Intermediate Level – guitar + music blog

Pomp and Circumstance: Guitar melody, key of G

This tune by English composer Edward Elgar was composed as a march. So it is fitting to have a 2/4 time signature. The two beat measures are to be played at a comfortable walking pace as if you were playing for high school and college graduates to line up in a procession towards receiving their diplomas.

The first 16-bar section begins to repeat again, with a slightly different ending. So the last four measures of the first two 16-bar sections are different. Knowing where there is repetition in the melody and chords can help you to learn and memorize this tune more quickly. The third section is shorter at 8 bars.

Notice that the last phrase of melody is in an octave lower than the rest of the melody. This song is often repeated as necessary to accommodate the number of students graduating. Hence, upon repeat of the melody, the first note is an octave higher than the previous ending note and really stands out! This helps to continue the momentum of this processional tune.

PDF: Music notation, tablature and chords
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Star Spangled Banner: Guitar melody, key of C

This single note melody arrangement of the Star Spangled Banner is in the key of C. This allows you to play the melody entirely in first position on the guitar neck. The melody range is an octave plus a fifth, so from low C note (5th string, 3rd fret) to higher G note (1st string, 3rd fret).

The melody for the first two lyric lines (top line on music sheet) is repeated again for the second two lyric lines (second line of music). While the melody notes in both musical lines are the same, in this arrangement the chord accompaniments are different. The first part uses C and G major chords, while the second part uses A minor and E major chord.

The last section of the piece is where the melody stretches to the 5th note (high G) above the octave note (C at 2nd string, 1st fret). For singers, this is where the song can become challenging. Sometimes it can help to transpose the melody to fit your voice.

There are three places in the melody where an F# note appears to lead into G note and G major chord. The F# brings with it a D7 chord accompaniment. In musical terms, when a note appears from outside the main key (C Major), it is called an “accidental”. So in this context, F# is an accidental note.

The cadence from D7 to G chords in this song, is referred to as a “secondary dominant” chord progression in music theory terms. That is because G or G7 “dominant” chords lead to C chord (the main key chord). Thus as the D or D7 chord is the dominant chord for key of G, and in this case we a temporarily going outside of the main key (modulating), the D7 is a “secondary dominant” to “dominant” G chord. You can find two places in this song where the chords go from D7 to G and then to C.

Happy Independence Day (4th of July)!

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.

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.

Happy Thanksgiving: We Gather Together

Hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving!

I learned a new song on prior Thanksgiving Day that I would like to share with you.

See related posts for guitar and ukulele.

While I have sung the hymn “We Gather Together” several times, I had not played the song on guitar before. About a half hour before Thanksgiving dinner, my brother asked me to say grace, or prayer before the meal. I had happened to have brought my ukulele with me (but not my guitar), and immediately thought of the hymn, “We Gather Together”.

So in addition to saying grace, I also played and sang this hymn, along with my niece who held my phone so that I could read the lyrics and chords.

Hymn: We Gather Together, key of A, fingerstyle guitar

Happy Thanksgiving!

This fingerstyle guitar arrangement is in the key of A Major, and mostly in first position. There are some measures that are farther up the neck; 5th position in measure 11 (A chord as F chord shape), and 6th position in measure 7 (within 2-note harmonies on 4th and 1st strings).

For measure 7, it’s actually 5th position if you use your middle finger on 4th string and pinky on 1st string. I highly recommend getting used to using your pinky finger; it’s 25% of your 4 fingers that you use on the fretboard! Use of your pinky is essential when playing fingerstyle guitar.