Easy Strum Song Collection Volume...

Easy Strum

Song Collection

Volume 1

- Course Supplement -

ByColinDanielRiffNinja.comThisbookmaynotbecopiedinanyform.Itisforpersonaluseonly.©2017RiffNinjaProductions

EasyStrummingSongsVol.1 2

TableofContents

Chapter#1AmericanPie.........................................................................................................4

Chapter#2TheChorus........................................................................................................8Chapter#3........................................................................................................................12

Chapter#4Blowin’InTheWind............................................................................................16Chapter#5OptionalChords..............................................................................................20

Chapter#6Margaritaville.....................................................................................................24Chapter#7........................................................................................................................27

Chapter#8StirItUp..............................................................................................................31

Chapter#9CountryRoads.....................................................................................................38Chapter#10ChordOptionsForTheOriginalKey...............................................................43

Chapter#11SweetCaroline..................................................................................................47Chapter#12StandByMe......................................................................................................54

Chapter#13MrsRobinson....................................................................................................57Chapter#14HeyJude...........................................................................................................61

Chapter#15.......................................................................................................................67Chapter#16FreeFalling........................................................................................................73Chapter#17.......................................................................................................................77


Hello,andwelcome.Thankyouforentrustingmetobeyourteacher.Inthiscourse,wewilllearntoplayawidevarietyofsongsthatshouldpleaseanygenerationofsing-a-longperformers.

Youhavesomechord,strum,andbassline/riffnotechoicesforeachofthesongstocreateyourownversionofthesesongs.

Thisisnotaboutanexactcopyofeachofthesesongs,butmoreawaytomakethesesongseasyforoneguitartoplayandtoinspirebuddingsingerswhowouldliketosingalong.

Iwishyoumanyhoursoffriendsandfamilysing-a-longsthatwillbringgreatmemories.Mydesireisthatyoubecomeabetterguitaristandmusicianfromthisandmaybeacampfireguitarstarifyoulike.

Bepatientwithyourteacherandespeciallyyourself;takeyourtimeandenjoythelearningprocess.

Remember,it’sallaboutfun,notperfection!

Let’sgettoit!


Chapter#1AmericanPieApieceofhistorywrittenintoanepiceightminutesongthathasalotoflyricstosingthecompleteversion.Thesongisinthekeyof“G”majorusingfivebasicchords:G+,C+,D+,Em,AmandanA+chordsubstitution.

Iamgoingtobreakthesongdownintothreesections:intro,verse,andchorus.Itisthechorusthatwillinspireeventheshyestofsingerstojoinin,butIwillstartwiththeintro.

TheintrostartswithapianoandDonMcLean’svoiceweavinginandoutofthechordchanges.Itisuptotheplayerandsingertointerpretthe“feel”ortimingofthispart;evenDonMcLeanusesdifferentinflectionsinthetimingdependingonwhatperformanceyouhear.

Iamgoingtogiveyouabasictimesignatureoutlineofthechangesbasedontheoriginalrecordingtohelpyougetclose,butultimatelyit’suptoyoutogiveandtakealittleasyouworktheguitarinwiththevoice.

or


or

or

or


Theintroisallabouthowthevoiceandchordchangeslineup.Thisisabasicoutlinetogetyoustartedandisagoodbackupforavoicetosingover.

Intro(Variation#1)

*Noticethetimesignaturechangesfrom$to@andback.

Theendbarisbasicallyascloseascanbecountedto^bar.Learntotapyourfootorcounttohelpyououtwiththedurationofeachchange.


Intro(Variation#2)

Thereasonforthetabistoshowyouhowtheaddedbassnotesfitintotheprogression.Itisreallypartofthebasslinebutisveryeffectiveforasingleguitar.


Chapter#2TheChorusTheintroisthemostdifficultpartofthesongandthechorusistheeasiest.Thereisnoneedforittobetabbedoutbecauseitisreallystraightforward,soinsteadIwillgiveyouthesticknotationwiththestrumpattern.

Chorus(Straight1/8strum)

Intheoriginalrecordedversionofthissong,thetempospeedsuponthelasttwobars,usingtheD7chordtobuilduptothefirstversewherethebandkicksin.Hardtonailthisdownonpaper,butthetempodoesspeedupanditisalluptohowyouinterpretthis;it’sallaboutfeel.

Asabonusguitarblingthingforthelasttwobars,ifyou’reupforit,IhavesomechordembellishmentstoaddtotheD7chord.YoucansingandplaythissongwithjusttheD7,butifyouwanttoaddalittlemoreauthenticityandcharactertoyourperformance,hereitis.

Thelasttwobarsuseasuspended9th(sus9)andasuspended4th(sus4).Thisisnotadifficultmoveasfarasthelefthandgoes,butthestrumaccentsarealittletricky.Allthechordchangeembellishmentsareplayedonthe“and”orupstrokeofthebeat.

Intheend,youhavetofeelitmorethancountit,butitisbasedonourbasicstraight1/8strum,justheavieraccentsontheupstrokewherethechangeshappen.


Thelasttwobarsofthechorusaddingsus9andsus4usingthebasic1/8notestrum:

HereisthebasicD7chord

Liftyourthirdfingeroffthefirststringandvoila!InstantcoolDsus9

Leaveyourthirdfingerdownonthefirststringandplaceyourpinky(4)onthefirststringthirdfretandit’saneasychangebackandforthfromD7toDsus4


TheVerseProgression

Thismovepushesustothefirstoffourversesinthissongandallareplayedbasicallythesame.YouwillnoticesometimesI’veaskedfortheD7andinotherspotsIusedtheD+instead.ThisishowIheartheprogression,butifyoulikeyoucouldjustplayD+throughoutandleavetheD7out.TheD7chordisusedintwospotsintheversetocreatemusicalexcitementandabitofabuild;theD7doesnotworkwellforallthe“D”changesintheverse.

AgainIdidnotfeelthatIneededtogetreallycomplicatedandtabeverythingout.Wearegoingtouseaverybasicstraight1/8strum,justlikeinthechorus.Idohaveafewextrabitsandpiecestoaddinsomespotsofthisverseprogression,butlet’sgetthebasicsdownandthenyoucanaddtoiteasilylateron.


TheVerseProgression


Chapter#3Okayyoucaneasilystrumyourwaythroughtheentiresongnowthatyouhavethebasicversedown.Justforyoureallyhungrystudents,let’saddalittlemoretoourbasicverseprogression.

Inthebasicstrumchartoftheverse,Imarkedfivespotsintheprogressionwithanasterix(*).Thisiswherewewilldropinourextramusicalmovements.Thefirstmovementismarkedoutatthe6thbaroftheversewheretheD7changeappears.Thisadditioniseasyenoughifyougotthelasttwobarsofthechorususingthesus9andsus4withtheD7.

Youcanplaythesametwobarmovementchangeshereifyoulike.Theotherfourspotsinvolveabass-linemovementofftheG+chordandoneofftheC+chord.ThebasslineisthesameideathatweusedatthebeginningintheintroexceptnowwearegoingtousetheF♯passingnoteforthe“G”majorchangeandthe“B”passingnoteforthe“C”majorchangeinafulloutstrum,ratherthanjustasimplesinglenotepassingnote.

Hereiswhatyoucandowiththesepassingnotesthattakeyoufromonechangetothenextandincorporateadescendingbasslineintothemovement.

Wewillstartwiththe“G”majorchangeusingtheF♯bassnotetopassfrom“G”majortothe“E”minorchange–aclassicmove.

Solaydownthe“G”chordandjuststrikethebassnotefirstonthefirstbeat,thenadownupstrumwiththefull“G”majorchord.NowtakeyourthirdfingeroffanduseyoursecondfingertoplaytheF♯noteonthe6thstring2ndfretandletitringwhileyoudoadownupstrumonthe4th,3rd,2nd,and1ststringswhichisabasic“G”majorchordonthosefourstrings.ThisbecomesyourG+/F♯chord(slashchord).Donotletthe“A”stringor5thstringringout;IusuallymuteitwiththeedgeofmysecondfingerhangingoverthefrettedF♯onthe6thstring,orjustdonotsoundoutthe5thstring“A”forthatmove.

TomakeyourbassrunfromtheG+chordtotheEmchord,IincludedthebarofEmthattheF♯takesyouto.Byhittingthe“E”bassnotebeforeyoustrumtherestoftheEmbar,yourbasslinestandsoutandyousoundlikeapro!!


