This piece is an etude, a short piece of music designed to teach or practice specific musical techniques. Although one of them is metronome practice, don’t begin with the metronome set at full speed. If you are unfamiliar with the other techniques, it would be better to master them before using the metronome at all.
All the single notes in this song that are not pull-offs or hammer-ons are rest strokes. This is a right hand technique for plucking the strings with the index and middle fingers of the right hand. Instead of plucking the strings away from the fretboard, stroke each string across the neck of the guitar, ending each stroke with the finger resting against the next string. That’s why they are called, “rest strokes.” Alternate the index and middle fingers. In this song, it doesn’t matter which finger you start with, but I prefer the middle finger. Strive for a steady rhythm.
In the third measure, there is a pull-off, shown by an underscore between the 1 and the 0. Play the 1 as a normal rest stroke, but then, instead of plucking the same string with the right hand, pluck it with the left index finger, which is already fretting that string. This give the second note a different tonal quality, making it sound like the two notes are tied together. This tonal quality is called a “ligado,” from the Spanish word for “tied”. Ligados done by pulling the finger off the string like this are called “pull-offs.”
There are other ways to give the ligado sound to a note. The very next note is played by hammering the middle finger of the left hand down onto the G string in the third space. Even though the note is on a different string, a note which is hammered-on like this will still have that ligado sound. Such notes are called “hammer-ons”. In tablature, hammer-ons are often indicated by a lower-case h before the note.
The very next note is another pull-off, played the same way as the previous pull-off. Done in rhythm, this produces a string of four notes that all sound connected. Play them as one continuous phrase, before returning to the rest stroke of the next-to-last note.
The final notes of the line form a D chord. Play the open D string with the right thumb, simultaneously plucking the e, B, and G strings all together to form a chord. You won’t be able to do this as rest strokes. All four strings will have to be plucked away from the fretboard. This type of stroke is called a “free stroke”, because at the end of the stroke, the fingers of the right hand are not touching any strings. When two or more strings are plucked simultaneously in this manner, it is called a “pinch,” because the fingers and thumb naturally come together in a pinching motion. There are only two chords in this piece, and both are pinched, not strummed.
In the first measure of the next line, you have a single rest stroke, followed by two pull-offs in succession. You can accomplish this by fretting the B string in the first and third spaces simultaneously. Then, when you pull off the middle finger, the next note that sounds will be a C, fretted in the first space of the B string. Immediately pull off the index finger too, producing a phrase of three ligado notes.
Adjust your timing so that each note receives the proper count. Where a note is held only half as long as a normal count, the counting number is “&”, pronounced, “and” (very quickly). Hammer-ons and pull-offs usually receive only half a count like this, but not always. In the next measure, the hammered-on note is actually held for two full counts, so you’ll have to hammer it on quite hard, or it won’t sustain for the full two counts.
In the third measure of this second line, there’s another hammer-on on the B string, but it begins with a normal rest stroke, and with the string fretted in the first space, similar to the third measure of the previous line. Then, instead of pulling the note off, hammer the next note onto the already sounding string, using the ring finger of the left hand. Leave the index finger in place in the first space while doing this. Most tab writers would “connect” these two notes by placing a h next to the second one, similar to the way I did in the first line. Instead, I have used an underscore. This may seem confusing at first, and is not standard tab, but it is obvious that a hammer-on is meant, and it shows the connection between the two notes. In classical guitar notation, ALL ligados are shown by a curved line connecting them.
When the B string finishes sounding, remove the ring finger and play the next note as a normal rest stroke, with the index finger still in the first space, pulling it off for the first note of the last measure. Play the next note as a normal rest stroke, then pinch the G chord, playing the open B, G and D strings with the index, middle, and ring fingers of the right hand simultaneously. This is still called a pinch, even though the thumb is not used. You could play all the strings by strumming a full G chord, but you’d have to be mighty quick to make the chord change. I think the pinch on the three open strings sounds just as nice, and it’s LOTS easier.
Once you have mastered these techniques, it’s time to pay more attention to the tempo. For your convenience, I’ve included counting numbers below the staff, though this is not common in tablature. This song is in 4/4 time, meaning that there are four “quarter-note” counts to each measure. The metronome setting listed near the top of the page tells you how many such counts there are per minute, when the song is played at full speed.
I don’t recommend starting at full speed. If you do, you will find it very hard to keep up, and your rhythm will be ragged. Keep practicing with a ragged rhythm, and that’s how you’ll learn it. It will then be devilishly hard to correct your rhythm later. It’s far better to start with the metronome set slow enough that you can play the entire song on the beat. Once you can do so, you will find it surprisingly easy to speed up the metronome, little by little, until you are playing at full speed.
