The Legend:
It is said that a string quartet played this hymn on the deck of the sinking Titanic. The musicians did not survive, and there are conflicting reports about exactly which hymn they did play, but there is pretty universal agreement that they did play a hymn, and it might very well have been this one, as it has long been a favorite, and would certainly have been appropriate.
The Music:
It's really a simple tune, with only three chords. I use the barred G chord, because it makes the notes come out in the right register. I also like to include a lot of "fill" notes. If you just want the melody, play only the notes directly above a written syllable of the lyrics. All the rest are fill. It's easy, and it's in the Public Domain.
Ghost Riders In the Sky / Ghost Chickens in the Sky
This is my version of the Burl Ives cover of this song, which involves chords, not the flat-picked version more suitable for electric guitars. It works well for accompanying a singer, as rhythm, but not as a guitar solo, unlike practicaly all my other postings. I include it, only because I love it. I love the Christian message, the beat, and the tune. The chords are easy-- so easy in fact that you can hammer-on the entire chord, which is well, as that's what gives the song its beat. If you can't do the hammer-ons, you can still play the song without them, but it won't sound as good.
The chart may be a little unclear about the ending. The first chorus ends, "Ghost herd in the sky!" Second time, it's "Ghost riders in the sky!" Third time, it's "ghost herd in the sky," descending to a very low E note on "sky." Then repeat, "ghost riders in the sky," rising to and hitting the high E on "sky" (two octaves higher than the low E) and holding it. There's a transition measure between the end of the chorus and the beginning of the next verse, except for the last time.
After the chart and the lyrics, there's a Scout version, which cub scouts especially love. Play it straight, try not to laugh, or even crack a smile, and the young boys will just die laughing. Older kids will laugh, too, but they'll be laughing AT you. When performing for older kids, I play up to this by flapping my elbows on the chorus: Pok, pa-pok, POK; Pok, pa-pok, POK! If you can do it without laughing, you're better than I am! Don't try it unless you don't mind looking truly ridiculous!
Both versions are in the public domain.
The chart may be a little unclear about the ending. The first chorus ends, "Ghost herd in the sky!" Second time, it's "Ghost riders in the sky!" Third time, it's "ghost herd in the sky," descending to a very low E note on "sky." Then repeat, "ghost riders in the sky," rising to and hitting the high E on "sky" (two octaves higher than the low E) and holding it. There's a transition measure between the end of the chorus and the beginning of the next verse, except for the last time.
After the chart and the lyrics, there's a Scout version, which cub scouts especially love. Play it straight, try not to laugh, or even crack a smile, and the young boys will just die laughing. Older kids will laugh, too, but they'll be laughing AT you. When performing for older kids, I play up to this by flapping my elbows on the chorus: Pok, pa-pok, POK; Pok, pa-pok, POK! If you can do it without laughing, you're better than I am! Don't try it unless you don't mind looking truly ridiculous!
Both versions are in the public domain.
I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go
Easy to DO (Go where the Lord wants)
Easy to SAY (what the Lord wants)
HARD to BE (what the Lord wants!)
Fortunately, it's not hard to PLAY!
One of my family's long-time favorite hymns, and the very first one I ever learned to sing without the hymnal. Sounds really good with a mandolin, violin, flute, or clarinet as a duet, or as part of an instrumental group. As a duet, I'd have each instrument take the lead during one verse, then play together for the last verse. You can even do this as a trio. Who says it can only have three verses?
Only three chords: G, C, & D. If you just want to accompany a singer, just strum the regular chords; you don't need to play the barre versions. I include them because it makes it possible to hit all the melody notes, easily.
Easy to SAY (what the Lord wants)
HARD to BE (what the Lord wants!)
Fortunately, it's not hard to PLAY!