ThesameapproachcanbeappliedtotheC+changemovementtothe“A”minorusinganemphasized“B”passingnoteovertheC+chord:alsoaclassicguitarbassline/chordmovement.

HereisthemovementgoingfromtheC+totheC+/BtotheAmchange:

WhenyouplaytheC+/B,takeyourthirdfingeroffthe5thstring3rdfretafteryouplaytheC+chordandmoveyoursecondfingertothe5thstring2ndfrettohitthe“B”bassnote.Donotsoundthe4thstring,butstrumdownuponthe3rd,2nd,and1ststringsusingtherestoftheC+chord.Thisgivesusthe“B”bassnoteoverthethreestringC+chordandthisisourC+/Bchord.

Again,tocreateanemphasizedbassrunwhenyougofromtheC+andC+/BchangestotheAm,striketheopen5thstringforthefirstbeatoftheAmchangeandthenfollowthroughwiththelastthreebeatswithabasic1/8notestrum.Howcoolisthat?!?!

Nowyouhaveallthepiecestoarrangeintothefullsong.Youcanmakeyourownarrangementofthissongtoo,butIwilllayouttheorderforyouliketheoriginal,putittogether,andgetyoursing-a-longfriendsandfamilygoing.

Hereistheoriginalarrangementtocoverallthoseversesforthecompletesong:

IntroChorusVerse#1ChorusVerse#2ChorusVerse#3ChorusVerse#4ChorustointroIntroRepeatchorusEndchorus


Chorustointro???Noproblem!It’sbasicallythesameasalltheothersexceptforthelasttwobarswhereinsteadofabuildusingthesus9andsus4offtheD7,wejuststrumtheD+chordonceonthefirstbeatofthelasttwobarsandletitringout.

Thisbringsusbacktotheintrowhichisascloseascanbetotheintro:again,thetimingofthechordsandvoicehasroomforyourownfeelorinterpretation.

Afteryounavigateyourwaythroughtheintro,youplayanotherchorusjustlikealltheotheronesinthesong,justalittlemorelaidback,softersounding.Allthatislefttofinishistheendchorusandyou’regolden!

EndChorus

Justincaseyoudonotgetthepassingnotechanges,Iwillleaveyouwiththechordgraphsforthosemovementsintheverse;plus,ifyounotice,thereisoneA+chordusedintheverseandIwillincludethattoo!


Andifyoudon’tknowwhatan“A”majorchordis,ithappensonceineachversesohereitis:

Thereareotherfingeringsforthischord,butthisisthemostcommon.

LeaveyourthirdandfourthfingersdownasyougofromG+totheG+/F♯

LeaveyourfirstfingerdownasyoumovefromtheC+totheC+/B


Chapter#4Blowin’InTheWindWrittenbyBobDylanandreleasedin1963,therearemanydifferentrecordedversionsofthissong.Whocanresisttheiconicchoruslyrics?“Theanswermyfriendisblowin’inthewind”withfriendsandfamilyonasummernightaroundacampfire??Theoriginalrecordingwascapoedatthe4thfret;it’sinahigherpitchregister,whichisnotthebestforyouraveragecampfiresinger.

Iamgoingtogiveyousomeoptionsforthissong,plustheoriginalversionsoyoucanchoosewhatworksbestforyourneeds.Iamgoingtoshowyouhowtotransposeanduseittoyouradvantagedependingonyourskillandability.

Firstoff,fortheeasiestapproachtothiscampfireclassic,playitinthekeyofG+usingthechordswelearnedin“AmericanPie”.Icallthemthe“cowboychords”:G+,C+,D+andEm.Thisselectionofchordsresonateswithalotofsingersandisagoodplacetostart.

Forastrumpatternwetakeastrumthatweusedearlierwithoneslightchange.Nowtherecanbeseveralwaystofractionandcounttheguitarstrumtimingforthissong.Iwillmakethisaseasyaspossibleforyouandrelateittowhatyoualreadyknow.

Wewilltakethebasic1/8notedown-upstrumandplaya1/4notestrumforthefirstbeatonly,followedbybeatstwo,threeandfourin1/8notes.TakeaG+chordandcomparethestrums:

Countingoutloudisreallyimportanttohelpyourtiming;itworksfordrummerswhoarethetimekeepers,soitwillworkfortheguitartoo!Thestrumiseasyatthespeedweplay“AmericanPie”,butinordertogetclosetothe“feel”of“Blowin’intheWind”it’sdoublethespeedwhichinmusicwecalltempo.


Takethe“G”majorchordandgetthefeelofthestrumfirstandthenapplyittotheverse,onestepatatime.

VerseProgression

Okay,youcanuseyourthumb,yourfingers,onefinger,apick,oranyotherdeviceyouhave,butmakesureyougetthestrumsteady.Isthisstilltoofastforyou?Icouldsimplifythissomemore.

Thefirstfourbarsoftheverseusing1/4notestrums.


Herewehavetied1/4noteswhichgivesusonestrumonthefirstbeatandonestrumonthethirdbeatofeverybar.Youdecidewhatworksforyou!

NextupisthechorusandanyoneofthestrumsIhavementionedcanbeappliedtothis.Thechorususuallyhastheeffectofneedingtobuildup,whichiswhereIwouldplayalittlelouderwithalittlemoreemphasis;it’suptoyourinterpretationintheend.

ChorusProgression

Apointtomakeyourstrummorenaturalfeeling:emphasizethefirstbeatofeachbar,the“one”beat,andmakethesecond,thirdandfourthbeatsweakerorsoftersounding.Tostartthesong,youcanplaytwobarsofthe“G”chordandthenstartintothefirstverse.

Youcanplayasmanybarsasyouwantfortheintro,butBobDylan’soriginalrecordingisonlytwobarsbeforehestartssinging.


Thisshouldgetyourcampfiresingersreadytostartonthefirstverse.Theoriginalarrangementofthesongis:

2-BarIntroFirstVerseChorusSecondVerseChorusThirdVerseEndChorus

EndChorusProgression

*Noticetheonly1/2barchordchangesinthissongareinthesecondtolastbar.


Chapter#5OptionalChordsHadenough??

Maybealittlemore??

YoucouldlearntoplayitmorelikeBobDylaninhisoriginalrecording.DylanusedthechordsforC+andcapoedatthe4thfret.SoweneedtotransposemusicallythechordsweusedinthekeyofG+tothekeyofC+.

Hereishowit’sdone:

Eachchordweusedinthekeyof“G”majorneedstobemovedthesamemusicaldistanceasthekey/note/chords.Wewillgothroughourmusicalalphabetstartingwiththe“G”key-noteandendingwiththe“C”key-note.

Countthefirstandlastletternamesforcorrectmusicalmeasurement.

Nowthedistancesbetweenthefourletters:


Thisishowwetranspose.NowtaketheIntro/verse/chorusandendchorusandreplacethechordsinG+withthetransposedchordsforC+.ifyouwanttoplayitthewayDylandid,thencapoatthe4thfretandplaytheC+chordsandyouwillbegolden.

Technicallywhenyoucapoatthe4thfretandusetheC+chords(C+,F+,G+,Am),youareactuallyin“E”majorbecausethecapoactsasaformoftransposer.TheonlydifficultchordinthekeyofC+istheF+chord,becauseifyoureallywantittosoundgoodyouneedafullbarF+.

3ChoicesforF+Chord

Easiest Biggersounding Phatsound


TransposedtotheKeyofC+

(Capoat4thfret)

Verse



Chapter#6MargaritavilleHereisasongthatwillgeteverybodysinging.WatchJimmyBuffetperformthissongliveandhehasthewholeaudiencesingingthiswithhim,soyoushouldhavenoproblemfindingaspiringsingerswhowanttosingthis.

Originallythissongisinthekeyof“D”major,andthisisagoodkeyforthissongbecauseawiderangeofvoicescaneasilyreachthenotes.

KeyofD+=D+,G+,A+.Nonewchordshere,wehaveusedthesebefore.

Let’sgetstartedwithastrumwehavealreadybeenusing,notricks,justniceandsteady.

Ifyouwantsomethingalittlemoreinteresting,useamutedstrumbasedonourbasicrhythm.

*Onbeattwoyoumutethestringswithyourleftorrighthandasyoudragyourpickacrossthestrings,creatingapercussivesoundthatmimicsthesnaredrum.