If you are not used to practicing with a metronome, you may find it annoying. This is a dead giveaway that your rhythm is not as steady as it should be. When your rhythm is exactly on the beat, the metronome’s quiet ticks tend to get lost in the music, and your brain stops hearing them.
There are many good, free digital metronomes available online, and some of the best are available for smart phones and tablets.
The Most Famous LDS Composer You’ve Never Heard Of
UPDATE: "LDS Composers" has changed to "Mormon Artists Group". THAT link works.
WARNING: Shameless commercialism ahead. But it’s GOOD.
Every once in a while, you run into a book by an “unknown” author, that’s TONS better than any of the “classic literature” you had to read in school. Very rarely, a truly excellent book may have something to do with music. In fifty years as a writer, editor, and English teacher, I can’t think of a single example of a really dynamite book about a composer, written by another composer. PACO, by Nathan Thatcher, is just such a book. I have no connection with it (wish I did!), and am not selling it, but it’s available from the LDS Composers website, listed in the Links section of this blog. It’s a bio of Paco Estivez, a Spanish convert, who is well-known as a composer in Europe. Reads like a REALLY GOOD novel. I’m hooked.
WARNING: Shameless commercialism ahead. But it’s GOOD.
Every once in a while, you run into a book by an “unknown” author, that’s TONS better than any of the “classic literature” you had to read in school. Very rarely, a truly excellent book may have something to do with music. In fifty years as a writer, editor, and English teacher, I can’t think of a single example of a really dynamite book about a composer, written by another composer. PACO, by Nathan Thatcher, is just such a book. I have no connection with it (wish I did!), and am not selling it, but it’s available from the LDS Composers website, listed in the Links section of this blog. It’s a bio of Paco Estivez, a Spanish convert, who is well-known as a composer in Europe. Reads like a REALLY GOOD novel. I’m hooked.
Cristo ha resucitado
This is CHRIST THE LORD HAS RISEN TODAY, in Spanish, with the chords written in "Sol-fa" format (sometimes called "solmization" in English). Other than that, it's identical to the English version already posted. I just wanted my Spanish-speaking friends to be able to play this cool song.
Christ the Lord Is Risen Today VIDEO LESSON
My first video! Sound leaves a bit to be desired, but it's reasonable, especially if you listen with any sort of headphones. A complete video lesson on how to play this hymn is available by clicking HERE. As always, it is strictly non-commercial. I do not use any cookies, and I do not use, distribute, or sell any user information.
I strongly recommend that you download and print the tablature, so you can follow along while watching the video. Happy Easter!
I strongly recommend that you download and print the tablature, so you can follow along while watching the video. Happy Easter!
Sweet is the Work
The chords:
No hard chords in this song, unless you absolutely cannot play barre chords. If that’s the case, or if you cannot hit the final GIII chord in rhythm, substitute a normal G. It won’t sound quite as good for a final resolution, but it won’t sound bad. Only you will know the difference.
The rest of the chords are just your old friends G, D, D7, and C, with two miniscule exceptions. D/A is just a normal D chord, but you play the open A string, instead of damping or omitting it, as usual. This is important, as the melody depends on this note, but it’s no harder than playing a normal D.
The other exception is GaddD. This is played just like a normal G, except that the second string is fretted in the third space, instead of the first string, which is not played. This is very similar to the hand position required for a normal G, except that it’s actually easier to play! Just be sure not to play the open first string. If this is hard for you, fret the first string in the third space too, and play all six strings. The high G note will distract a bit from the melody, but it’s far better than an open E, which has no place in any G-type chord.
Techniques:
Most of the transitions in this song are quite easy, but there are three spots that can be difficult to play quickly and smoothly, unless you use some easy, but counter-intuitive techniques.
In the transition from measure [3] to measure [4], you can reach the chord more easily if you fret the final note of [3] with your ring finger. This may feel odd, but it positions your ring finger on the correct string for the D chord in the next measure. For this to work, you will have to do the glissando between measures [2] and [3] with your middle finger. It won’t take much practice for you to see that this is a much faster and smoother way to play this riff.
In measure [14], the chord labelled G7 should really be a G, but it’s a lot easier to get to the G7 hand position from the preceding C. Since the first string is not played anyway, it doesn’t really matter. The notes form a G chord anyway. To avoid confusion, I have shown the way to fret the G7 in the chord diagram, but have placed an X instead of a 0 on the first string, to show that it is fretted but not played.
