In today’s lesson we take Whistle For The Choirs chord progression and play all possible chord shapes as we again create a 2nd guitar part.

I’ve recorded this song in two keys and since the song has a key change in it you will end up playing Whistle For The Choirs chord progression in 4 keys!

Chord progression

In Whistle For The Choir we have the chord progression: I – III – II – V, a pretty standard progression which works great for sing along type of song writing.

Since each chord last for two bars each you also get a real feel for the numbers position, focus on this when you play, describe to yourself what chord II, for example, really feels like.

When the instrumental section kicks in, simply move everything you did down a tone, or “two frets”.

Whistle for the choir in different keys

Since the song has been recorded in two keys you have the perfect opportunity here to practice the I – III – II – V progression in the key of A and G as well.

All in all we are looking at these progressions:

E – G#m – F#m – B, with a key change a tone down:
D – F#m – Em – A.

In the “female key” we play in A major rather than E and get this progression:

A – C#m – Bm – E, with a key change a tone down:
G – Bm – Am – D.

Play through all these progressions and ensure you can tell that they are in fact the same.

The greatest lesson a musician can learn is the one of chords as numbers, nothing else will move you forward in your development.

Whistle For The Choir 2nd Guitar part

Whistle for the Coir 2nd guitar part

When you tried out all the different progressions and seen how they’re in fact the same, it’s time to play along with the video lessons and create your second guitar part, this time, let’s do it with our fingers!

In the TAB sheet you find all keys written out, use this as your starting point, then work your way up the neck to find all inversions in each key.

As we discussed in intermediate guitar lesson 5, it’s a good idea to make rules for ourselves as to which strings we play in relation to the chord shape.

These are the rules mentioned before, they will work over this song as well:

E shape and G shape: 6, 432
A shape and C shape: 5, 432
D shape: 4, 321

By setting basic rules like above first you will automatically give your part consistency, always a good idea.

Video response your version

When you been playing along with the video for a while you might have come up with a few variations, video this and upload to YouTube, paste it below or in the forum to get some constructive feedback from your peers!

Finally, do you play this with your fingers, with a pick or both?

See you next week!

-Dan (your guitar guru)

Angie

Angie

Learn how to play Angie!

Go to Angie chords.

Rhythm Lesson

Angie Rhythm Lesson

Learn how to play Angie on one Acoustic Guitar!

Go to Angie guitar lesson.

Lyrics

Angie Lyrics

Get the Lyrics for Angie!

Find the Angie Lyrics below.

The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones have lasted longer than any other band!

Go to The Rolling Stones Biography.

Angie – The Rolling Stones

Below you find the lyrics for Angie by The Rolling Stones, but what do they mean?

Comment below to let us know what Angie’s lyrics means to you!

Angie Lyrics

Angie, Angie
When will those clouds all disappear?
Angie, Angie
Where will it lead us from here?

With no loving in our souls
And no money in our coats
You can’t say we’re satisfied

But Angie, Angie
You can’t say we never tried

Angie, You’re beautiful
But ain’t it time we said goodbye
Angie, I still love you
Remember all those nights we cried?

All the dreams we held so close
Seemed to all go up in smoke
Let me whisper in your ear

Angie, Angie
Where will it lead us from here?

Angie, don’t you weep
All your kisses still taste sweet
I hate that sadness in your eyes

But Angie, Angie
Ain’t it time we said goodbye?

With no loving in our souls
And no money in our coats
You can’t say we’re satisfied

But Angie, I still love you, baby
Everywhere I look I see your eyes
There ain’t a woman that comes close to you
Come on baby dry your eyes

But Angie, Angie
Ain’t it good to be alive?

Angie, Angie
You can’t say we never tried

American Pie

American Pie

Learn how to play American Pie!

Go to American Pie chords.

Rhythm Lesson

American Pie Rhythm Lesson

Learn how to play American Pie on one Acoustic Guitar!

Go to American Pie guitar lesson.

Lyrics

American Pie Lyrics

Get the Lyrics for American Pie!

Find the American Pie Lyrics below.

Don McLean

Don McLean

Don McLean wrote about the day the music died!

Go to Don McLean Biography.

American Pie – Don McLean

Below you find the lyrics for American Pie by Don McLean, but what do they mean?

Comment below to let us know what American Pie’s lyrics means to you!