TheVerseProgression

Iwrotethisoutusingthebasicstrumwithoutthemute.Justdropthemutedstruminforeachbarorvaryitwithsomemutedandsomestraightforward.

IfIwastoperformthissongforanaudience,Iwouldplaytheverseusingthemutedstrokestrumandthechoruswiththebasicstrumandopenitupalittlebitforthechorus.


Speakingofwhich,hereisthechorus:

Chorus

Allright,IhavealittleguitarblingforyouintheformofajoiningbasslinethattakesyoufromtheD+chordtotheG+chordinthreeplaces.YoucanplacethebassrunconnectorinthelastbaroftheversegoingfromtheD+changetothefirstG+changeofthechorus.Also,attheendofthe4thbarofthechorus,pushingtotheG+changeinthefifthbar.

OnemorebasslinecanbedroppedinpushingfromtheeighthbarD+changetotheninthbarG+changeinthechorus.

Youhavethelibertytodothiseverytimeyouhitthechorusornot!!

Thisbasslinecanbeplayedonthe4thstringoftheD+chordandtakesyoutotheG+chordchange.IwilljusttabouttheD+andG+barsandyoucandropthatinwhenyoucanorwantto.


ThisisthebasicbasslinejoiningrifffromtheD+changetotheG+change.TherearemanywaystoapproachthisbutIfeltthiswastheeasiest!

Chapter#7There’saninstrumentalafterthesecondchorus;it’sacombinationofpartoftheverseandchorusprogressionifyoulookclosely.Ifyouwant,youcouldskipthispartofthesongandjustgotothelastverseandendchorus.

Hereitis:usethesamebasicstrumsforthispartaswedidforverseandchorus.

LikeIsaidbefore,youcouldbringoutyourcreativityandusebothcombinationsofstraightahead1/8notestrumsorthemutedstrokestrum–havesomefun!

InstrumentalBasicChart


InstrumentalProgressionandStrum

Weneedtwomoreprogressionstocompletethearrangement.Firstthe4-barintro:

Intro

Andnowfortheend/lastchorus,whichisplayedafterthethirdandfinalverseofthisprogression.Playthroughthecompletechorusandaddthetagtofinishup.ThetagactuallystartsonthesecondhalfofthechoruswithaD+chordextendedtocreatetheending.


EndTag

Okayyouhaveallthepieces,nowputittogether.

FrommyyearsofplayinginTop40dancebands,thebestwaytoreallygetasongdownislearntheprogressionsneededbybreakingthemdownintosections.Theyaremucheasiertorememberthisway.Webasicallyhave“5”sectionstoarrangethissong.

#1=Intro=A#2=Verse=B#3=Chorus=C#4=Instrumental=D#5=TagforEnding=E

Itisquiteacommonpracticewhenlearningorwritingasongtorefereachsectiontoaletterofthealphabetandthenit’seasytorememberandputtogether.Let’sdothatnowandbaseourarrangementontheoriginalrecording.

TheArrangement

A=IntroB=Verse(#1)C=Chorus(#1)B=Verse(#2)C=Chorus(#2)D=InstrumentalbreakB=Verse(#3)endverseC=Chorus(#3)endchorusE=Tagforending


Thereyouhaveit!Bethecampfirestarthatyouare!

IhaveonemoreriffIwouldliketogivetoyou,justforfunandalittleextraguitarbling.Ifyouwanttowakeupyoursingers,chordingthe5-barintroisnotasrecognizableastheiconicriffthatisplayedoverthe5-barintroprogression.Imyselfwouldplaytheintroriffusingadoublenoteguitarriffinsteadofthestrummingofthechordsbecauseitwillbeinstantlyrecognizable.I’llshowyouhowtoplayitinasinglenotelineoradoublenotelinejustforextracoolness!

IntroRiff

Example#1SingleNotes

Example#2DoubleNotes

Seeyainthenextsong.


Chapter#8StirItUpHereisacoolsimplesongthathasaninterestingmutedstrumtocreateareggaerhythm.Thechordsarestraightforwardallthewaythroughwiththestrumconsistentallthewaythroughthesong.It’sthestrumthat’sthetrickypartofthesong,butonceyougetthefeelofit,youwillhaveeverybodysingingalong–it’sveryinfectious.

TheoriginalBobMarleyversionisplayedinthekeyof“A”majorusingthe3basicchordsin“A”majorwhichistermedI(1),IV(4),V(5):A+,D+,E+.

I IV V 1 4 5

Theonlynewchordsofarinthiscourseisthe“E”majorchord.Thisisallyouneedtoplaythesong.

Oh,andthereisalotoflyricstoknowunlessyoujustwanttosingthechorusover.

Solet’sgettothestrumusingafamiliarchord.


Youcanusebothyourleftandrighthandstohelpmutestringsonthedownstroke.Iusealotofmylefthandbyraisingfingersjustenoughoffthefretboardtomutethestrings;IkeepmyfingerslinedforthenexttwostrumswhereIneedtosoundthechord.

IusemyrighthandedgeofmypalmtomutestringsasIstrikethestringstocreateamorepercussivefeel.Therearevaryingdegreesofhowmuchmuteyouuse.Youwillnoticeinthe“BobMarley”vidforthissongheisplayinganelectricguitarwithafullband.Youmaybetheonlymusicalinstrumentaroundthecampfire,soIwouldchoosetoleanmoretowardsthepercussiveendofthemutedstroke,butit’sreallyuptoyou.

Thewholesongisbasedoffarepeating2-barphrasewiththedynamicsofhowtheverseorchorusisplayedtoindicatechangesfromtheverseorchorussections.Thevoicehasbiginfluenceonthechorusorversechangestoo,butoverallit’sthesamechordsandthesame2-barphrase,repeatedtocoverthewholesong.


Okay,justacoupleofbonuspointerstohelpunderstandandrememberhowtocompletethesong.

Forstarters,beforethefirstchorusbegins,wehaveanintro.

Intro=4x2–barphraseChorus#1=4x2-barphraseVerse#1=4x2-barphraseChorus#2=4x2-barphraseVerse#2=4x2-barphraseChorus#3=4x2-barphraseVerse#3=4x2-barphraseChorus#4=4x2-barphraseSolo=14x2-barphraseChorus#5=4x2-barphraseChorus#6=fades

Sofromthisoutlineyoucantailorthepresentationofthissongtowhatyoulike.

Forexample,Imightnotplaytheintroaslongastheoriginalrecording,especiallyifIaminthepositionofbeingthe“LoneWolf”guitarplayer.Trya2x2-barphrase.

Iwouldusethesamethreechordchangesforbothverseandchorussections.Instead,usingdynamicstodistinguishmusicallybetweenverseandchorussections.

Inversesections,Iwouldlayback,playamoremutedpercussivestrum,makingsurethevocalsareoveryourguitarinvolume(nottooloud).Thechorusneedstobebroughtupdynamically–voice/voicesgetlouderorstronger,andhittheguitarstringsmoreaggressively.Uselessmutethanintheverse,andletthechordsringout–makeitalittlelouder.

Thiscreatesanoticeabledynamicchangefromchorustoversetransitions,givingchorusandversesectionsemphasizedparts.

Fortheintro,ifyouhaveotherplayersthatwanttojoinyou,youcouldhaveabitofajamsessionherebeforeyoustartthevocals.It’stheperfectspotforsomemusicalexpression!Usingthe2-barphrase,youcouldjamouttoanundeterminedamountofcycles(justforfun).Whenyou’redone,giveitacouplemore2-barphrases(2x2)andsingthefirstchorus(arrangementabove).Nowyou’reintothesong,dependingonhowmanyversesyousingoryouknow.Youcanshortenitorgoforthefullfourverses.

Youendafteryourlastchorus,andifyouhaveajambuddyortwo,youmightwantasolosectionherelikeintheoriginalrecording.Youwillnoticethatinthearrangementabove,


afterchorus#4(lastchorus),wehave142-barphrasesfortheoriginalrecordingwhichisanimprovisedsolo.Youcouldextendthisorshortenit,dependingonyoursituation.Ifyou’vegotjambuddies,givethemachancetoshinehere,justplaythe2-barphrasetillyoufeellikeit’sdoneandthensingtwochorusestoendthesong.

Afteryourtwochoruses,backtobackoneortwomore2-barcyclesandthenendonthe“A”majorchord.Youcouldleavethesolopartoutcompletelyifyouwant.Justsingthechorustwotimesafterverse#3andcallittheendofthesongandleavethesoloout.

