to play the notes as written, or invent an intro of your own. There is nothing “official” about introductions; you can use whatever you like. You may even wish to use the coda (the underlined measures on the last page) as an introduction. If you do, the actual coda at the end becomes a reprise of the intro, which is a cool way to end a song.
At the end of the second line, after playing A7II, lift the whole hand off the strings when you play the open E string. This gives you time to move up the neck for the upcoming DX. This chord makes the fingering way easy: all changes can be made by flattening and un-flattening the pinky. There are other ways to play these notes, but this way minimizes chord changes. The last measure of the third line includes an [A] in lightface type. If you are playing the tab, just ignore it, as the necessary notes are in the tab. But if you are strumming accompaniment, you should play the [A], and the following [A7], or it will sound wrong.
At the end of the line, lift the whole left hand from the strings while playing the open E string. This gives you more time to move to the fifth fret, easing the chord change to AV. The mordant (--5_7_5--) in the next measure sets up the transition to the following DV. There’s no slick way to make the change to EmVII in the middle of the next measure, but the change from a barred A shape to a barred Am shape is not a difficult one. The only tricky part is doing so while moving up the neck two frets. Remember to lift the fingers from the fretboard slightly while changing, or the slide will be audible.
In the first line of page two, make the same changes in reverse, ending the line with a regular D. I tried using DV, to minimize the change from AV, but it just doesn’t sound the same. D also eases the chord changes at the beginning of the next line. The D probably will not sustain for the full measure, unless you are playing an electric guitar. Use the [rest] at the end of the measure to start the change to D/F#II. This chord is a barred C shape, played at the second fret, allowing the #6 string to sound. Read it as, “D, F# bass”. You can substitute a D/AV (DV, allowing the open A string to sound), which many find easier, and sounds almost as good. Try it both ways, and decide for yourself. The barred C shape is a difficult one to master, but worth the effort. This song is all about gorgeous harmonies; if you dumb it down, you cheat yourself and your audience.
At the beginning of the fourth line, hold the AV as long as possible, while fretting the G note on the 2nd string with the pinky. That converts the chord into an A7, an interesting resolve to the preceding phrase. Starting in the next measure, there's another one of those barred C shapes. This time, it actually makes the transition to the following BmII easier. I have added arpeggios between the next, strummed chords. Playing the arpeggios with the thumb gives a soft sound. Slow down a bit for emphasis.
The coda (the underlined measures) will sound faster, because you are playing eight notes to the bar, but the tempo doesn’t really change at all. Play the chord and the first two notes at the beginning of each measure with the thumb, then pluck the treble strings with the fingers. The slides, hammer-ons, and pull-offs add even more variety. You could play all the D chords in the coda the same way, as a regular D, but starting at the fifth fret and working down to the regular D lends a sense of closure that would otherwise be lacking. In the next-to-last measure, you will have to release the A chord to do the hammer-ons. Slow down for emphasis, and hold the final D chord as long as you can. Stunning!
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