American Pie Lyrics

A long long time ago
I can still remember how that music used to make me smile
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And maybe they’d be happy for a while
But February made me shiver
With every paper I’d deliver
Bad news on the doorstep
I couldn’t take one more step
I can’t remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride
But something touched me deep inside
The day the music died

So bye-bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee
But the levee was dry
And them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singing this’ll be the day that I die
This’ll be the day that I die

Did you write the Book of Love
And do you have faith in God above
If the Bible tells you so
Do you believe in rock n’ roll
Can music save your mortal soul
And can you teach me how to dance real slow
Well, I know that you’re in love with him
‘Cause I saw you dancing in the gym
You both kicked off your shoes
Man, I dig those rhythm & blues
I was a lonely, teenage broncin’ buck
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck
But I knew I was out of luck
The day the music died
I started singing

Bye-bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee
But the levee was dry
And them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singing this’ll be the day that I die
This’ll be the day that I die

Now for ten years we’ve been on our own
And moss grows fat on a rolling stone
But that’s not how it used to be
When the Jester sang for the King and Queen
In a coat he borrowed from James Dean
In a voice that came from you and me
Oh, and while the King was looking down
The Jester stole his thorny crown
The courtroom was adjourned
No verdict was returned
And while Lenin read a book on Marx
The quartet practiced in the park
And we sang dirges in the dark
The day the music died
We were singing

Bye-bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee
But the levee was dry
And them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singing this’ll be the day that I die
This’ll be the day that I die

Helter Skelter in a summer swelter
The birds flew off with a fallout shelter
Eight miles high and falling fast
It landed foul on the grass
The players tried for a forward pass
With the Jester on the sidelines in a cast
Now the half-time air was sweet perfume
While the Sergeants played a marching tune
We all got up to dance
Oh but we never got the chance
‘Cause the players tried to take the field
The marching band refused to yield
Do you recall what was revealed
The day the music died
We started singing

Bye-bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee
But the levee was dry
And them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singing this’ll be the day that I die
This’ll be the day that I die

Oh, and there we were, all in one place
A generation lost in space
With no time left to start again
So come on, Jack, be nimble, Jack be quick
Jack Flash sat on a candlestick
‘Cause fire is the devils only friend
Oh, and as I watched him on the stage
My hands were clenched in fists of rage
No angel born in Hell
Could break that Satan’s spell
And as flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite
I saw Satan laughing with delight
The day the music died
He was singing

Bye-bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee
But the levee was dry
And them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singing this’ll be the day that I die
This’ll be the day that I die

I met a girl who sang the blues
And I asked her for some happy news
But she just smiled and turned away
I went down to the sacred store
Where I’d heard the music years before
But the man there said the music wouldn’t play
And in the streets the children screamed
The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed
But not a word was spoken
The church bells all were broken
And the three men I admire most
The Father, Son and the Holy Ghost
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died
And they were singin’

Bye-bye Miss American Pie
Drove my Chevy to the levee
But the levee was dry
And them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singing this’ll be the day that I die
This’ll be the day that I die

Bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my chevy to the levy
But the levy was dry
And them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singing this’ll be the day that I die

And they were singing
Bye-bye, Miss American Pie
Drove my chevy to the levy
But the levy was dry
And them good old boys were drinking whiskey and rye
Singing this’ll be the day that I die

1234

1234

Learn how to play 1234!

Go to 1234 chords.

Rhythm Lesson

1234 Rhythm Lesson

Learn how to play 1234 on one Acoustic Guitar!

Go to 1234 guitar lesson.

Lyrics

1234 Lyrics

Get the lyrics for 1234 by Feist

Find the 1234 Lyrics below.

Feist

Feist

Feist found fame via an iPod ad!

Go to Feist Biography.

1234 – Feist

Below you find the lyrics for 1234 by Feist, but what do they mean?

Comment below to let us know what 1234’s lyrics means to you!

1234 Lyrics

One, two, three, four
Tell me that you love me more
Sleepless long nights
That is what my youth was for

Old teenage hopes are alive at your door
Left you with nothing but they want some more

Oh, you’re changing your heart
Oh, You know who you are

Sweetheart bitterheart now I can’t tell you apart
Cozy and cold, put the horse before the cart

Those teenage hopes who have tears in their eyes
Too scared to own up to one little lie

Oh, you’re changing your heart
Oh, you know who you are

One, two, three, four, five, six, nine, or ten
Money can’t buy you back the love that you had then
One, two, three, four, five, six, nine, or ten
Money can’t buy you back the love that you had then

Oh, you’re changing your heart
Oh, you know who you are
Oh, you’re changing your heart
Oh, you know who you are
Oh, who you are

For the teenage boys
They’re breaking your heart
For the teenage boys
They’re breaking your heart

If you find it difficult to find the time to practice, then think about what it is that you tend to spend your time doing instead. If you find that you spend the majority of your spare time watching TV or playing online games at sites like poker.de without really realising it, then you might want to consider setting some time aside specifically for practicing. If you discover that you never seem to have your guitar to hand when you need it most, then why not try keeping it somewhere more convenient? This can be, by far, one of the easiest ways to encourage practicing more regularly.