One of my family's long-time favorite hymns, and the very first one I ever learned to sing without the hymnal. Sounds really good with a mandolin, violin, flute, or clarinet as a duet, or as part of an instrumental group. As a duet, I'd have each instrument take the lead during one verse, then play together for the last verse. You can even do this as a trio. Who says it can only have three verses?
Only three chords: G, C, & D. If you just want to accompany a singer, just strum the regular chords; you don't need to play the barre versions. I include them because it makes it possible to hit all the melody notes, easily.
Placentero nos es trabajar
This song is in the public domain, but you won't find it in the English hymnal, only in the Spanish one. It is one of the best-loved hymns of the Latin-American saints.
For those who do not read Spanish, I have included a time count, and have changed the time signature from the original 4/4 to 8/8, to simplify the tab. It will still sound the same. Play it fast, "with enthusiasm" ("con entusiasmo") Here is my attempt to translate the Spanish words into English. For those who do speak Spanish, I apologize if my translation is lacking in any way. I'm not much of a poet.
ENGLISH TRANSLATION:
It is pleasant for us to work
In the vinyard of the great God Jesus
And honorable for us to to preach
To His people, His law and His light.
By His light, by His light,
It is pleasant for us to work.
By His light, by His light,
We will die in Him without sadness.
Hear the Word of God
With eagerness, loyalty and fervor.
Forever and always remember
His purity, truth, and love.
With love, with love,
Hear the Word of God.
With love, with love,
Bear the flag of God.
Oh, brothers! Good-by, then Good-bye!
The moment to leave has come.
If we keep the faith in the great God,
We will yet see each other far Beyond.
Far Beyond, far Beyond,
O, brothers! Good-by, then Good-by!
Far Beyond, far Beyond,
We will live with God in love.
THE STORY:
Clate W. Mask, Jr., of the Second Quorum of the Seventy, loves to tell how his grandfather, Andrés C. González, came to write this song. With apologies to Elder Mask, the story goes like this:
Andrés C. González was a schoolmaster’s son, and was one of the first called to serve a mission in Mexico City during the revolutionary era. Preaching on a street corner, he and his companion thought they could attract more attention by singing the popular Protestant hymn, “In the Sweet By and By.” Instead, they attracted the attention of the police, who jailed them for “stealing” the Protestants’ song.
Unable to sleep in the jail, Elder González wrote “Mormon” lyrics to the song. Back on the street corner after being released, the Elders sang “Placentero,” with the new words. The police were ready to haul them back to jail, but Elder Gonzalez exclaimed, "You can't take us to jail. It's not the same song."
Later, in another place, the same missionaries were arrested by the federales, and stood before a firing squad. Convinced they were about to die, Elder González took a lesson from the great Book of Mormon missionary, Abinadi. Remembering how Abinadi gained his reprieve so he could preach to the King, Elder González told the federales, “You can’t kill us yet, we have a message for your Presidente which we have not yet delivered.”
The soldiers were sceptical, but eventually took Elder González to see the President of Mexico. On learning Elder González’ identity, the Presidente told him, “Your father was my favorite teacher.” He pardoned the two missionaries, and at Elder González’ request, proclaimed that the Mormons could preach the Gospel freely throughout Mexico without harassment. This was the beginning of the hugely successful LDS missionary movement in Mexico.
THE TABLATURE:
It's a simple song, really. The difficulty is in trying to play it fast. The hammer-ons and pull-offs help, but there are still pleny of transitions that will need practice to get smooth and fast. Keep the beat regular; it's better to play slow than irregularly, especially on this piece. You don't need lots of expression, except for the many ligados (hammer-ons and pull-offs).
In general, most of the notes are easiest to get if you leave your left hand in the C chord position, using the little finger to do the ligados. It's not as hard as it sounds, really! If you do this, there will be a few pull-offs you will need to do with the middle finger, in the second space. Since your finger is already bent, it can be hard to accomplish. I do a "reverse pull-off" by flicking the middle finger off the string in a straightening motion. Again, not hard, just counter-intuitive.
