Author: ronp

Star Spangled Banner: Fingerstyle Guitar, key of C

This is my fingerstyle guitar arrangement for the Star Spangled Banner. This arrangement is in the key of C, so it is related to the single note melody of this anthem, also posted on this site.

Most of this piece is in first position on the guitar. There are a few places where you need to play in 3rd position. So there is not a lot of movement horizontally along the fretboard.

In measures 5 and 21 (not counting opening pickup notes) there is a C major chord in 3rd position, which uses 2 open strings and doubles the G and E notes. This makes for a bright sound and makes the melody stand out on the words “proud-ly” and “ram-parts”. The shorthand chord tablature for this chord is x35050, so the notes are C-G-G-E-E.

I like to play this instrumental version of Star Spangled Banner first when I play at the local winter farmers market. Just as with sporting events, this is a good way to start the morning and my first musical set. This is a good song to know for events and gigs where it might be appropriate to include.

Happy Independence Day (4th of July)!

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Lift Ev’ry Voice And Sing: 120th Anniversary

February 12, 2020 is the 120th anniversary of the first performance of the song “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing”. I first became aware of this tune as a member of the local NAACP chapter in Rutland, VT, at a fund-raising dinner in 2018. Soon after at a Sunday service, I noticed this hymn in the New Century hymnal, one of our hymnals at Grace Congregational Church in Rutland.

The 6/8 time signature and melody have a powerful “anthem” quality to it. In fact, this song is often referred to as the “The Black National Anthem” by the NAACP and African Americans.

The lyrics to this song were written as a poem by James Weldon Johnson. His words were set to music by his brother John Rosamond Johnson in 1899.

This song was first performed in public as part of a celebration of President Abraham Lincoln’s birthday on February 12, 1900. The singers were a choir of 500 schoolchildren at the segregated Stanton School, in Jacksonville, FL, where James Weldon Johnson was principal. You can view the lyrics and history for this anthem.

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Lift Ev’ry Voice And Sing: Guitar melody, key of F

This melody is in the key of F, and has verse structure of A1-A2-B-A2. Knowing the verse structure will help you learn and memorize the melody quicker. This song’s verse structure has first and second sections (A1 and A2) which start out similarly, but diverge and also have a different cadence (last chord resolution) at end of phrase. The second and fourth sections are identical (both A2). Knowing where there is repetition is helpful to learning a song. The third section (B) is very unique and different from the other lines.

This song has quite a few interesting chords and chord progressions, so it is not your average 3-chord song. The third section (B) includes both D minor and Db Major chords, which each share the key note F. So while this section is challenging to both play and sing, it is also very interesting from a musical composition perspective.

Another interesting aspect of this tune is that the first note is not the keynote (F in key of F), or a note from key chord (F, A, C notes in key of F). Rather, this song starts with E note, harmonized with C7 chord. If you were to sing this tune, it would help to play C7 chord at end of introduction, in order to hear the E note before singing.

Given the number of chords and challenging melody, this song is well suited for intermediate guitar players.

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Lift Ev’ry Voice And Sing: Fingerstyle Guitar, key of F

Here is my fingerstyle arrangement of this hymn. Like the single note melody, this piece is also in the key of F.

I raised the melody by one octave on the guitar in order to fit bass notes, chords and harmonies underneath. This arrangement uses a wide note range across the fretboard from fret 1 to 10. This arrangement is based on a SATB / keyboard arrangement from the New Century Hymnal, with some adjustments for the guitar. Thus, it is a hymn-like arrangement for the guitar.

This instrumental is well suited for intermediate and advanced guitar players.

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We Shall Overcome

We Shall Overcome
Spiritual hymn, protest song, Civil Rights anthem

This song is often played during the Martin Luther King holiday period, for peaceful protests, church services and vigils. This anthem was sung during the Civil Rights struggle and non-violent protests in the 1960s. The song was played by many folk singers, including Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, and the trio, Peter, Paul and Mary.

Rev. Martin Luther King’s birthday is January 15th. The official MLK holiday is celebrated on the Monday on or following Dr. King’s birthday.

My hope is that humankind can move closer to the message of this song. Dr. Martin Luther King advocated for non-violent protest and resistance. The struggle continues today.

Peace.

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We Shall Overcome: Guitar melody, key of C

We Shall Overcome
Spiritual hymn, protest song, Civil Rights anthem

This straightforward arrangement is in the key of C, which is a singable key. This song is a great choice for group singing.

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We Shall Overcome: Fingerstyle Guitar, key of G

We Shall Overcome
Spiritual hymn, protest song, Civil Rights anthem

This is my fingerstyle guitar arrangement of We Shall Overcome. This is in the key of G, which is not as singable as the key of C. However, for purposes of a fingerstyle arrangement, the key of G allows for a wider octave range on the guitar fretboard.

For example, for the measures with G and Em chords, the low G and E notes on the 6th string can be used. Also, in the last two measures (17-18), a reprise of the opening two measures appears an octave higher, and uses the first two strings between the frets 8 – 13. Thus the key of G allows for this wider note range along the length of the fretboard, and has a much fuller sound. In the last measure, the G chord triad at fret 12 is a harmonic, so that it continues to ring as you play the low G note to end piece.

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Auld Lang Syne: Guitar melody, key of E

Happy New Year!

This song is often sung and played on New Year’s Eve, while looking back at past year, and looking forward to New Year. Auld Lang Syne is based on a poem by Robert Burns and is a Scots folk tune.

Auld Lang Syne uses predominantly a pentatonic (5-note) major scale. In the key of E, that would be the notes E, F#, G#, B and C#. In this arrangement, in the opening phrase a D# note note appears, but is mainly an embellishment to the pentatonic scale.

Auld Lang Syne can be harmonized with three chords. In the key of E, this is E Major, A Major and B7.

Best wishes in the New Year! Keep on strumming and learning guitar.

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First Noel

The First Noel, Traditional English Christmas Carol

This is a good Christmas Carol for beginner guitar players. This tune is in a major key and the melody, for the most part, has contiguous scale notes, whether ascending or descending. So if you know the C Major scale, for example, you can learn this melody fairly easily.

Another interesting aspect of this melody is that it does not start or end on the key note. Many songs in the key of C begin and end on a C note. For First Noel, the beginning and ending note is E, which is the 3rd note of this major scale, and is also part of the C Major chord.

Merry Christmas

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