Most people have certain music that they enjoy playing more than others. However, playing pieces which you might consider to be less ‘fun’, such as scales, can be a vital part of your learning. If you want to progress in your playing skills and abilities, then you should make sure that you are constantly looking to master the techniques which you might find the most difficult. One way to overcome this problem, however, is to simply balance your practice sessions. Use the pieces which you enjoy playing to ‘reward’ yourself for practicing the pieces which you know you need to.

Finally, it can be a good idea to set yourself certain goals. If you’re keen to master a certain song, then set yourself a day by which you want to be able to play it. Be realistic with your aims, but try and stick to the plans which you make. Practice really is the only way to reach perfection on your playing!

In the last few lessons we have complemented the exercise of playing all barred chords in every position by applying the concept to songs.

Intermediate guitar lesson 6 is no different, we pick another song and keep moving those chords around!

Today’s lesson take a song that is very closely related to last weeks song A Change Is Gonna Come, in fact it was the inspiration for it!

When Sam Cooke heard Bob Dylan’s Blowin In The Wind he said he could not understand how that was not written by a black man.

So to Sam Cooke, A Change Is Gonna Come was his Blowin’ In The Wind.

Find out more about this by studying the lyrics to both of these songs, follow these links: A Change Is Gonna Come lyrics and Blowin In The Wind lyrics, maybe even leave a comment about what they mean to you!

Blowin In The Wind guitar lesson

Using the simple chord progression of I, IV and V, Blowin In The Wind both set the benchmark for modern songwriting and contemporary folk when it came out on The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan in 1963.

Picked up by Peter Paul and Mary it became a hit, this really made folk music take off in a big way.

Since then Dylan has played it in almost every gig and hundreds of other artists have covered it, often changing the progression by replacing some chords with their parallel minor.

Personally I love Dylan’s original guitar arrangement and think we can all learn a lot from this style of playing.

The repetitive rhythm is further discussed in the eBook Rhythm Guitar, do look into this in your own time.

Blowin In The Wind 2nd guitar part

Blowin In The Wind 2nd Guitar part

Should you play Blowin In The Wind with a friend, or along to my video there is one rule you have to follow and that is: Do not play the same thing.

If you play what I do (or Dylan on the original recording) at the same time you will just make it sound messy, instead, find a way to complement the part!

This is a good plan whenever you play with someone, don’t replicate, compliment!

To get into this way of thinking and to lead with good example I am therefore going to give you a whole arrangement that you can try out along with the video lesson.

When you can perform this along with the original video, play along to it and video yourself. When you listen back you will hear how both parts work together and what you possibly need to change or improve on.

Maybe you are rushing a bit, maybe you feel my ideas need to be modified, there’s only one way to find out and that is to record yourself, then listen back.

If you want mine or other Spy Tunes members feedback on your performance, upload to YouTube and paste the code in here below as a comment!

Video vs audio

Another advantage of videoing yourself is that you can have a look at hand positions, both left and right hand can almost always be improved.

Details like pick angle or how you hold the neck will not only affect your tone, it might also start to hurt if you are using an unorthodox technique.

Aim to stay relaxed in hands, wrist and arms.

When you learned the 2nd guitar parts and recorded yourself you have completed this intermediate guitar lesson and it’s time to move on to the next lesson.

By the way, do you play this Finger style or with a pick? Both are possible!

See you next week.

Happy playing!

-Dan (your guitar guru)

A Change Is Gonna Come – Sam Cooke

Below you find the lyrics for A Change Is Gonna Come By Sam Cooke, but what do they mean?

Comment below to let us know what A Change Is Gonna Come’s lyrics means to you!

A Change Is Gonna Come Lyrics

I was born by the river in a little tent
And just like that river I’ve been running ever since
It’s been a long time coming
But I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will

It’s been too hard living, but I’m afraid to die
Cos I don’t know what’s out there beyond the sky
It’s been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will

I go to the movie
And I go down town
somebody keep telling me don’t hang around
Its been along time coming
But I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will

Then I go to my brother
And I say brother help me please
But he winds up knockin’ me
Back down on my knees

There were times when I thought I couldn’t last for long
But now I think I’m able to carry on
It’s been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will

In the last few intermediate guitar lessons we learned how to play sections of barred minor chords and barred major chords.