The third sticky spot is the trickiest of the lot. It occurs in measure [15]. To smooth the transition to the barred GIII chord, fret the last note of [15], in the fourth space on the fourth string, with your little finger. This positions it handily on the correct string for the following chord. As you make the barre with your index finger, your little finger will just automatically slide up a fret to the fifth space. It’s counter-intuitive, but it really works. To add a bit of expression, you can even allow the little finger to press on the string as it slides, creating a bit of glissando between the notes.
History:
Isaac Watts, the author of this hymn, was born near London, England, on July 17, 1674. He was a precocious child, studying Latin by the age of four, and “writing respectable verses at the age of seven” according to biographical notes in a later Anglican hymnal. At the age of 24, he became assistant minister of the Independent Church in London. In 1702, he became pastor. He suffered from delicate health all his life, but managed to publish over 800 hymns during his lifetime, as well as books of poetry, treatises, sermons, and tracts. Watts died November 25, 1748. There is a monument to his memory in Westminster Abbey.
“Sweet Is the Work” has been sung to several tunes. This one, called “Douglass,” was composed by John J. McClellan, Jr. (April 20, 1874 – August 2, 1925), while he was serving as chief organist of the Salt Lake Tabernacle. McClellan was born in Payson, Utah. By eleven, he was church organist there. He studied music in the US and Europe, was organist of St. Thomas Catholic Church in Ann Arbor, Michigan, taught music at Brigham Young Academy, forerunner of BYU, and served as pianist for the Salt Lake Opera Company. McClellan became the Tabernacle organist in 1900, where he accompanied the Mormon Tabernacle Choir until 1925, and inaugurated the free weekly organ recitals there.
John J. McClellan is also known for making the first known organ recording, recorded at the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City in September 1910, by the Columbia Graphophone Company. Although technically successful, it was never released for publication.
Dulce Tu obra es, Señor
Los acordes:
Sin acordes duros en esta canción, a menos que absolutamente no pueden tocar acordes con cejilla. Si ese es el caso, o si no puede tocar el final acorde de Sol III en ritmo, sustitute el Sol normal. No sonará tan bueno para una resolución final, pero no va a sonar mal. Sólo usted sabrá la diferencia.
El resto de los acordes son sus viejos amigos de Sol, Re, Re7, y Do, con dos excepciones minúsculas. Re/La se realiza exacto como Re normal, pero dejando sonar el quinto cuerdo, contra de costumbre. Ya que es importante, porque la melodía depende de esta nota, la realización era sensilla.
La otra excepción es el Sol+5. Este se juega al igual que un Sol normal, excepto que la segunda cuerda se trasta en el tercer espacio, en lugar de la primera cuerda, que no se reproduce. Esto es muy similar a la posición de la mano requerido para un Sol normal, excepto que en realidad ¡es más fácil de jugar! Sólo asegúrese de no tocar la primera cuerda al aire. Si esto es difícil para usted, traste de la primera cuerda en el tercer espacio también, y toque a las seis cuerdas. La nota alta Sol distraerá un poco de la melodía, pero es mucho mejor que la cuerda al aire, que no tiene niguna parte de cualquier tipo acorde Sol.
Las técnicas:
La mayoría de las transiciones en esta canción son bastante fácil, pero hay tres puntos que pueden ser difíciles de reproducir de forma rápida y sin problemas, a menos que utilice algunas técnicas sencillas, pero contrarios a la intuición.
En la transición del compás [3] para el [4], se puede llegar a la cuerda más fácilmente si traste la nota final de [3] con su dedo anular. Esto puede sentirse extraño, pero esto colocara a su dedo anular en la cuerda correcta para el acorde Re en el siguiente compás. Para hacerlo debidamente, tenia que hacer el glissando entre los compases [2] y [3] con el dedo medio. No se necesitará mucha práctica para ver que esta manera del tocar este riff es más rápida y suave.
En el compás [14], el acorde designado Sol7 realmente es un Sol, pero es mucho más fácil para llegar a la posición de mano de Sol7 del Do anterior, que por medio de Sol. La primera cuerda no se toca, entonces realmente no importa nada. Las notas forman un acorde de Sol de ambos modos. Para evitar la confusion, he mostrado el Sol7 en el diagrama de acordes, pero he colocado una X en lugar de un 0 en la primera cuerda, para demostrar que se trasta, pero no se toca.
El tercer punto dificil es lo más complicado del lote. Se produce en el compas [15]. Para facilitar la transición hasta la cuerda cejiillada Sol III, traste la última nota de [15], en el cuarto espacio de la cuarta cuerda, con su dedo meñique. Esto lo posiciona cómodamente en la cadena correcta para el siguiente acorde. Al realizar la cejilla con su dedo índice, el dedo meñique se deslizara automáticamente un traste más, al quinto espacio. Es contrario a la intuición, pero realmente funciona. Para añadir un poco de expresión, se puede permitir el dedo meñique a presionar sobre la cuerda ya que se desliza, creando un poco de glissando entre las notas.