Nowforyouhardworkingaspiringstudents,Ihavesomeguitarbling.Everwantedtolearnhowtosolo??Wellhereisaverysimple,basicstartforyou,andifyoulikethisyouneedtocheckoutmy“SecretsofImprovising”courseafteryougetthisdownanditwilltakeyoutothenextlevel.

Ifyouwanttojamwiththisprogressionandlearntoplayasolo,learnthefollowingscaleinF♯m(F-sharp-minor)andyoucanplayanynotesoutofthatscaleoverthe“StirItUp”chordprogressionanditisguaranteedtosoundgood.


Okay,onemorelittlepieceofblingifyou’reinterested.Ifyouwantanotheroptionforthethreechordsusedinthisprogression,youcouldplayagroupofthreebarchordsforthisprogression.Youmayfindthebarchordseasiertocreateandcontrolyourmutedstrokestrum;itisuptoyoubecauseyoucanmaketheopenchordsworkwelltoo.

Iwillgothroughafewfingeringoptionsandchoicesonmyvidportionofthislesson.

WearegoingtousetwoverycommonchordswhichwillgetustheA+,D+andE+chordchangesweneed.Herearethediagramsforyourpossibleoptions.

A+fullbar A+Hendrixstyle–optional A+basicchord thumbforthe6thstring

Allthreeofthesechordformscouldbeused.



TogetyourE+chord,movechord#2(D+)twofretshigherforyour“Emajor”chord.Thereareseveralotheroptionsyoucouldusewhichwouldworkforthissongusingthechordsyoualreadyknow.

Toohardtoverbalizethis,solearnthethreeopenchordsIfirsttaughtyouandthenthebarchordoptions.Thenyoucanbeaguitarstarandplaythissonganywayyoulikeandgeteverybodysingingalong,especiallytothechorus!


Chapter#9CountryRoadsIfyouwanttogetpeoplesinging,youcanplaythissong.

FirstIwillteachaneasywaytoplaythesongusingfourchords:G+,C+,D+andEm.Usingthesechordsputsyouin“G”major.Theoriginalsongisin“A”major,but“G”majorisaneasyplayanditstillworksreallygoodforthissong.Iwillsortouttheoriginalattheend,sonomatterwhatlevelyou’reat,Icanteachyouhowtoplaythisprogression.

Wewillusechordswealreadyknow,solet’sstartwiththebasicchordlayoutfortheverse.Iamgoingtosimplifythestrumandmakeitauthenticinaneasyway;justgetthechangesdownandIwillshowyouhowtoapplythestrum.

BasicBarCount(Verse)

NomatterhowIcountedthisout,it’sabitoddwiththeamountofbars,butthevocalsdictatethisprogression.

*=wherethevocalsstartforthefirstphrase*=secondphraseofversestartsonbar#10butitworkswiththevocalstocompletetheverse


Itismoredifficulttonotatethantojustfollowthevocals,anditiseasierto“feel”thechanges.TryandhearthesonginthechordchangesandthenIhaveastrumthatyoucanusefortheentiresong!

Itisreallya2-beatrepetitivestrumpattern.Onelongandtwoshortstrums.Toohardtoexplainverbally,it’sarhythmicfeelthatisbestdemonstratedonthevid.

Thecountwillhelpyougetthefeel,becauseonceyougetthatyoujustapplythattoeachchangethroughouttheentiresong.Iwilladdalittlemoretothis,butfirstgetthis.

Nowlet’slookatthechorusbasicbarlayoutandthenapplythesamestrumtothat.

Thisiseasiertograspbecauseitisanevenamountofbarswheretheverseisodd,butjustrememberthevocalsdictate.

Tocompletethefirsthalfofthesong,youneedanintrobecauseyoucan’tjustjumpinonthefirstverse.


IfIwasplayingforagroupofpeoplethatwantedtosingthesong,Iwouldjustsitonthe2-beatphrasewiththe“G+”chorduntilsomebodystartstosing,andthenplaytheversebarcountoncethevoiceorvoicesstartsingingthefirstverse.It’sbasicallyfourbarsofG+usingtheonelongtwoshortstrumpattern8timestocompletethefourbarsoftheoriginalrecordedversion,andthenthevoicecomesin.

Nowwehaveabridgetocompletethepicture.Sofarweplaya4-barintro,averse,chorus,verse,chorus,andnowthebridge.Youcanusethesamestrum!

Bridge

Noticewehavethegoodold“F”barchordbacktohauntusagain.Nomatter,thisistheeasiestwaytoplaythissong.Welearnedhowtoplaythe“F”majorbarchordonpage#21,soreviewthisifyouneedto.The“F”isanoutsidechordthatonlyappearsonceinthewholesong.IsuggestyouusethefullbarbecauseIwillshowyouhowtoaddalternatebassnotestoyourstrumpatternandthenyouwillreallybehappenin’forthissong.

Attheendofthebridgeinthelastthreebars,the“D”majorchordisbuiltupdynamicallytothefinalbarwhereyoustrikethe“D+”chordjustonce.Rightafterthat,thevoicewillstartjustafterthelastD+strikeinthelastbarofthebridge.

EverybodystopsonthefirstbeatofthelastbarontheD+chord,andthenthevoicestartsintothechorus.

Tofinishtheoriginalarrangementofthisprogression,afterthebridgewesingthewholechorusbacktobacktwiceexactlyasIhavewrittenout.


Afterthatwehavea2-barphrasetoendthesong.

JusthavealistentotheoriginalstudiorecordingofJohnDenver’s“CountryRoads”andyouwillgetit.Thevocalsoverlapandstartalittleearly;thisiscalledoverthebarline.It’sjustawaytheartistchosetodothis.

Alright,Ihavesomeguitarblingifyouwouldliketotakethisanyfurther.Youcanplaythissonganddoaverygoodrenditionofthisprogressionwiththeinformationyouhavenow.

Ihaveacoolalternatebassnotestrumpatternwecanuse.Westillusethesamerhythmthatwehavebasedoffthestrumthatisfoundonpage#39.Thebassreplacesthefirstandthirdbeatstrumswithasinglebassnotetakenoutofyourchordform.

IhavetabbedoutthefirsteightbarsofthechorustoshowyouhowIalternatethebasswithmystrum.Alwaysstartyouralternatebasswiththerootnoteofthechord;fortheG+therootisthe“G”noteonthesixthstringinthechordpatternyouareplaying.

Youwillnoticethatforthe“C+”chordIusedtheC+/Gbassnotechord.Istartwiththefifthstringastherootandthenplaythelow“G”noteasthealternateovermy“C+”chord.

Thisiscalledbassinversion.IalsousethistrickintheD+chord,startingwiththeopenfourthstringwhichisthe“D+”chord’srootnoteandthenalternatetotheopenfifthstringforthelowalternatebassnote.

SoIhavegivenyouanexampleofalternatepickingthatyoucanapplytoanyofthechangesfoundinthisprogression:thechorus,thebridge,intro,verseetc.

Onthenextpage,thereareeightbarsoftabforthealternatebasslineusingthechoruschange,youwillfindthreeexamplesofalternatebasslinesforthe“F”majorchordwhichappearsonceinthesongatthe10thbarofthebridge.TherearethreedifferentformsoftheF+chordIgaveyou.Eachonecanhaveanalternatebasspatternthatworksforthespecificformofthechord.Iwouldchoosethefullbar,butthatdependsonwhatchordyoucanplayandmanage.


IlikethefullbarbecauseIgetmytwolowestbassnotesfromthebarfromthe“F+”chord.Youcantakeyourchoice–theyallsoundgood.

“CountryRoads”Chorus,First8BarsWithAlternateBass


Chapter#10ChordOptionsForTheOriginalKeyAlright!Ihavetwomorepiecesofinformationtohelpyoubecomeabettermusician.Ifyouremember,atthebeginningofthischapterImentionedthattheoriginalkeyforthissong/progressionisthekeyof“A”major.YoucantakewhatIhavejusttaughtyouanduseacapoatthesecondfretandyouwillhavethekeyof“A+”major,whichiseasytogetbecauseyoualreadyknowthechangesanditisjustamatterofgettingusedtoplayingthemusingthecapoatthesecondfret.