In intermediate guitar lesson 3, the song was I’m Yours by Jason Mraz and the key might have been a bit unfamiliar, it’s not every day you play in B major!

Hopefully this made you think in chord numbers and shapes rather than chord names. Let’s continue this journey by again creating a second guitar part, this time to Sam Cooke‘s classic: A Change Is Gonna Come.

A Change Is Gonna Come guitar lesson

This song is in 6/8 time, again, this might be new to you but don’t worry, it’s not hard.

I the video lesson I strum away and put the weight of the rhythm on the 1 and 4, like this: 1 2 3 4 5 6.

Before you begin the lesson, have a listen to my version, count along saying 1 2 3 4 5 6, as you do, say 1 and 4 louder than the other beats.

A Change Is Gonna Come 2nd Guitar part

In today’s lesson we are going to create a picked part that will sit nicely along with my strumming part you hear in the video above.

Off course we will do this in every area of the neck, but this time we are going to use a capo.

However, before we start moving things around, let’s work on the picking pattern.

Open position picking pattern

The trick with simple picking patterns and second guitar parts is consistency, so we are going to play on every single beat, throughout.

Just like when you counted along with the video, put extra weight on the 1 and 4.

Should you at any point struggle, isolate the two chords you go wrong over and just keep moving between those.

You might have noticed how:

1. All chords with a root on string 6 used the strings: 6 4 3 2.
2. All chords with root on string 5 used the middle strings: 5 4 3 2
3. All chords with root on string 4 used the top strings: 4 3 2 1

Deciding on this type of stuff gives the part consistency and is always a really good idea to stick with.

A Change Is Gonna Come capo fret 2

With the capo on fret 2 we think of playing A Change Is Gonna Come as if in the key of G (just like in the video).

Using the Song Writers Swivel we can translate the numbers and find how the verse chord progression has moved from A major:

A Bm F#m A Bm D C# F#m A or I II VI I II IV to:

G Am Em G Am C B Em G, the numbers are off course the same.

The picking pattern also remain the same, if it’s a chord starting on string 6 you still play 6 4 3 2 etc.

A Change Is Gonna Come capo fret 5

With a capo on fret V we play as if in E major, keep playing along with the video lesson to ensure you are still playing the correct chords.

As you can see, there are barred chords here since in E major we can’t play all chords as open position chords.

Now the progression is:

A Change Is Gonna Come capo fret 7

At fret 7 we play as if in the key of D, our progression is:

A Change Is Gonna Come Capo fret 9

Finally, At fret 9 we play as if in the key of C, our progression is now:

A Change Is Gonna Come middle 8

The middle 8, or the bridge, as some might prefer to call it has new chords, one of them is even modified, as in, it is not a diatonic chord.

Use the Guitar Conspiracy‘s DIY TAB to find the numbers, translate that to each position you placed the capo on.

When you achieved this and can play along with the video lesson, no matter where you place the capo, you have completed this weeks guitar lesson.

Happy playing!

-Dan (your guitar guru)

In today’s lesson we are going to focus on learning how to play all 5 minor chord shapes.

You all ready learned how to play these as open position chords during the beginner course and as major barred chords in intermediate guitar lesson 2.

In the last lesson you played I’m Yours chords in every area of the neck so you have actually all ready done what todays lesson is about!

Still, let’s ensure that these barred chord shapes are ingrained in your hands.

To achieve this, simply divide the shapes in smaller chunks and run the chord shapes, individually, through the cycle of 4ths.

Em shape

First up is the Em shape and I have written out the entire cycle in TAB for you, in three different sections, first up, let’s look at the top three strings.

When you play this exercise, you need to look for the root note on the top string.

Let’s do this again covering string 2, 3 and 4, now you need to look for the root on string 4.

Finally, we look at playing only the lower part of the Em shape. Since the m3rd doesn’t appear until string 3 we need to include that string or we are only playing a power chord (a power chord has only root’s and 5ths in it).

Am shape

Now that you know the Em shape and all notes on the 1st, 4th and 6th string, let’s look at string 5.

First up is the Am shape which we can play in two useful ways.

Just as with the Em shape, when we play the lower part of the chord we have to include 4 strings or we wouldn’t get a 3rd in this chord shape.