Historia:
Isaac Watts, el autor de este himno, se nació cerca de Londres, Inglaterra, el 17 de julio de 1674. Fue un niño precoz, estudiando el latin por la edad de cuatro años, y "escribiendo respetables versos a la edad de siete años", según notas biográficas en un himnario Anglicana más recente. Como adulto, se convirtió en pastor de la Iglesia Independiente en Londres. Sufría de salud delicada durante toda su vida, pero logró publicar más de 800 himnos durante su vida, así como libros de poemas, de tratados, y de sermones. Watts murió el 25 de noviembre de 1748. Hay un monumento a su memoria en la Abadía de Westminster.
"Dulce tu obra es" se ha cantado a varias melodías. Éste, llamado "Douglass," fue compuesta por John J. McClellan, Jr. (el 20 de abril de 1874 - el 02 de agosto de 1925), mientras se desempeñaba como organista del Tabernáculo de Salt Lake City. McClellan se nació en Payson, Utah. A la edad de once años, era organista de la iglesia allí. Estudió música en los Estados Unidos y en Europa, fue organista de la iglesia católica St. Thomas en Ann Arbor, Michigan, enseñó música en la Academia Brigham Young, precursor de la Universidad Brigham Young, y se desempeñó como pianista para el Salt Lake Opera Company. McClellan se convirtió en el organista del Tabernáculo en el año 1900, donde acompañaba al Coro del Tabernáculo Mormón hasta 1925, e inaugurado los recitales gratuitos semanales allí.
También, es conocido por hacer la primera grabación de órgano que conocemos, grabado en el Tabernáculo Mormón en Salt Lake City en septiembre de 1910, por la Columbia Graphophone Company. Aunque técnicamente exitoso, nunca fue lanzado para la publicación.
Sin acordes duros en esta canción, a menos que absolutamente no pueden tocar acordes con cejilla. Si ese es el caso, o si no puede tocar el final acorde de Sol III en ritmo, sustitute el Sol normal. No sonará tan bueno para una resolución final, pero no va a sonar mal. Sólo usted sabrá la diferencia.
El resto de los acordes son sus viejos amigos de Sol, Re, Re7, y Do, con dos excepciones minúsculas. Re/La se realiza exacto como Re normal, pero dejando sonar el quinto cuerdo, contra de costumbre. Ya que es importante, porque la melodía depende de esta nota, la realización era sensilla.
La otra excepción es el Sol+5. Este se juega al igual que un Sol normal, excepto que la segunda cuerda se trasta en el tercer espacio, en lugar de la primera cuerda, que no se reproduce. Esto es muy similar a la posición de la mano requerido para un Sol normal, excepto que en realidad ¡es más fácil de jugar! Sólo asegúrese de no tocar la primera cuerda al aire. Si esto es difícil para usted, traste de la primera cuerda en el tercer espacio también, y toque a las seis cuerdas. La nota alta Sol distraerá un poco de la melodía, pero es mucho mejor que la cuerda al aire, que no tiene niguna parte de cualquier tipo acorde Sol.
Las técnicas:
La mayoría de las transiciones en esta canción son bastante fácil, pero hay tres puntos que pueden ser difíciles de reproducir de forma rápida y sin problemas, a menos que utilice algunas técnicas sencillas, pero contrarios a la intuición.
En la transición del compás [3] para el [4], se puede llegar a la cuerda más fácilmente si traste la nota final de [3] con su dedo anular. Esto puede sentirse extraño, pero esto colocara a su dedo anular en la cuerda correcta para el acorde Re en el siguiente compás. Para hacerlo debidamente, tenia que hacer el glissando entre los compases [2] y [3] con el dedo medio. No se necesitará mucha práctica para ver que esta manera del tocar este riff es más rápida y suave.
En el compás [14], el acorde designado Sol7 realmente es un Sol, pero es mucho más fácil para llegar a la posición de mano de Sol7 del Do anterior, que por medio de Sol. La primera cuerda no se toca, entonces realmente no importa nada. Las notas forman un acorde de Sol de ambos modos. Para evitar la confusion, he mostrado el Sol7 en el diagrama de acordes, pero he colocado una X en lugar de un 0 en la primera cuerda, para demostrar que se trasta, pero no se toca.
El tercer punto dificil es lo más complicado del lote. Se produce en el compas [15]. Para facilitar la transición hasta la cuerda cejiillada Sol III, traste la última nota de [15], en el cuarto espacio de la cuarta cuerda, con su dedo meñique. Esto lo posiciona cómodamente en la cadena correcta para el siguiente acorde. Al realizar la cejilla con su dedo índice, el dedo meñique se deslizara automáticamente un traste más, al quinto espacio. Es contrario a la intuición, pero realmente funciona. Para añadir un poco de expresión, se puede permitir el dedo meñique a presionar sobre la cuerda ya que se desliza, creando un poco de glissando entre las notas.