If it's too hard for you to reach the C chord in the last measure of each verse, after performing the pull-off on the third string, you can reach the same notes on the second string, pulling off --1__0--. Musically, there's no difference, just do it whichever way is easiest for you.
After playing the three verses (if you wish to), add the finale as shown. I like to end with the high-sounding C VIII chord, but you can substitute a regular C, or even split the dirrerence with a C III (barred A at the third fret.)
For those who do not read Spanish, I have included a time count, and have changed the time signature from the original 4/4 to 8/8, to simplify the tab. It will still sound the same. Play it fast, "with enthusiasm" ("con entusiasmo") Here is my attempt to translate the Spanish words into English. For those who do speak Spanish, I apologize if my translation is lacking in any way. I'm not much of a poet.
ENGLISH TRANSLATION:
It is pleasant for us to work
In the vinyard of the great God Jesus
And honorable for us to to preach
To His people, His law and His light.
By His light, by His light,
It is pleasant for us to work.
By His light, by His light,
We will die in Him without sadness.
Hear the Word of God
With eagerness, loyalty and fervor.
Forever and always remember
His purity, truth, and love.
With love, with love,
Hear the Word of God.
With love, with love,
Bear the flag of God.
Oh, brothers! Good-by, then Good-bye!
The moment to leave has come.
If we keep the faith in the great God,
We will yet see each other far Beyond.
Far Beyond, far Beyond,
O, brothers! Good-by, then Good-by!
Far Beyond, far Beyond,
We will live with God in love.
THE STORY:
Clate W. Mask, Jr., of the Second Quorum of the Seventy, loves to tell how his grandfather, Andrés C. González, came to write this song. With apologies to Elder Mask, the story goes like this:
Andrés C. González was a schoolmaster’s son, and was one of the first called to serve a mission in Mexico City during the revolutionary era. Preaching on a street corner, he and his companion thought they could attract more attention by singing the popular Protestant hymn, “In the Sweet By and By.” Instead, they attracted the attention of the police, who jailed them for “stealing” the Protestants’ song.
Unable to sleep in the jail, Elder González wrote “Mormon” lyrics to the song. Back on the street corner after being released, the Elders sang “Placentero,” with the new words. The police were ready to haul them back to jail, but Elder Gonzalez exclaimed, "You can't take us to jail. It's not the same song."
Later, in another place, the same missionaries were arrested by the federales, and stood before a firing squad. Convinced they were about to die, Elder González took a lesson from the great Book of Mormon missionary, Abinadi. Remembering how Abinadi gained his reprieve so he could preach to the King, Elder González told the federales, “You can’t kill us yet, we have a message for your Presidente which we have not yet delivered.”
The soldiers were sceptical, but eventually took Elder González to see the President of Mexico. On learning Elder González’ identity, the Presidente told him, “Your father was my favorite teacher.” He pardoned the two missionaries, and at Elder González’ request, proclaimed that the Mormons could preach the Gospel freely throughout Mexico without harassment. This was the beginning of the hugely successful LDS missionary movement in Mexico.
THE TABLATURE:
It's a simple song, really. The difficulty is in trying to play it fast. The hammer-ons and pull-offs help, but there are still pleny of transitions that will need practice to get smooth and fast. Keep the beat regular; it's better to play slow than irregularly, especially on this piece. You don't need lots of expression, except for the many ligados (hammer-ons and pull-offs).
In general, most of the notes are easiest to get if you leave your left hand in the C chord position, using the little finger to do the ligados. It's not as hard as it sounds, really! If you do this, there will be a few pull-offs you will need to do with the middle finger, in the second space. Since your finger is already bent, it can be hard to accomplish. I do a "reverse pull-off" by flicking the middle finger off the string in a straightening motion. Again, not hard, just counter-intuitive.
