This is not an easy one, but it’s pretty, and that’s excuse enough. It’s got hard, unusual chords, difficult chord changes, and a most unusual time signature. I can’t remember ever playing anything in 6/4 time before. Fortunately, that’s the easiest part. You play it just like 6/8 time, except at half speed. The song, as written for choral singing, is even slower. I’ve speeded it up by nearly fifty percent for the guitar solo. It still sounds slow and deliberate, but it doesn’t d-r-a-g.
The faster speed does make the difficult chord transitions even more difficult, as they have to be done quickly. For all the above reasons, I’ve classified this song as “advanced.” If you’re at home with barre chords, especially with barred C-shape chords, you won’t find this piece especially hard. There are two of them: FV and GVII. Both need to be reached in a single, quick motion: the FV from a normal C chord, and the GVII from a GIII. Neither is easy to accomplish quickly, without lots of practice. If you are an advanced player, you will already have done this practice. Most intermediate players are not used to this chord shape. But if you are an intermediate player, and want to move up, this is a good song to learn on, as it’ll force you to learn to hit the chord in a single motion, without any “finger dancing.”
If you look closely at the tab or the chord charts, you will see that there are three different G chords used in this song, and three different G7 chords. Please do use all of them. They have different sounds, and relate to different harmonies and different chord progressions. None of them should be particularly difficult for an intermediate or advanced player.
Please note that this tab is for the tune name HANCOCK, as shown in Hymns #177, and will not work for the tune name MEREDITH (Hymns #176). I can’t recall ever having heard #176 actually sung in church. The lyrics are the same, but the melodies are very different, and have different composers.
Ebenezer Beesley (1840-1906), who composed this tune, was a prolific writer and composer. He was a handcart pioneer who emigrated to Utah from England with his family. In 1880 he became the director of the Tabernacle Choir. Besides this hymn, there are eleven others of his compositions in the current English language LDS Church 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”
185 “Reverently and Meekly Now”
232 “Let Us Oft Speak Kind Words”
280 “Welcome, Welcome, Sabbath Morning”
282 “We Meet Again in Sabbath School”.
George A. Manwaring (1854-1889), the lyricist for this hymn, often collaborated with Beesley. They had much in common. Both were pioneers, British emigrés, polygamists, early Tabarnacle Choir members, and prolific hymn writers. A more extensive biography of Manwaring can be found attached to the posting for “Lord, We Ask Thee Ere We Part”.
Showing posts with label unusual time signature. Show all posts
Showing posts with label unusual time signature. Show all posts
Come, Ye Disconsolate
Don’t confuse this hymn with “Where Can I Turn for Peace?” which it strongly resembles, both musically and in sentiment. I’ll tab that one next time. If you do sometimes confuse them, pat yourself on the back. They are not even in the same key, which means you are transposing one or both of them in your head, consciously or not.
This guitar arrangement is in three verses of varying difficulty.
Moore’s original lyrics for the second and third verses were somewhat different:
Joy of the desolate, light of the straying,
Hope when all others die, fadeless and pure;
Here speaks the Comforter, in God’s name saying,
“Earth has no sorrow that Heaven cannot cure.”
Come, ask the infidel what boon he brings us,
What charm for aching hearts he can reveal,
Sweet is that heavenly promise Hope sings us
“Earth has no sorrow that God cannot heal.”
Beginners
I have transposed the song into the key of C for easier playing. You may still find the introduction difficult to play. If so, just leave it out. It’s not in the original piano music.
If you are a beginner, just play the first verse. It does include a barred F chord. If you are not comfortable with barre chords, you can substitute either a traditional four-string F or a five-string F. It won’t sound bad, but I don’t recommend it, just because this song is such a perfect vehicle for learning to play barre chords. There aren’t many of them, and the tempo is slow and deliberate, allowing plenty of time for the unfamiliar chord change. This barred-E chord shape is the most frequently-used barre chord in just about every kind of music. It provides instant access to other barred chords with the same chord shape. That’s TEN major chords just by moving the barre. Plus, you can easily convert any of these chords to a minor, a seventh, or a minor seventh, just by lifting up a finger or two. That’s ten major chords, ten minor chords, ten seventh chords, and ten minor sevenths, for a total of FORTY new chords, all for the price of learning just one! And THAT’S why serious guitarists all learn to play barre chords.