TheotheroptionistotakeourchordswejustlearnedforthekeyofG+andtransposethemtothekeyofA+andyougetthis:

G+=A+C+=D+D+=E+ ThesearethechordchangesinthekeyofA+Em=F♯m F+ = G+

Sotoplayin“A”major,findyournewchordsandusethesamestrumpatternoralternatebasstechniquethatyoushouldalreadyknow.Thisgetsdifficulttoexplainonpaper,butIwilldetailitoutforyouonmyvidpartofthislesson.

IgaveyouallthechordsyouneedearlieronexceptfortheF♯m.Youcanuseopenstringchordsforallthechordsyouneedin“A+”exceptfortheF♯mwhichyouneedtobar.ThiswillbringyouclosetohowJohnDenverplayedthisprogressionifyoulike.


YouhavethreeF♯mforms;thebestonebeingthefullbarwhichgivesyouallsixstrings.

Basic4-stringF♯m Addedbassnotecreates Fullbarforrichphat F♯m/C♯ sound – F♯m

OnthefollowingpageIhaveabasicchordchartandarrangementfor“CountryRoads”in“A”majorwhichistheoriginalkey.Followtheorderandarrangementandyou’regoodtogo!


CountryRoads

Verse

Tochorus…Chorus


------Verse------------Chorus------Bridge------Chorus2x------End


Chapter#11SweetCarolineWow,hereisagreatsing-a-longsongthatshouldinspiremany.NeilDiamondwasmyveryfirstconcertafterIgotmydriver’slicense.ItwasanunforgettableshowandIwasinspiredgreatly.

Thissongisinthekeyof“B”majorandcaneasilybeplayedwithopenchordformsusingacapo;otherwiseyouwillbeusingbarchords.

Ifyoucheckoutthevidsonyoutube,Neilusesacapoatthesecondfret.GoodenoughforNeil,goodenoughforusanditisaloteasierthanthebarchords!

BasicallythesongusesthethreebasicchordsA+,D+,andE+withacapoatthesecondfret.I’mgoingtoteachittoyouwithoutthecapoandthenattheendofityoucancapoittogettheoriginalkey,allthoughthesongsoundsgoodintheopenpositionwithoutacapotoo.

Let’stakealookatthebasicversearrangementfirst.

Itisan8-barphrasethatyourepeatbacktobackforatotalof16barsandthiscoverstheverse.Intheoriginalrecording,itisveryorchestratedandthereisalotgoingon,butI’mgoingtoshowyouhowtomakeitsoundgoodwithacouplesimplestrums.Fortheversewewilluseasimple1/4strummutedstrokewhichisveryeffective.

Wewanttobuildthesongup,sostartatamorelaid-backvolumeusingthemutedstrokeandthenwecanpickitupinthepre-chorusandchorustoadddynamicstoourperformance.

Hereishowtoapplythestrumtotheverseforeachbar.


Youwanttocutthestrumshortsothatitdoesnotringoutanditbecomesmorepercussive.Useyourrighthandedgeofpalmaftereach1/8beatstrumandmutethechordandthendoitagain.

Thiswillcreateanicerhythmicpulsethatiseasyforyoursing-a-longsingerstocatchonto.Usethisstrumforallsixteenbarsoftheverse.

Nextupisthepre-choruswhichisusedtobuilduptothechorus.Thepre-chorusshouldbealittlemoreinvolumethantheversebutnotasloudasthechoruswhichshouldbetheloudestpartofthesong.

Ofcourseitisuptoyouhowyouinterpretthedynamics,butbasicallyit’slikethis:

Verse =quieter(volumewise)Pre-chorus =alittlelouder,alittlemorebusystrumChorus =theloudestpartofthesong–useamoreaggressivestrumandplaywitha littlemoremustard

Sohereisthepre-choruschordarrangement:

Twoitemsofdiscussionneededhere:first,thestrum.Leavethemuteoutandusethreeopendownstrums,thenaquickupstrokeonthe(ahhh)ofthe3rdbeatanddownonthe4thbeat.Thesamestrumisusedforthefirst8-barsandthenwhenwegettotheE+chordinthelasttwobarsofthepre-chorus,wewillbuildupwithashufflegroove/strumalsoknownasthedotted1/8strumorrhythm.Basicallyashortupstrokejustbeforeeachofthenextbeats;onelongerheldstrumonthedownstroke,ashortupstrokeonthe(ahhh)countandthendownforthenextlongstroke.


Repeatthisforthelasttwobarsandthisbuildsyouuptothechoruswhichusesthesamedotted1/8notestrum.Justplaythestrumalittlelouderthanwhatyoudidinthelasttwobarsofthepre-chorus.

Reallyitshouldbeagradualbuildfromthelasttwobarstobringyoutothedynamicvolumethatwewilluseforthechorus.

Herearethetwofingeringsforthe“A6”chordwhichisrelatedtothe“A+”chord.Useyourpinkyandaddthesecondfretfirststringtothe“A+”chordwhichgivesyou“A6”.Oryoucouldjustbaracrossthe4th,3rd,2nd,and1ststringsanditwillgiveyouthesame.Bothchordsusetheopen5thstringastherootnote.

Nowlet’stakealookatthechordarrangementforthechorus.

Basicchorus


Noticewiththelast2-barsyouneedtolearnonenewchordoryoucouldplayasinglenotebasslinethatfollowstherootofeachchordchange.Theeasiestwaytoplaythelasttwobarsofthechoruswouldbesinglenotes.Ihavethreepossibilitiesyoucoulduse.

Example#1–singlebassnotes

Example#2–combinationofE+andD+openchordsplustwosinglebassnotestofinishtherundown

Example#3–allchordsforthedescendinglinetoendthechorusandbringyoubacktothenextverse

Example#1–singlenotesonly

Example#2

Example#3–fullchords

IwillshowyouthreedifferentchoicesthatyoucanusefortheC♯mandtheBmchords.Mychoiceisthefullbarbecausethatsoundsbiggerthanthesimplifiedchordoptions.Ifyoucan’tgetthefullbarchords,thenplayoneoftheothertwooptionsIpresenttoyouhere.


Thisisanimportantdescendinglineandifyouwanttogetpeopleintosingingwithyou,youneedthismusicalrundowntoletyoursingersknowwherethechorusends.Itbringsyoufromthefirstchorusintothesecondverse,orthesecondchorusintoalittlebuildtogetyoubacktothechorusforonemoreroundandthenontheoriginalrecordingitfades.Onceyougetthelast2-barsofthechorus,thenyouare“golden”–you’rewellintothesongandallthatwehavetodotofinishupisasimpleintro,abuild,andanending.Solet’sdiginandgettheC♯mandBmchangesdownandwehaveitinthebag!

ThesearetheeasiestformsoftheC♯mandBm.Watchthatyoudonotringoutthe6,5,and4stringswhileusingeitherofthesechords.

Thesechordsareonlyonestepfromthefullbar,butifyoucan’tgetthebar,thisisagoodoption.


ThesearethebestandIwillremindyouonbarchordtechniqueinthevidsectionofthislesson.

IfIwasinthepositionofplayingthissongforasing-a-longcrowd,tostartthesong,IwouldjustusetheE+chordwithamutedstrokeforfourbars,andthenstartinwiththefirstverse.

Intheoriginalrecording,it’ssevenbarsandanorchestraarrangementthatbuildsupandthendropsyoudownintothefirstverse;youprobablywon’thavetheorchestratobackyouup.

Iusuallyplaythefirst2-barsreallyquiet,openupforthethirdandfourthbarsalittlemore,andthenintothefirstverse.I’lldemothedynamicsonthevidlesson.

Thesame7-barorchestralpartisfoundafterthesecondchorus,solookaroundyouandseeifyouhaveanorchestratobackyouup,andifyoudon’thaveone,thenIsuggesta6-barbuildinsteadofsevenbars.Iwouldusethemutedstroketostartandthenusingmystrumvariationsbuilduptothe6thbartotakeyoubacktoyourfinalechorus(ornot).

Imeanifyouwereagreatsing-a-longentertainer,youmaywanttopleaseyoursingersandgivethemonemorefullchorusbeforeyouendthesong.


HereishowIwouldapproachthebuildbacktothechorus:

Ifyouwanttoendthesong,theeasiestwayistocomeoutofyourlastchorusanddescendlikeyouusuallydoonthelasttwobarsandfinishwithanA+chord.Ifyouwanttoplaythechorusmorethanonceattheend,justusetheE+chordforthelasttwobarsofeachrepeatingchorus,insteadofthedescendingchords.