When playing the top part of the Am shape, root note is found on string 3.

Cm shape

Sticking with looking for root notes on string 5 we do as we play the lower part of the Cm shape.

When playing the top half, string 2, 3 and 4, look for root note on string 2.

This version of a Cm shape is my favorite chord shape.

I really recommend the Cm shape between string 2, 3 and 4. When ever you play soul related music this shape seem to sit really well in a mix when used in rhythm guitar parts.

The other Cm shape might be only useful for slowly picked ballads.

The full Cm shape is ironically pretty useless.

If the full Cm shape is the black sheep of the barred chord family then the full Gm shape is the Cm shapes big bad cousin, this one is impossible as a full shape, let’s divide and conquer!

Gm shape

The Gm shape is not a shape to use in every song you come across. Perhaps it’s true use appear when as a min7 or m11 chord.

When extended to m7 it looks identical to an Em7 shape, so not much luck there but as a m11 chord the Gm shape actually stand alone so all is not lost!

When you play the top three strings, play it with you ring finger, when you played the Em shape (looks identical) play that with your index finger.

Almost there, only one more shape to learn and that is the Dm shape.

Dm shape

The Dm shape shape only works as a full shape or, even better, as only the top 3 strings.

Should you play only string 2, 3 and 4 you wouldn’t have a third so not ideal.

Intermediate Guitar Lesson 4 Homework

Your homework until next week is to only focus on these minor barred chords.

They will teach you:

1. All the notes on the neck
2. All minor chord shapes
3. Sections of all chord shapes

Next lesson will be on creating a second guitar part to A Change Is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke.

Happy playing!

Dan (your guitar guru)

In the last intermediate guitar lesson we learned that our goal is to learn all barred chord shapes in all keys and I gave you TAB for all exercises using major barred chord shapes.

This was no small task and perhaps you are still practicing this, after all, it has only been a week so that would not be strange!

What is more, this week I want you to start practicing the minor barred chords as well.

Don’t worry, this doesn’t mean you had to perfect the major chords, it just means; add all minor chords to the routine as well.

If you have been using the Work Book everyday you should clearly see what your progression actually was.

Now, mix it up a bit, maybe practice the A shape and the Dm shape one day, the Gm shape and C shape the next, for example.

There will be another 8 weeks until these exercises change so you have plenty of time to get it right.

Next week I will give you all the TAB for the minor chords, just like I did with the major chords in the last lesson. For now, just see if you can work out how to do it without reading something. Just replace every E with Em, every A with Am etc.

Intermediate Guitar Lesson 3 homework

In the light of this, let’s take a song example and try out our newly acquired shapes.

Combine this with last lessons task; to play sections of a chord shape in all keys.

In this weeks guitar lesson we take the progression of I’m Yours by Jason Mraz and move it around the neck.

We only focus on playing the top half of the shapes throughout.

The rhythm guitar part of this should be played with a simple down stroke off every beat, practice along with the original video lesson.

Practice I’m Yours

First off, memorize the verse in one shape at a time.

We are in B major when we play I’m Yours, this means that the lowest available B chord is an A shape. All in all we are looking at these barred chords in this area:

B, A shape
F#, E shape
G#m, Gm shape
E, D shape

Remember, you are not supposed to play the entire chord shape, just the top part.

When you feel comfortable in this low area of the neck it’s time to move up to the next position and find all our chords here.

The next area will start off with a G shaped B since this is the shape that comes after the A shape. These are all the chord shapes:

B, G shape
F#, D shape
G#m, Em shape
E, C shape

Let’s look at the third position for these chords:

B, E shape
F#, C shape
G#m, Dm shape
E, A shape

Only two more areas to go, here are the chords available when the I chord is a D shape:

B, D shape
F#, A shape
G#m, Cm shape
E, G shape

And finally, the last area of the neck is covered, starting out on a C shape:

B, C shape
F#, G shape
G#m, Am shape
E, E shape

When can I move on?

When you can keep the constant down stroke rhythm part going without getting lost among your chord shapes and without missing a beat you have completed this lesson and it’s time to find a new song.

Expand on the concept

Just like we did here with I’m Yours, so can you do with most songs.

Simply take a progression with a simple rhythm, work out the chord shapes in one area of the neck at the time.

Make up games for yourself like; play the progression twice in one area, then move up.

Put the shapes and chord progressions first, not the song.

When you feel confident in all areas, start playing around more freely.

Happy playing!

-Dan (your guitar guru)