Historia:
Isaac Watts, el autor de este himno, se nació cerca de Londres, Inglaterra, el 17 de julio de 1674. Fue un niño precoz, estudiando el latin por la edad de cuatro años, y "escribiendo respetables versos a la edad de siete años", según notas biográficas en un himnario Anglicana más recente. Como adulto, se convirtió en pastor de la Iglesia Independiente en Londres. Sufría de salud delicada durante toda su vida, pero logró publicar más de 800 himnos durante su vida, así como libros de poemas, de tratados, y de sermones. Watts murió el 25 de noviembre de 1748. Hay un monumento a su memoria en la Abadía de Westminster.
"Dulce tu obra es" se ha cantado a varias melodías. Éste, llamado "Douglass," fue compuesta por John J. McClellan, Jr. (el 20 de abril de 1874 - el 02 de agosto de 1925), mientras se desempeñaba como organista del Tabernáculo de Salt Lake City. McClellan se nació en Payson, Utah. A la edad de once años, era organista de la iglesia allí. Estudió música en los Estados Unidos y en Europa, fue organista de la iglesia católica St. Thomas en Ann Arbor, Michigan, enseñó música en la Academia Brigham Young, precursor de la Universidad Brigham Young, y se desempeñó como pianista para el Salt Lake Opera Company. McClellan se convirtió en el organista del Tabernáculo en el año 1900, donde acompañaba al Coro del Tabernáculo Mormón hasta 1925, e inaugurado los recitales gratuitos semanales allí.
También, es conocido por hacer la primera grabación de órgano que conocemos, grabado en el Tabernáculo Mormón en Salt Lake City en septiembre de 1910, por la Columbia Graphophone Company. Aunque técnicamente exitoso, nunca fue lanzado para la publicación.
A Dios ofrecemos gozosa canción
To my English-speaking friends-- The English version of this song, and of this post, are called "The Joy and the Song", and can be found a little further down in the blog.
A Dios ofrecemos gozosa canción es a partir de un libro de canciones llamado Zion’s Praises (1ª edición, 1903), donde esta numerado como Himno # 227. Este libro, y presumiblemente las canciones en el, son propiedad de The Re-Organized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, conocido hoy como La Comunidad de Cristo. Esta iglesia fue formada por los Santos de los Últimos Días que permanecieron en Nauvoo, y no tomaron parte en el éxodo hacia el oeste. Emma Smith, esposa del profeta José Smith, Jr., fue miembro fundador de la iglesia, y José Smith III, hijo de Emma y José, fue su primer presidente. Zion’s Praises era la himnario de la iglesia 1903-1933.
Fue increíblemente difícil de encontrar el himno original por internet. En himnarios SUD, está disponible en la himario Himnos, pero no en la versión Inglés. El himno original, con palabras en inglés, fue escrito en la tonalidad de Si bemol, lo cual es casi imposible tocar por la guitarra sin el utilizar de una cejilla. La versión española, como se encuentra en Himnos, ha sido un tanto reorganizado y adaptado a la tonalidad de sol mayor, lo cual es perfecto para la guitarra. Si le gustaría escuchar la canción, necesita abrirlo en su tableta o teléfono, como la versión para la computadora no tiene una función de reproductor. La versión de la tableta / teléfono lo hace. ¡Imagínate! Porque la versión iglesa fue la primera, hé incluyado la letra y el título en inglés.
También hay una versión de este himno, de idioma inglés, en este blog,bajo el título originál. Aparte del idioma preferido, la única diferencia entre los dos es que el inglés sigue el formato de deletraficación de la nomenclatura acorde: C, D, E, F, G, A, y B, en lugar de do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, y si (o ti). Una discusión de este formato, con tablas de equivalencia, se puede encontrar al hagar clic en la entrada "Chord Theory" en la sección “The Tabs” de este blog.
En realidad jugando esta canción es fácil. No hay acordes duros o transiciones dificiles. Hay ligados ascendentes y descendentes, que se muestran por guiones entre las notas, y glissandos, que se muestran por barras entre las notas: barras diagonales indican un tono ascendente, barras invertidas indican una caída de tono. Cuando sea necesario o útil, para cambiar la posición de la mano izquierda a la segunda posición, o hacia atrás hasta la primera posición, he colocado los números romanos por encima de la tablatura. Primera posición significa que se atrasa de las notas en el primer espacio con el indicio, los que están en el segundo espacio con el medio, y aquellos en el tercer espacio con el anulario. Segunda posición significa que desliza la mano izquierda hacia "arriba" del mástil de la guitarra (hacia el puente) un traste, por lo que las notas en el segundo espacio se atrastan con el indicio, los que están en el tercer espacio con el medio, y los del cuarto espacio con el anulario.