Leavethe2-bardescendinglineinthelasttwobarsofthechorusforyourverylastchoruswheneveryoudecidetoend,butplaythechorusatleastonce.

Arrangement

4-barintro=E+/mutedstrokeVerse#1PrechorusChorus#1Verse#2PrechorusChorus#26-barbuildintolastchorusChorus(atleastonce)endonA+

Don’tforget!Nowthatyouhavethis,ifyouwanttoplayintheoriginalkey,capoatthesecondfretandmoveeverythingup.Iwilldemothisonthevid–nowbegreat!!!


Chapter#12StandByMeHereisanabsoluteclassicsing-a-longsongthatisnottoohardtoplay.Wewillusefourchordsyoualreadyknow:G+,C+,D+andEm.Thisistheeasiestsonginthewholecourse,anditisawesome.IusedtheBenEKingoriginalrecordingasareference.

AttheendofthisIwillteachyouacoolbassriffintrotoletallyoursingersknowwhatsongyou’regoingtoplay,butfornowlet’sstartwiththeverse.

Foryourinformation,theoriginalsongisinA+,andonceyoulearnthesongwiththeopenchords,justuseacapoatthesecondfretandplayeverythingtwofretshigher.

Thecapoactslikeyourstringnutintheopenposition:samepatterns,samestrum,justtwofretshigher.

Ifyoudonotplayitthisway,youwillhavetousebarchords,butthecapoistheeasiestwaytoplaythissongifyouwanttheoriginalkey.ItdoessoundreallygoodjustplayinginG+withoutthecapo,usingtheopenchords,butthisisnottheoriginalkey.

Thissongisreallyaboutdynamics:theverseismorelaidbackandthechorusisstronger.HereisthebasicprogressionandthenIwillshowyouhowtoseparatetheversefromthechorususingstrumdynamics.

Thisisan8-barphraseandtoplayaverseyouuseittwotimesbacktoback.Thetricktogettingthissongistherhythmicfeelusinganup-beatstrokeonthesecond1/8noteofbeatnumbertwo.Onceyougetthehangofit,itisnottoohard.

ItaughtyouamutedstrokeintheBobMarleysong“StirItUp”,andwearegoingtousethistechniqueagain,withadifferenttiming.

Itisimportanttogetthetwomutesperbarintherightplace;theyareintimewiththevocalsandtheoverallrhythmofthissong.


Hereisthestrumnotatedusingsticknotation;usethisstrumforall16barsoftheverse.

Youmuteintimewherethetworestsappear:onbeat#2forone1/8timeduration,andonthe4beatforafull1/4beatmute.Thenrepeatforthecompleteverse.

NowIhavealittlemoreofastrumforthechorus.

Hereisthechorusstrum:

Justasareminder,youusetherighthandedgeofpalmtomuteallsixstrings,foreithertheversestrumorchorusstrumpattern.Thechorusonlyusesone8-barphrase,not2x8-barslikewedofortheverse.Getalittlemoreaggressiveinthechorus:letyourstrumringoutalittlemore,makeitalittlelouder.

Weneedanarrangementtocompleteoursong,sohereishowIwouldapproachthis.

Arrangement

Intro –one8-barversephraseVerse#1 –two8-barphrases(16bars)Chorus#1 –one8-barphrase(usethechorusstrum)Verse#2 –sameasverse#1Chorus#2 –sameaschorus#1Instrumental–playchorus16-barsEndchorus –repeatfullchorustwice,endonthefirstbeatofthenext8-barphrasewithaniceG+chordringingout.

NoticehowIusedone8-barversephraseusingtheversestrumforanintro.Fortheinstrumentalbreakafterthesecondchorus,justtreatitlikeachorusrhythmandrepeatthe8-barphrasetwice.Dependingonyoursituation,thiscouldbeagreatplacetogiveanaccompanyinginstrumentasolobreak.


Ifyou’retheLoneWolf,andyoudonotwant16barsofinstrumental,youcouldjustplay8barsofaninstrumentalbreakandgobacktothechorus.

Attheend,ifyouwant,playafewchorusrepeatsandgivesometothesingerorjustplayitthetwotimesandendontheG+chord.Forallofyouthatwantalittlemore,Iwillgiveyouthebasslineinasimplifiedversionthatyoucanusefortheintroductionofthesong,otherthanjustusingaversestrum.

Itissucharecognizablebasslinethatitwillhelpgettheattentionofanypotentialsing-a-longsingers,butthistakesalittlemoreeffort.

StandByMeIntroBassLineforGuitar

Noticehowtogetstartedyoustartonthe“4and”ofthebarbefore:thisisyourcountinbar.

One–two–three(start)

Thebasslinerhythmissimilartoyourstrumrhythm;wemutethesecondbeat,first1/8note.Ifyouknowyourguitarnotesreallywell,youwillrealizethattheyfollowthechordchangesandthatiswhyIhavewrittenoutthechordchangesabovethebassline.

Allright,begood,seeyouinthenextsong.


Chapter#13MrsRobinsonThisisthemostchallengingprogressionofthecourse.Thereareplentyofopenchordchangesandrhythm/strumvariations.Itisaniconicprogressioninspiredbytheoriginalrecordingof“MrsRobinson”,butitisnotanexactcopy,moreanarrangementsothataloneguitarplayercaninspiresingers.

Let’sstartwiththebasicchordarrangementfortheverse;intheoriginalitwascapoedatthesecondfret.

Theopenchordsun-capoedsoundgoodtoo,andmayworkbetterforsomesingersbecauseitisalittlelower.

Hereisthechordoutlinefortheverse.

Youshouldknowallofthesechords,nowlet’stakealookatthestrum.


Hereisthebasicstrumwecanapplytoeachbarofourverseprogression.Thestrumisfairlyquickbecausethespeedofthesongisonthefasterside.

Toreallyusethestrum,itisgoodtoapplyalittlebitofdynamics.Startalittlemorelaidbackandquieterandthenaswegettothe“D+”changeinbar#10,starttopickup,withtheloudestpartoftheversebeingthe“D7”chordsonthelasttwobars.

Andnowthebasicchordoutlineforthechorus.

Allrightnowlet’sputastrumpatterntothisprogression.

Hereisagoodchorusstrumforthisprogression.Learnhowtooverstressthefirstandthirdstrumbeatstomakeitreallycometolife.


Inplaceofthestressedoneand3-beatinthestrum,Ireplaceitwiththerootnotebassforeachchordchangestrumpattern.

G+=6thstringrootEm=6thstringrootC+=5thstringrootD+=4thstringrootAm=5thstringroot

OkayIhavealittleguitarblingforyoutocompletethisprogression,thenwecanarrangeit.Wehaveanintroeverytimewecomeoutofachorusandgobacktoaverse.Iamgoingtoincorporateasinglenoteriffwithastrumtorepresentwhathappensintheoriginalrecordingwithtwoguitarparts.Itisalittletricky,butonceyougetthehangofityouwillbeonehappenin’sing-a-longguitarstrummer.Itisa2-barphrasethatisusedforalltheintrosandtheend.

2-BarIntroPhrase

*Thisismuchtoodifficulttoexplainverbally,soIwilldetailthisoutonthevidsectionrelatedtothis.Whatweneednowisanarrangementofthepartstocompletethissongsoitispresentabletoyoursing-a-longsingersasacompletesongbasedontheoriginalversion.

Intheoriginalrecordedversionofthissong,youstartwithfour2-barphrasesbeforeyouplaythroughtheverseprogressionwithoutlyrics.It’sabitofajamusingthevoicesandtheversemelody,buttherearenolyrics.

Youcaneitherdothisorskipitandplaytwo2-barphrasesorfour2-barphrasesoftheintroriff/rhythmanddriveintoachorus.Yourchoice,Iwillarrangeitwiththeoriginalintroinplace.


Arrangement

Intro–4x2-barphraseIntroverse–nolyrics,sameasallversesChorus#1–fulllyricsIntro–2x2-barphraseVerse#1–fulllyricsChorus#2–fulllyricsIntro–2x2-barphraseVerse#2–fulllyricsChorus#3–fulllyricsIntro–2x2-barphraseVerse#3–fulllyricsChorus#4–fulllyricsIntro–2-barphraseattheend

Well,that’sit!