Look at the chord chart. The index finger is supposed to barre, or fret, all six strings of the guitar, in the space between the nut and the first fret. This spot is properly called “First Position”, but most guitarists call it “the first fret.” Don’t be fooled. You still have to put your finger between the frets, just as you would do if you were only fretting one string. It may be hard to fret all six strings with the side of your index finger at the same time, so that all six sound clearly. Not to worry! Here are some tricks to make it easier:
1. You only have to fret the first two strings (high e, and B) and the last string (low E) with the index finger. The other three strings will be fretted individually by the middle, ring, and little fingers, so don’t worry about those strings yet. Your barring finger will cover them, but you need not get those spots perfectly.
2. It’s easier to practice barre chords higher up on the neck, where the frets are closer together. Try practicing with the barre at the fifth fret, until you can do the chord well, then move your hand back to First Position.
3. If the barred strings don’t sound clear, pressing harder probably won’t help. There’s a “sweet spot” on your barring finger where you can fret the necessary strings without much effort. LEARN THAT SWEET SPOT, and barre chords will be easy for you.
4. Once you’ve found your sweet spot, use the other three fingers to fret the other three strings. They go in exactly the spots where you would play an E chord, if you were using a capo instead of your finger. It will feel a little strange at first, because you are used to using different fingers to fret the E chord. But that’s the only difference.
5. If it’s still hard for you, try simplifying by playing an Em instead of an E. This actually gives you an Fm chord, which won’t sound right in this song. So, once you can do it, add the middle finger back in where it belongs. As with most guitar problems, lots of practice is the real secret to success.
Intermediate to advanced guitarists:
The second and third verses contain more barre chords and rapid chord changes than the first verse. The chords should be self-explanatory for regular readers of this blog, except for F*, which is simply a normal F chord, with the C note added on the 5th string in the third space. You can certainly substitute a full-barre FI chord, if you wish. I use the five-string version to speed up the chord change.
You will probably want to include the intro, which is a slightly modified version of the last line. The only hard part is being fast and accurate in the lengthy slide from 3rd position to 12th. It may take some practice, but it’s worth it.
That’s it. Enjoy!
This guitar arrangement is in three verses of varying difficulty.
Moore’s original lyrics for the second and third verses were somewhat different:
Joy of the desolate, light of the straying,
Hope when all others die, fadeless and pure;
Here speaks the Comforter, in God’s name saying,
“Earth has no sorrow that Heaven cannot cure.”
Come, ask the infidel what boon he brings us,
What charm for aching hearts he can reveal,
Sweet is that heavenly promise Hope sings us
“Earth has no sorrow that God cannot heal.”
Beginners
I have transposed the song into the key of C for easier playing. You may still find the introduction difficult to play. If so, just leave it out. It’s not in the original piano music.
If you are a beginner, just play the first verse. It does include a barred F chord. If you are not comfortable with barre chords, you can substitute either a traditional four-string F or a five-string F. It won’t sound bad, but I don’t recommend it, just because this song is such a perfect vehicle for learning to play barre chords. There aren’t many of them, and the tempo is slow and deliberate, allowing plenty of time for the unfamiliar chord change. This barred-E chord shape is the most frequently-used barre chord in just about every kind of music. It provides instant access to other barred chords with the same chord shape. That’s TEN major chords just by moving the barre. Plus, you can easily convert any of these chords to a minor, a seventh, or a minor seventh, just by lifting up a finger or two. That’s ten major chords, ten minor chords, ten seventh chords, and ten minor sevenths, for a total of FORTY new chords, all for the price of learning just one! And THAT’S why serious guitarists all learn to play barre chords.
Look at the chord chart. The index finger is supposed to barre, or fret, all six strings of the guitar, in the space between the nut and the first fret. This spot is properly called “First Position”, but most guitarists call it “the first fret.” Don’t be fooled. You still have to put your finger between the frets, just as you would do if you were only fretting one string. It may be hard to fret all six strings with the side of your index finger at the same time, so that all six sound clearly. Not to worry! Here are some tricks to make it easier:
1. You only have to fret the first two strings (high e, and B) and the last string (low E) with the index finger. The other three strings will be fretted individually by the middle, ring, and little fingers, so don’t worry about those strings yet. Your barring finger will cover them, but you need not get those spots perfectly.
2. It’s easier to practice barre chords higher up on the neck, where the frets are closer together. Try practicing with the barre at the fifth fret, until you can do the chord well, then move your hand back to First Position.
3. If the barred strings don’t sound clear, pressing harder probably won’t help. There’s a “sweet spot” on your barring finger where you can fret the necessary strings without much effort. LEARN THAT SWEET SPOT, and barre chords will be easy for you.