If it's too hard for you to reach the C chord in the last measure of each verse, after performing the pull-off on the third string, you can reach the same notes on the second string, pulling off --1__0--. Musically, there's no difference, just do it whichever way is easiest for you.
After playing the three verses (if you wish to), add the finale as shown. I like to end with the high-sounding C VIII chord, but you can substitute a regular C, or even split the dirrerence with a C III (barred A at the third fret.)
Families Can Be Together Forever 2
I like this version better, but it is harder to play. Maybe not as hard as it looks, though. You already know how to play D, E, Em, A, and Am, and they, with barred versions and/or very slight variations, account for seventeen of the eighteen chords in this piece. B9 is the ONLY uncommon chord, and it's dead EASY to play. Just lay your index finger across the first four strings in the second space, and the ring finger across the first three strings in the third space, and squeeze. You can be real sloppy about it, and it'll still work just fine.
The many barre chords lend the song a rich, full sound that works well with a slower, more deliberate delivery than is usual when singing as a hymn or a Primary song. As a guitar solo, it doesn't matter if the tempo is too slow for singing, of course, and it sounds nice. The G9, B9 and Am0 chords add harmonies and chord progressions more suited to adult listeners. Classical music uses the degree sign 0 to indicate a diminished chord. The abbreviation "dim" has already been taken-- it means diminuendo {"getting softer"). Similarly, the minus sign means to play a note flat, so we just have to live with the 0. It's standard musical notation.
I did take some liberties with the original score, especially right at the end. I hope you like it.
The many barre chords lend the song a rich, full sound that works well with a slower, more deliberate delivery than is usual when singing as a hymn or a Primary song. As a guitar solo, it doesn't matter if the tempo is too slow for singing, of course, and it sounds nice. The G9, B9 and Am0 chords add harmonies and chord progressions more suited to adult listeners. Classical music uses the degree sign 0 to indicate a diminished chord. The abbreviation "dim" has already been taken-- it means diminuendo {"getting softer"). Similarly, the minus sign means to play a note flat, so we just have to live with the 0. It's standard musical notation.
I did take some liberties with the original score, especially right at the end. I hope you like it.
Families Can Be Together Forever
Just for you, Sabina! I've tried to keep it as simple as possible, but that was not easy. The original song is written in F, which goes well with children's high-pitched voices, and is easy to play on the piano, but is horrible to play on the guitar. C would have been much easier, but was way too low. The best compromise I could come up with is the key of D. It's low enough that most of the chords do not require barring, and those that do, are not especially hard to play. Most of the song is melody notes, anyway, with few actual chords to strum. But you asked for the chords, Sabina. I'm not realy sure why you wanted them, as they are not terribly useful for guitarists, but I've attached them at the end of the tab anyway.
This song is not in the public domain, but the copyright is owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, which has given permission to copy it "for incidental, noncommercial, church or home use," as are all tabs published here. Please do not abuse the privilege.
The D chord called out in the 4th measure is to position your left hand for the proper notes of the measure. It is not to be strummed. In the second measure of the chorus, fret the notes on the second string with the little finger of the left hand, until you reach the barre at the 5th fret, then move the barring finger to the third fret, preparatory to playing the Em in the next measure. It makes the transition much easier.
In the second line of the chorus, the transition to the high E chord (EVII) must be quick. You might try replacing the hammer-on in the previous measure with a slide to get your hand moving in the right direction. Fortunately, although that E chord is not a commonly used barre chord, it's not hard to play, especially high on the neck, where the frets are closer together.
The downward run on the 2nd string is similar to the one on the first string in the second line, and sets up the transition to F#. The A7II chord in the next-to-last measure is also very easy to play, as you only have to barre four strings.
This song is not in the public domain, but the copyright is owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, which has given permission to copy it "for incidental, noncommercial, church or home use," as are all tabs published here. Please do not abuse the privilege.