Chapter#14HeyJudeIhadtohaveaBeatlessonginheresomewhere.“HeyJude”cameupsomanytimesonall-timefavouritesing-a-longliststhatIresearched,Ihadtofindaneasywaytoplayit.

Originallyitisinthekeyof“F”major,whichwouldmeanallbarchordsfortheguitartogetitright.SoIwroteitoutusingbasicchordswealreadyknowandcapoedupthreefrets.

ThisdoesnotsoundlikewhatJohnLennonplayedontheoriginaltrackbecauseheplaysinbarchordforms.

Whenwecapoatthethirdfretanduseopenchordforms,technicallytheyarethesamechanges,justhighervoicingsofthesamechords.Forthoseofyouthatdoplaybarchordsorwantto,Iwillincludethemasaguitarblingforthissong.Withthecapoatthethirdfret,playthefollowingchordsfortheverseprogression.

Herewehavethebasicverseprogressionoutline.

Ihaveonestrumyoucanusetocoveralltheversebarsexceptfortwobars.Theendofverse#1hasastoponthethirdbeatofthelastbarwiththe#1bracketoverit.Juststrikethethirdbeatstruminthatbarof“D”andletitringthroughbeat#4.

TheotherstrumisusedforthebarofD7foundattheendofthesecondpartoftheverse.TheD7buildisusedtotakeustothechorus.


Basicversestrum

Wehavethelittlestoptherebecauseweactuallygorightbackintoanotherverse.Itonlydoesthisforthefirsttwoverses.Thelittlestopisusedtoletyouknowverse#1isatanendandthenitbringsyouintoverse#2.Fortheendofverse#2,youplaythe2-barsinbracket#2:

Bracket#2–2barsattheendofverse#2.

Intheoriginalrecording,thefirsttwoversesareplayedbacktoback.Thereisnochorusuntiltheendofverse#2afterwebuildonthe“D7”chord.

Inthelasttwobarsofverse#2,youneedtograduallybuildupusingamoreaggressiveandlouderstrum.

Thebacktobackversesjusthappenforthefirsttwoverses.ThebuildontheD7happenseverytimewecomeoutofaverseandbuildtoourchorus.Inthechorusweneedtolearnacooldescendingbasslinetomakeourinterpretationofthissongalittlemoreclassy.


Thisisaclassicchordandbasslinedescendingmusicalmovement.Ittakesalittlemoreeffort,butyouwillfindthisparticularmovementinmanyothersongs/progressions.Thisisavaluablepieceofinformation,solet’sgetthisdown.

Wewillstartwithabasicchordprogressionchartwiththeslashchordsorbasslinechordsandwheretheyfitin.AfterthatIwillgraphoutthechordshapesinorderofthechangesandthenfollowupwiththeapproachforyourstrumpatternsowecanfeatureadescendingbasslineforthispart!!

Basicchoruschanges

Youwillnoticewehavesomeoddbarcountshere,butthatistheBeatlesanditisverycool.Hardtoexplainthoughsogoovertothevidexplanation–itismuchbetter.Otherthantheslashchord,youalreadyknowtherest.

TheD+isthelastlinkinthisdescending2-barphrase.ItisyourbasicopenD+chordusingtheopen“D”bass.Youseethisinthefollowingtab.


Ihavetwostrumpatternapproachesforour2-bardescendingchord/bassline.Thebasicapproachisonebassnoteandonefullchordstrum.

HereIuseadownupstrumalongwithmysinglebassline.

Ilikethedoublestrum,soIwillusethatapproachtocompletethechorusprogression.Ifyoutakealookatthebasicchoruschangeschart,youwillnoticethatthedescendingchord/basslinehappenstwicetocompleteit.

Afteryourfirst2-bardescendingmovement,usethebasicversestrumforthe“A+”changeandthenusethestrumpatternforthelast2-barsofverse#2inthe#2bracket.

Repeatthe2-bardescendinglineagainandplayonebarof@timesignature(2beats)andthenabarof“A+”andthenasinglestrumofthe“A7”andthattakesustoverse#3.

Herewehavethechorusputtogether.


Wearenownearingthecompletionofthisprogression.Verse#3isthesameasverse#2,weonlyplayoneverseprogressionandtagitwiththe“D7”buildwhichiswhatverse#2doestoleadintoachorus.

Afterverse#3isastandardchorus,andthenweareintoverse#4.Verse#4isreallythesameasverse#3exceptwedonotusethetag“D7”buildonthelastbar.Wejusttagtheprogressionwitha“D+”build,whichbringsustoamassivesing-a-longchorus,suretobringthesingeroutinalmostanybody.

Verse#3progression

AftertheD7build,thethirdversegoestothebasicchorus.Verse#4isthesameastheaboveprogression,exceptforthelastbarwhichsubstitutesaD+insteadofD7forthebuildbar.Thistakesustoourmegachorus/refrain,whichisa4-barrepeatingphrasewhichcanbeaslongasyouwantit.Usethispartofthesongtoreallygeteveryonesingingalong.Youmayneedtorepeatthisuntilyougeteverybodyinonthis!


Basic4-barendphrase

Hereisastrumthatcanbeusedforeachbarofourend4-barphrase.

Getthehangofthisstrumbyusingjustonechordandcountingoutloudrepeatedtimes.Usethecountingoutloudtoguideyouwithrhythm.Itworksfordrummersanditwillworkforyou.

AllthatwehaveleftisanarrangementwhichIbasedontheoriginalrecording.Tostartthesong,thevoicecomesinonebarbeforetheband/guitarcomesin.Aneasywaytogetstartedintherightplacewiththevocals,startonebeatearlysoyoucancountone-two-three“HeyJude”.“Hey”isonbeat#4and“Jude”iswheretheinstrumentationstartsonthefirstbeatofbar#1intheverse.

Arrangement

Verse#1 Doubleversepage#61Verse#2Chorus–page#63Verse#3–page#65Chorus–page#63Verse#4–page#65sameasverse#3,exceptfortheD7inthelastbarthatissubstitutedwithaD+Chorus/refrain–page#664-barphrase.UsetheD+chordtoendwhenyouaredonewiththerefrain.


Chapter#15Hereisyourguitarbling.IfyouwantthechordsJohnLennonusedforthissong,youneedsomebarchords.Youcanusethesamestrumpatternsandarrangement,justgetridofthecapoandplayopenpositionchords.Fortheverseyouwouldplay

D+=F+A+=C+/G thesearethechordsyouneedtoplayA7=C7 withoutacapointheoriginalkeyG+=B♭+

Soweneedtolearnwhatthechordsare.BelowIhavethefourchordsandsomefingeringchanges.

ThisistheeasiestF+ Thisonesoundsalittle Thefullbarisyourbest richer choice

Iwillhaveadetailedvidlessononhowtonaildownthebarchordsyouneed.Tryingtodescribethetechniqueswithouttheaidofavideoisdifficult.


ThisisthecommonC+chordInthe“HeyJude”youtubevidThe“C7”iscreatedfromformyoushouldalreadyyoucanseeLennonusingthebasicC+chordandknow thisparticularC+withalowaddingyour4thfingerto “G”bassnote the3rdstring3rdfret

ThisisyourbasicB♭+ThisoneusesafullbarandThisismychoiceforthe Idonotcareforthis,butB♭+,butsomemayfind somestudentsmayfind thisdifficultthiseasier


ThisistheeasiestoftheF7ThisF7chordisafullbar Usingyourpinky,youcanbarchords chordandcomesfromthe strengthenyour7thchord “F”majorfullbarchord byaddingthe7thnotewith withthepinkyremoved thepinkyonthe3rdfret fromthe4thstringto 2ndstring createthe“F7”

Herewehavethebasicprogressionforthefirsttwoverses:

Onceyouhavethis,youshouldknowwhattodoforverse#3andverse#4.Thechorusbasslineisabitofatrickandthereareafewpossibleapproaches.Youcoulddoachordruninsteadofjustthebassline,whichinsomewaysmightbealittleeasierforyou.

YouwillstartthechoruswithaB♭+andthendescendwithchords(B♭+-Am–Gm–F+).Eachtimeyouwillneedtohitthechord’srootnote,andreallytheonlychordfortheB♭+is

+


thefullchordbecausethebassnoteyouneedisonthe5thstring1stfret.Ifyouleavethebassrunout,itstillworks,it’sjustnotasstrongofasubstituteforthebassnotes.