4. Once you’ve found your sweet spot, use the other three fingers to fret the other three strings. They go in exactly the spots where you would play an E chord, if you were using a capo instead of your finger. It will feel a little strange at first, because you are used to using different fingers to fret the E chord. But that’s the only difference.
5. If it’s still hard for you, try simplifying by playing an Em instead of an E. This actually gives you an Fm chord, which won’t sound right in this song. So, once you can do it, add the middle finger back in where it belongs. As with most guitar problems, lots of practice is the real secret to success.
Intermediate to advanced guitarists:
The second and third verses contain more barre chords and rapid chord changes than the first verse. The chords should be self-explanatory for regular readers of this blog, except for F*, which is simply a normal F chord, with the C note added on the 5th string in the third space. You can certainly substitute a full-barre FI chord, if you wish. I use the five-string version to speed up the chord change.
You will probably want to include the intro, which is a slightly modified version of the last line. The only hard part is being fast and accurate in the lengthy slide from 3rd position to 12th. It may take some practice, but it’s worth it.
That’s it. Enjoy!
Praise to the Man
This is about as easy as it gets! The only thing even faintly scary about this song is the F/C chord. Read that, "F with a C bass," and you won't be scared. It's just a normal F chord, but you add the C on the 5th string, third space, with your pinkie, to follow the melody. Or, if you are already comfortable with barre chords, just play the full-barre F, but avoid the #6 string. If you really are a beginner, just play a regular, four-string F, but it won't sound quite as good.
There are also pull-offs in measures # 3, 11, and 27. These are easy to do. Fret the second string in the first space (C) with your index finger, and simultaneously in the third space (D) with your pinkie. When you pluck the string with your right hand, only the D will sound, of course. Leaving the index finger in place, pull the pinkie off the string, so it plucks the string again, sounding the C. This produces a legato sound, (search "ligado" on this blog), and also allows you to play the two-note sequence much faster than you otherwise could.
The song was originally written in 2/4 time, but I have re-cast it in 4/8. There is actually no difference, except that it's easier to count in eighth notes. The metronome setting has therefore been increased to 132. To be perfectly faithful to the piano music in the hymnal, it should have been somewhere between 152 - 192, but this just sounds too fast to me. If you are accompanying a singer, 132 would probably be too slow, but if you are playing it as a guitar solo, the speed is not terribly important, anyway.
Both the tune and the lyrics are in the public domain.
There are also pull-offs in measures # 3, 11, and 27. These are easy to do. Fret the second string in the first space (C) with your index finger, and simultaneously in the third space (D) with your pinkie. When you pluck the string with your right hand, only the D will sound, of course. Leaving the index finger in place, pull the pinkie off the string, so it plucks the string again, sounding the C. This produces a legato sound, (search "ligado" on this blog), and also allows you to play the two-note sequence much faster than you otherwise could.
The song was originally written in 2/4 time, but I have re-cast it in 4/8. There is actually no difference, except that it's easier to count in eighth notes. The metronome setting has therefore been increased to 132. To be perfectly faithful to the piano music in the hymnal, it should have been somewhere between 152 - 192, but this just sounds too fast to me. If you are accompanying a singer, 132 would probably be too slow, but if you are playing it as a guitar solo, the speed is not terribly important, anyway.
Both the tune and the lyrics are in the public domain.
Before Thee Lord, I Bow My Head
One of the easiest tabs I've ever done. Everything's easy enough for beginners, except the time signature, but I've written out the count below the words. This is actually easier to play on the guitar than it is to sing! Nevertheless, it's fun to play.
The only slightly unusual chord is the D/A, (pronounced, "D, with an A bass"), which just means you strum five strings, instead of only four, allowing the open A string to sound. It's fretted exactly the same as a normal D chord.
If you find the hammer-ons and pull-offs too hard, you can just leave them out. But I strongly urge you to try them. They're not really hard, and they give the faster part of the song a different sound.
There are no "extra" notes. In fact, I've simplified it a bit, to make it easier to play on the guitar. This hymn is in the public domain, though the author and composer died in the year I was born.
The only slightly unusual chord is the D/A, (pronounced, "D, with an A bass"), which just means you strum five strings, instead of only four, allowing the open A string to sound. It's fretted exactly the same as a normal D chord.
If you find the hammer-ons and pull-offs too hard, you can just leave them out. But I strongly urge you to try them. They're not really hard, and they give the faster part of the song a different sound.
There are no "extra" notes. In fact, I've simplified it a bit, to make it easier to play on the guitar. This hymn is in the public domain, though the author and composer died in the year I was born.
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