Hay dos tipos de acordes mandados en esa tablatura. Acordes pinzados se reproducen por tocarse la nota bajo con el pulgar derecho, y las otras notas con los dedos apropiados. En esta canción, todos acordes que no son marcados de otro modo, se nececsitan tocarse pinzados. Acordes rasgueados están marcados con una linea ondulada a la derecha de las notas. Para aquellos que no conocen bién la canción, he incluido números de conteo debajo de las letras.
Esta es una canción bién amada. La letra es la traducción cla más perfecta que he encontrado. No sé porqué no está en la edición inglesa de la himnario, pero estoy múy felíz de que tenemos en español.
A Dios ofrecemos gozosa canción es a partir de un libro de canciones llamado Zion’s Praises (1ª edición, 1903), donde esta numerado como Himno # 227. Este libro, y presumiblemente las canciones en el, son propiedad de The Re-Organized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, conocido hoy como La Comunidad de Cristo. Esta iglesia fue formada por los Santos de los Últimos Días que permanecieron en Nauvoo, y no tomaron parte en el éxodo hacia el oeste. Emma Smith, esposa del profeta José Smith, Jr., fue miembro fundador de la iglesia, y José Smith III, hijo de Emma y José, fue su primer presidente. Zion’s Praises era la himnario de la iglesia 1903-1933.
Fue increíblemente difícil de encontrar el himno original por internet. En himnarios SUD, está disponible en la himario Himnos, pero no en la versión Inglés. El himno original, con palabras en inglés, fue escrito en la tonalidad de Si bemol, lo cual es casi imposible tocar por la guitarra sin el utilizar de una cejilla. La versión española, como se encuentra en Himnos, ha sido un tanto reorganizado y adaptado a la tonalidad de sol mayor, lo cual es perfecto para la guitarra. Si le gustaría escuchar la canción, necesita abrirlo en su tableta o teléfono, como la versión para la computadora no tiene una función de reproductor. La versión de la tableta / teléfono lo hace. ¡Imagínate! Porque la versión iglesa fue la primera, hé incluyado la letra y el título en inglés.
También hay una versión de este himno, de idioma inglés, en este blog,bajo el título originál. Aparte del idioma preferido, la única diferencia entre los dos es que el inglés sigue el formato de deletraficación de la nomenclatura acorde: C, D, E, F, G, A, y B, en lugar de do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, y si (o ti). Una discusión de este formato, con tablas de equivalencia, se puede encontrar al hagar clic en la entrada "Chord Theory" en la sección “The Tabs” de este blog.
En realidad jugando esta canción es fácil. No hay acordes duros o transiciones dificiles. Hay ligados ascendentes y descendentes, que se muestran por guiones entre las notas, y glissandos, que se muestran por barras entre las notas: barras diagonales indican un tono ascendente, barras invertidas indican una caída de tono. Cuando sea necesario o útil, para cambiar la posición de la mano izquierda a la segunda posición, o hacia atrás hasta la primera posición, he colocado los números romanos por encima de la tablatura. Primera posición significa que se atrasa de las notas en el primer espacio con el indicio, los que están en el segundo espacio con el medio, y aquellos en el tercer espacio con el anulario. Segunda posición significa que desliza la mano izquierda hacia "arriba" del mástil de la guitarra (hacia el puente) un traste, por lo que las notas en el segundo espacio se atrastan con el indicio, los que están en el tercer espacio con el medio, y los del cuarto espacio con el anulario.
Hay dos tipos de acordes mandados en esa tablatura. Acordes pinzados se reproducen por tocarse la nota bajo con el pulgar derecho, y las otras notas con los dedos apropiados. En esta canción, todos acordes que no son marcados de otro modo, se nececsitan tocarse pinzados. Acordes rasgueados están marcados con una linea ondulada a la derecha de las notas. Para aquellos que no conocen bién la canción, he incluido números de conteo debajo de las letras.
Esta es una canción bién amada. La letra es la traducción cla más perfecta que he encontrado. No sé porqué no está en la edición inglesa de la himnario, pero estoy múy felíz de que tenemos en español.