Basicchordarrangementforchorus

The“Am”chordIcoveredearlieronand“Gm”canbecreatedbyusingtheF♯mchordwhichIofferedtoyouinour“CountryRoads”study.TakeyourF♯mandmoveitonefrethighersoyou’rebarredonthethirdfret.

“HeyJude”Chorususingbarchordsanddescendingbassline

Iwillmentioninmyvidlessonoptionsyoucanusetoapproachthechorusdescendingmovement,butIamnotgoingtotabitout.

Younowhavealltheinformationyouneedtocompletethesonginbarchordsexceptforthelast4-barsection:themegachorus/refrain.Weneedonemorebarchordtogetthisdown.


IfyoucanplaytheB♭+chordwiththekinkbar,justmoveituptowhereyourbarfingerisonthe6thfretandyouhavetheE♭+youneed.OnthefollowingpagesIwillgothroughyouroptions.


Basic3-stringversion

Eitherofthesetwosoundgood–theyusedifferentThisisabasic“D+”fingersbutthesamenotes moveduponefrethigher.Itisfairlyeasy butyoucanonlystrum 3stringsanddoesn’t soundasrich

SoyoucanseewhyIstartedoutbyusingacapo,becauseitismucheasier.IfyoucapoatthethirdfretandusetheopenchordsIhavegivenyou,youcanplayalongtotherecordingbecauseyouareintherightkey.

Hereisourbasic4-barchangefortheend;donotforgettousethesamestrumpatternonpage#66withthesechords.

Youcanalwaysworktowardsthebarchordversionifyoucan’tgetitrightaway–itallsoundsgood!


Chapter#16FreeFallingThissongwasaverypopularpickinanyofthetopsing-a-longsonglists.Thegoodnewsisthatwearegoingtousethesamecapotrickonthethirdfret,usingcommonopenchordsD+,G+,andA+.

It’sinthesamekeyas“HeyJude”,justadifferentchordarrangementandrhythm.Iwillshowyouabarchordversionforthisprogressionattheendofthisstudy,butfornowlet’stakealookatabasicstrumfortheversesections.

Thestrumisthetrickiestpartofthissong,butitcreatesthe“feel”andcharacterofthesongandisinstantlyrecognizable.Wewillbeusinga2-barphraseforalltheverses,incorporatingarighthandmutetocreatetherhythm.

Thevidportionofthelessonistheeasiestwaytogetthis2-barphraseacross,buthaveyourbookopentothis2-barphrasewhenyougetthereanditwillhelpyouseevisuallyhowthecountlinesupwiththestrum“feel”.

Sotheintroductionbeforethefirstverseistwo2-barphrasesandthenthevoicestartstheverse.

Verse#1isintwosectionswithone2-barphraseasaninstrumentalbreakbetweenthetwoversesections.

Verse#1

Verse#1section“A”=4x2-barphraseInstrumentalbreak=1x2-barphraseVerse#1section“B”=4x2-barphrase

Thistakesustothechorus,whichisthesamechordprogressionbutwewilladdalittlemoretothestrumpatternsothatthedynamicsbringupthechorusandmakeitfullerandricher.


Intheoriginalrecording,therearemultiplerecordedacousticguitarsmixedtogethertocreatetherhythmicfeelofthechorus.Hereisastrumpatternforasingleguitarthatmimicsthecombinationofallthemixedguitartrackstogether.

Togetthisparticularstrumpatterndownagain,itiseasiertousethisasanaidwhenIamdemonstratingthisinthevidportion.

Sothisisa2-barphraseagainwhichweuseforthechorus.

Chorus#1–4x2-barphrase.

Afterthechorus#1,weareintoverse#2.Irecommendthatyougobacktothebasicversestrumsothatitiseasytohearwhentheversestartsagain,creatingsomedynamics.Remember,thisisfora“lonewolf”guitarplayerwhoneedstomakethissongrecognizablewithoneguitarandIamassumingnobackupinstrumentsotherthanthevoice.

Verse#2–4x2-barphrase

Thesecondverseishalfofwhatthefirstversewas,andnowthistakesustochorus#2whichisthesameaschorus#1.

Chorus#2–4x2-barphrase(usethechorusstrumhereagain)

Instrumentalbreak–4x2-barphrase(usethechorusstrumheretoo)

Verse#3intherecordingofthissonghasadrumbeatthatchangesthe“vibe”and“feel”ofhowitisperceivedmusically.Ifyoulistenclosely,thebasicstrumcanbeheardinthebackoftheoutfrontdrumpart.Isuggestyouusethebasicversestrumforverse#3.

Verse#3–4x2-barphrase

Afterverse#3werepeatachorus(chorus#3)andthisbringsustoaninstrumentalbreak.Thisbreakusesanelectricguitaruncapoedwithlowerpowerchordswhichisdifficulttoduplicatewhenyouareusingacapoonanacoustic.

Mysuggestionheretoindicatethebreakmusically,istomimictheelectricguitarrhythmusingyourcapoedchordswithaheavypalmmutedstrum.


Hereisthenotationforthe2-barphraserhythmusedintheinstrumentalbreak.Again,inmyviddemoitwillbemucheasiertoshowyouhowtomutethisthanaverbalexplanation.Theideabeingtocreatedynamicssothatyougiveyoursing-a-longsingersanindicationmusicallytowhereyouareinthesong.

Herewehavetheinstrumentalrhythm:

Notice,Ihaveindicatedalldownstrums,andwithaheavymuteyoucancreateanicedynamicbreak.

Instrumentalbreak–2x2-barphrase

Afterthat,kickintothechorusandplayitout.WhatImeanwhenIsaythatisdependingonhowenthusiasticyoursing-a-longsingersareandhowmanyofthemyouhave,youcanjamoutthechorusandthe“FreeFalling”refrain/repeatattheend.

Thisgivessingersatanylevelachancetoparticipateintheendtoarousingchorus/refrain.IhaveusedthisendingideamanytimestogetmyaudiencetoparticipateandcontributetotheendofthissongandIhaveneverfoundacrowdthatdidnotwanttojoinin.

Sohavefun!

Hereisasimplewaytoendthissongonyourlast2-barphrase,wheneveryoudecideitistime.

Heavilyaccentthelastthreechordchangesinbar#2(accent=<)andthenendwiththe“A+”chord.

Sothatwasfunandnowwearedone,sohereisanarrangementfortheentiresong,justtomakeiteasierforyoutoputittogether.


Arrangement

Intro=2x2barphrase(basicstrum)Verse#1sectionA=4x2-barphrase(basicstrum)Instrumentalbreak=1x2-barphrase(basicstrum)Verse#1sectionB=4x2-barphrase(basicstrum)Chorus#1=4x2-barphrase(usethechorusstrumbuild)Verse#2=4x2-barphrase(basicstrum)Chorus#2=4x2-barphrase(samestrumaschorus#1)Instrumentalbreak=4x2-barphrase(usechorusstrum)Verse#3=4x2-barphrase(basicstrum)Chorus#3=4x2-barphrase(sameasotherchoruses)Instrumentalbreak=2x2-barphrase(usetheheavilymutedstrumpattern)Endchorus

Youcanrepeatthechorusatleastacoupleoftimeswithoutoverdoingit,thenwhenyouaredoneusethesimple2-barendphrase.


Chapter#17Okeedokee,nowforyourguitarblingthatIpromisedforeveryoneofthesesongs.

Forthoseofyouthatwanttoplaybarchords,thisistheticketandyoudonotneedtousethecapo.Weneedthreechordsandthreepowerchordstocompletethesongthisway.

SotakealookatthethreefullbarchordsthatIhave:F+,B♭sus9andCsus9(sus=suspended).Thesuspendedchordsareusedtosubstitutemajorchords.Justdropthebarchordswithoutacapointothebasicprogression.Usethesamestrumpatternsforverseandchorusthatwedidforourcapoversion.

Thisishowyoureplacethechangesfromthecapotothebarchords.

D+=F+G+=B♭sus9A+=Csus9

Myviddemoshouldexplainthisfairlywellifyoustilldonotgetit.


Weusethepowerchordsforthelastinstrumentalbreak,therhythmchangeseversoslightlytoaccommodatetheslidingofthepowerchords.

Playthistwicetocompletethelastinstrumental,thenbacktothechorus/refraintotheend.

AndnowIamdonewiththiscourse,butyouarenot!Youneedtogooverthismorethanonce.Mayyoursing-a-longsbebetterthantheyeverhave.

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