The D chord called out in the 4th measure is to position your left hand for the proper notes of the measure. It is not to be strummed. In the second measure of the chorus, fret the notes on the second string with the little finger of the left hand, until you reach the barre at the 5th fret, then move the barring finger to the third fret, preparatory to playing the Em in the next measure. It makes the transition much easier.
In the second line of the chorus, the transition to the high E chord (EVII) must be quick. You might try replacing the hammer-on in the previous measure with a slide to get your hand moving in the right direction. Fortunately, although that E chord is not a commonly used barre chord, it's not hard to play, especially high on the neck, where the frets are closer together.
The downward run on the 2nd string is similar to the one on the first string in the second line, and sets up the transition to F#. The A7II chord in the next-to-last measure is also very easy to play, as you only have to barre four strings.
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.
An Angel from on High
I REALLY HATE splitting measures up between lines, like the green hymnal does but I had to to, to get it all on one page. I held it to a minimum-- just one measure split. This hymn is in public domain, so enjoy!
I've also tried to keep the "extra" notes to a minimum. The few I have put in, I have set in light face type. You can substitute "normal" chords for the barre chords in the refrain, but you will find that the melody doesn't work very well. Fortunately, the barre chords are easy to play.
Play the first part lyrically, strumming all the chords, then play the refrain more tutti, so it sounds about twice as fast, and quite stacatto, for contrast.
I've also tried to keep the "extra" notes to a minimum. The few I have put in, I have set in light face type. You can substitute "normal" chords for the barre chords in the refrain, but you will find that the melody doesn't work very well. Fortunately, the barre chords are easy to play.
Play the first part lyrically, strumming all the chords, then play the refrain more tutti, so it sounds about twice as fast, and quite stacatto, for contrast.
Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
This is not in the LDS hymnal, but it used to be. I wish it still was. I have not been able to determine exactly why it was removed, but I have my own ideas. It's in the public domain, so it wasn't because of copyright problems, nor do the lyrics contradict LDS theoology, and it's been a popular hymn for ages.
There is a discrepancy in attributing the music to John Wyeth. Other sources attribute the tune to Asahel Nettleton, but it was published in a collection of hymns by Wyeth. If the tune reminds you of "Precious Savior, Dear Redeemer," you're not alone; they're close enough that you could easily confuse them.
I've tried my best to keep the song as simple as possible, even retaining the 3/4 time signature of the original. Tablature does not provide any way to know the relative lengths of the notes. In most hymns, you'd be safe just playing every note as an eighth note, but that won't help you here. So I've added a line of counting numbers below the lyrics, to show where the notes actually fall.
This song is very easy to play, if you leave out the bridge and just play the verses. I've included optional chords for those who just want to strum along while singing. If you want to make a guitar solo of it, play the bridge, too. You'll need to play a few of those pesky barre chords, if you want to do that. Optional chords are shown in light face type, while everything else is in bold face.
I only included my favorite two verses. There are several others, and they vary with the book you consult. I especially dislike the verse that goes,
Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Hither by Thy help I’ve come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it;
Seal it for Thy courts above.
I have nothing against the sentiment, but the rhymes seem forced, and I have never met any normal person who could tell me what an Ebenezer* is, or why, exactly, a body would want to raise one. I prefer to leave out the verse entirely, substituting the more modern
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it;
Seal it for Thy courts above.
Purists will hate me for throwing out the Ebenezer, of course. So I usually just sing the first and last verses, and raise the guitar solo instead of the Ebenezer, which I cannot say without laughing, anyway. No one laughs when I play the guitar.
* Ebenezer comes from two Hebrew words meaning "a stone of help", and raising one can refer to testifying of anything that reminds us of God's miraculous assistance to His saints.
There is a discrepancy in attributing the music to John Wyeth. Other sources attribute the tune to Asahel Nettleton, but it was published in a collection of hymns by Wyeth. If the tune reminds you of "Precious Savior, Dear Redeemer," you're not alone; they're close enough that you could easily confuse them.