The Joy and the Song-- English version of a Spanish translation
“The Joy and the Song” is available in the Spanish language hymnal Himnos, but not in the English language hymnal. The original hymn, with English words, is from a songbook called Zion’s Praises (1st Edition, 1903), copyrighted by The Re-Organized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, which is known today as The Community of Christ. This church was formed by Latter-Day Saints who stayed in Nauvoo, and did not take part in the exodus to the west. Emma Smith, wife of the prophet Joseph Smith, Jr., was a founding member of the church, and Joseph Smith III, son of Emma and Joseph, was its first president. Zion’s Praises was their hymnal from 1903 to 1933.
It was amazingly hard to find the original hymn online. The original hymn, with English words, was written in the key of Bb,which is nearly impossible to play on the guitar without using a capo. The Spanish version, as found in Himnos, has been somewhat re-arranged and transposed into the key of G, which is perfect for the guitar. If you are unfamiliar with it, and would like to hear the song, you’ll need to open it on your tablet or phone, as the laptop/desktop version doesn’t have a player function. The tablet/phone version does. Go figure! Because it’s only the Spanish version that’s readily available, I’m including the Spanish lyrics and title, as well as the original English lyrics and title.
I’m also including a Spanish language version of this tab & post, under the Spanish title “A Dios ofrecemos gozosa canción”. Apart from the preferred language of the lyrics, the only difference between the two is that the Spanish one follows the “sol-fa” format of chord naming: do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, and ti (or si in some countries), instead of C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. In English, this system is sometimes called solmization. A discussion of this format, with equivalency charts, can be found in the entry “Chord Theory” in The Tabs section of this blog.
Actually playing this song is easy. There are no hard chords or transitions. There are hammer-ons, and pull-offs, shown by underscores between the notes, and slides, shown by slashes between the notes: forward slashes indicate a rising tone, backslashes indicate a falling tone. Where it is necessary, or even helpful, to change the left hand position to Second Position, or back to First Position, I have placed Roman numerals above the staff. First Position means you fret the notes in the first space with the index finger, those in the second space with the middle finger, and those in the third space with the ring finger. Second Position means you slide the left hand “up” the neck of the guitar (toward the bridge) one fret, so the notes in the second space are fretted with the index finger, those in the third space with the middle finger, and those in the fourth space with the ring finger.
There are two kinds of chords called out in the tab. Pinched chords are played by plucking the bass note of the chord with the right thumb, and the other notes with the appropriate fingers. In this song, all chords not otherwise marked are to be pinched. Chords that are to be strummed are marked with a wiggly, vertical line to the right of the notes to be strummed. For those not familiar with the song, I’ve included counting numbers below the lyrics.
It’s a pretty song, well-beloved by our Latin brothers and sisters. The lyrics are as close to a perfect translation of the original English lyrics as it’s possible to get. I don’t know why it’s not in the English language edition of the hymnal.
It was amazingly hard to find the original hymn online. The original hymn, with English words, was written in the key of Bb,which is nearly impossible to play on the guitar without using a capo. The Spanish version, as found in Himnos, has been somewhat re-arranged and transposed into the key of G, which is perfect for the guitar. If you are unfamiliar with it, and would like to hear the song, you’ll need to open it on your tablet or phone, as the laptop/desktop version doesn’t have a player function. The tablet/phone version does. Go figure! Because it’s only the Spanish version that’s readily available, I’m including the Spanish lyrics and title, as well as the original English lyrics and title.
I’m also including a Spanish language version of this tab & post, under the Spanish title “A Dios ofrecemos gozosa canción”. Apart from the preferred language of the lyrics, the only difference between the two is that the Spanish one follows the “sol-fa” format of chord naming: do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, and ti (or si in some countries), instead of C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. In English, this system is sometimes called solmization. A discussion of this format, with equivalency charts, can be found in the entry “Chord Theory” in The Tabs section of this blog.
Actually playing this song is easy. There are no hard chords or transitions. There are hammer-ons, and pull-offs, shown by underscores between the notes, and slides, shown by slashes between the notes: forward slashes indicate a rising tone, backslashes indicate a falling tone. Where it is necessary, or even helpful, to change the left hand position to Second Position, or back to First Position, I have placed Roman numerals above the staff. First Position means you fret the notes in the first space with the index finger, those in the second space with the middle finger, and those in the third space with the ring finger. Second Position means you slide the left hand “up” the neck of the guitar (toward the bridge) one fret, so the notes in the second space are fretted with the index finger, those in the third space with the middle finger, and those in the fourth space with the ring finger.
There are two kinds of chords called out in the tab. Pinched chords are played by plucking the bass note of the chord with the right thumb, and the other notes with the appropriate fingers. In this song, all chords not otherwise marked are to be pinched. Chords that are to be strummed are marked with a wiggly, vertical line to the right of the notes to be strummed. For those not familiar with the song, I’ve included counting numbers below the lyrics.
It’s a pretty song, well-beloved by our Latin brothers and sisters. The lyrics are as close to a perfect translation of the original English lyrics as it’s possible to get. I don’t know why it’s not in the English language edition of the hymnal.
What Was Witnessed in the Heavens?
For my darling wife, Barbara, just because she loves it-- and because it’s her birthday.
Happy Birthday, dear!
The Song:
This song is harder than it looks, but a lot easier than it might be, so I’m calling it Intermediate level. It does contain eight chords, and five are barre chords, but two are just barrred A-shapes, which can be played as a two-finger chord, using the middle finger to barre the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th strings in the second space, bending the second knuckle backwards a bit to clear the 1st string. This is a jazz technique pioneered by the great Django Rinehart, father of modern jazz guitar, who only had the use of two fingers on his left hand. (Really!)
Two more barre chords are a barred E-shape, probably the most common barre chord, and a barred Em7-shape, another two-finger chord, and one of the easiest. The other barre chord, EIV, is a truncated version of a barred C-shape. The full version of this chord is generally conceded to be a difficult one, but since none of the notes used in the tab fall on the 5th string, I have left it out, making the chord MUCH easier to play. The other three chords are just A, E, and D.
I’ve left out several chords, in the interest of easier chord changes, substituting melody notes to carry the tune. So the chords alone make this an Intermediate level piece. But there’s more. Nearly every measure ends with a triplet-- three notes played in the time of a single beat. This constant slowing down and speeding up adds a lot to the appeal of the song. It also adds a bit to the difficulty level, since most of these triplets are achieved by using a double-ligado-- either a slide/pull-off, or a hammer-on/slide. One is even a mordant, achieved by sliding an entire chord down a fret and back up again, in the space of a single beat! In fact, this piece is just full of such combinations of techniques. Definitely not Beginner level. Sorry, all you beginners who would like to learn this song!
History
This is one of the few times where we know more about the composer of the song than we do about the writer of the words. The music was composed by Evan Stephens, an early Tabernacle Choir director and prolific composer. Nineteen of the songs in the current English language version of the hymnal were written or composed by him. Stephens was the first person to be employed as a full-time Tabernacle Choir Director, and it was he who first took the Choir on touring concerts. He also more than doubled the size of the choir, from 125 members to over 300.
We know nothing of the circumstances surrounding the composition of this particular song, and even less about the writer of the lyrics, John S. Davis. The name is just too common, and without corroborating details, there is no way for me to sort out which one he is. If anyone knows, please contact me.
The Song:
This song is harder than it looks, but a lot easier than it might be, so I’m calling it Intermediate level. It does contain eight chords, and five are barre chords, but two are just barrred A-shapes, which can be played as a two-finger chord, using the middle finger to barre the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th strings in the second space, bending the second knuckle backwards a bit to clear the 1st string. This is a jazz technique pioneered by the great Django Rinehart, father of modern jazz guitar, who only had the use of two fingers on his left hand. (Really!)
Two more barre chords are a barred E-shape, probably the most common barre chord, and a barred Em7-shape, another two-finger chord, and one of the easiest. The other barre chord, EIV, is a truncated version of a barred C-shape. The full version of this chord is generally conceded to be a difficult one, but since none of the notes used in the tab fall on the 5th string, I have left it out, making the chord MUCH easier to play. The other three chords are just A, E, and D.
I’ve left out several chords, in the interest of easier chord changes, substituting melody notes to carry the tune. So the chords alone make this an Intermediate level piece. But there’s more. Nearly every measure ends with a triplet-- three notes played in the time of a single beat. This constant slowing down and speeding up adds a lot to the appeal of the song. It also adds a bit to the difficulty level, since most of these triplets are achieved by using a double-ligado-- either a slide/pull-off, or a hammer-on/slide. One is even a mordant, achieved by sliding an entire chord down a fret and back up again, in the space of a single beat! In fact, this piece is just full of such combinations of techniques. Definitely not Beginner level. Sorry, all you beginners who would like to learn this song!
History
This is one of the few times where we know more about the composer of the song than we do about the writer of the words. The music was composed by Evan Stephens, an early Tabernacle Choir director and prolific composer. Nineteen of the songs in the current English language version of the hymnal were written or composed by him. Stephens was the first person to be employed as a full-time Tabernacle Choir Director, and it was he who first took the Choir on touring concerts. He also more than doubled the size of the choir, from 125 members to over 300.
We know nothing of the circumstances surrounding the composition of this particular song, and even less about the writer of the lyrics, John S. Davis. The name is just too common, and without corroborating details, there is no way for me to sort out which one he is. If anyone knows, please contact me.
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