I've tried my best to keep the song as simple as possible, even retaining the 3/4 time signature of the original. Tablature does not provide any way to know the relative lengths of the notes. In most hymns, you'd be safe just playing every note as an eighth note, but that won't help you here. So I've added a line of counting numbers below the lyrics, to show where the notes actually fall.
This song is very easy to play, if you leave out the bridge and just play the verses. I've included optional chords for those who just want to strum along while singing. If you want to make a guitar solo of it, play the bridge, too. You'll need to play a few of those pesky barre chords, if you want to do that. Optional chords are shown in light face type, while everything else is in bold face.
I only included my favorite two verses. There are several others, and they vary with the book you consult. I especially dislike the verse that goes,
Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Hither by Thy help I’ve come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it;
Seal it for Thy courts above.
I have nothing against the sentiment, but the rhymes seem forced, and I have never met any normal person who could tell me what an Ebenezer* is, or why, exactly, a body would want to raise one. I prefer to leave out the verse entirely, substituting the more modern
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it;
Seal it for Thy courts above.
Purists will hate me for throwing out the Ebenezer, of course. So I usually just sing the first and last verses, and raise the guitar solo instead of the Ebenezer, which I cannot say without laughing, anyway. No one laughs when I play the guitar.
* Ebenezer comes from two Hebrew words meaning "a stone of help", and raising one can refer to testifying of anything that reminds us of God's miraculous assistance to His saints.
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
Public domain. This is a beautiful piece for classical guitar, but you don't have to be a classical guitarist to play it. There are a few advanced techniques, such as ligados (hammer-ons, pull-offs,), slides, and multiple ligados. When playing one of these double or triple ligados, you may have to hammer the last hammer-on very hard to make it sound as loud as the first one.
This piece does contain one relatively hard barre chord: Fv. It's a normal C chord, barred at the fifth fret. You'll need to practice it a bit if you're not used to playing this chord, as it uses all the fingers of the left hand, and stretches your hand, to boot. A good loosening-up exercise is to press all four fingers of the right hand between each pair of left-hand fingers, to stretch them. Hold the exercise just short of the point of pain, then go to the next pair of fingers.
There are a couple of other, easy chords you may not be familiar with. CIII / G is a normal C III chord. Read the name as, "C, with a G bass." Play it by barring an A chord in the third space, but fret the bass string in the third space and let it sound. G7add5, is really just a normal G7, with the fifth note of the scale (D) added on the second string, third fret, using the little finger. You should find it rather easy to do.
I included the grace notes shown in light face type, because they are in the hymnal, but I don't think they add much to the song, and they make it significantly harder to play. I don't play them when performing, and I have deliberately chosen chord inversions that are easiest to play without the grace notes. Consider them optional.
That's a lot of notations for a song that's really not that hard to play. Enjoy!
This piece does contain one relatively hard barre chord: Fv. It's a normal C chord, barred at the fifth fret. You'll need to practice it a bit if you're not used to playing this chord, as it uses all the fingers of the left hand, and stretches your hand, to boot. A good loosening-up exercise is to press all four fingers of the right hand between each pair of left-hand fingers, to stretch them. Hold the exercise just short of the point of pain, then go to the next pair of fingers.
There are a couple of other, easy chords you may not be familiar with. CIII / G is a normal C III chord. Read the name as, "C, with a G bass." Play it by barring an A chord in the third space, but fret the bass string in the third space and let it sound. G7add5, is really just a normal G7, with the fifth note of the scale (D) added on the second string, third fret, using the little finger. You should find it rather easy to do.
I included the grace notes shown in light face type, because they are in the hymnal, but I don't think they add much to the song, and they make it significantly harder to play. I don't play them when performing, and I have deliberately chosen chord inversions that are easiest to play without the grace notes. Consider them optional.
That's a lot of notations for a song that's really not that hard to play. Enjoy!
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