Beatles' Blackbird - Unit Study 2025

This year for regular postings I'm going to work thru one piece to show that digging into one tune that you really like can  teach a lot of integrated things about the instrument, with a lot less effort than undirected repetitive drills. That piece will be the guitar part of Blackbird by the Beatles. 

I've heard people say it's harder than it looks, which it may be. But I think it can be a gateway to getting comfortable with fingerstyle playing.

This piece in G major travels all over the fret board. It leans on a mid-range drone technique. It relies on simple hand shapes that you'll know inside and out and be able to apply without thinking to other tunes in G major going forward.

We'll be concentrating more on notes than tabs because I think the ascending and descending runs that you can see better in standard music notation make more sense and lead to more effortless internalization of the piece than you can get with tabs.

I'll be working from the arrangement for it in the Fingerstyle Beatles book from Hal Leonard. So bookmark and consider ordering that book that if you want to follow along.

Each week, I'll try to isolate one section or technique. So that gives us quite a few weeks to concentrate on the piece.

The 'anchor' video that' I've posted first is at about 48 bpms. It's strictly the distinctive guitar part without the sung part. You can certainly have a friend sing or play along to supply the song.

I'll put the series of videos in a Playlist on my YouTube channel. All free to access.

The above being said, next week we'll focus on the G major scale. I think this is important for folks who want to go beyond tabs. So I won't make assumptions about basic theory knowledge. We're all in the same boat, looking at the basics that the song is built on. 

Scales might sound like a boring place to start. But scales are just the stepping stones of notes that sound right together. You can call it tonal family or root family if that helps lower your guard about this formal sounding aspect of music. I won't dwell on it, but it does help with any piece to hear the related notes in your ear. And to remind your finger muscles where they will be commonly playing.

Maybe I'll post 2 videos to start, just so that the scales one doesn't make people feel we aren't getting started. Second vid will look at an element in the intro.

Here's the link to the anchor video on my YouTube:

Blackbird unit study, anchor video

That's it. Come along. You'll be amazed at your progress!

Rug Muire Mac do Dhia (Mary bore a Son to God) - explanatory note

This arrangement can be found in the book by Wm Bay, "Guitar Picking Tunes: Celtic Hymns & Sacred Songs."  

Since our grandson came along this fall, the narrative behind this tune has gone in a new direction for me.

Christmas hits differently when there's a baby in the family. Our little guy at the moment is on the other side of the world. So the story this tune tells right now lies more in its highs and lows. Ideas like far and near, the journey from heaven to earth and back again, the euphoria and exhaustion of new motherhood.

I'm extremely proud of my daughter-in-law and how she is with her baby. I wouldn't have maybe heard as much motherhood in the tune with my own children, but I feel much more at liberty to do this for her.

For Y, T and N.

Link to the tune on my Youtube: 

Rug Muire mac do Dhia

Lyrics in Gaelic and English are below:

Rug Muire Mac do Dhia,
Íosa Críost, Triath na Reann,
Maireann dá éis ina hóigh,
An bhean is dóigh do gach dall.

Buime is Máthair Mhic Dé Bhí,
Bean mar í ní fhaca súil,
Bean ler oscladh flaitheas Dé,
Do mholfas mé os gach dúil.

Ní cosúil í le mnáibh,
Muire Mhór an bláth nach críon,
Ní cosúil balsam le moirt,
Le lionn goirt ní cosúil fíon.

Mary bore a son to God,
Jesus Christ, Prince of the Stars,
She remains a virgin afterwards,
The woman who is hope for every blind man.

The Nurse and the Mother of the Son of the Living God,
A woman like her no eye has ever seen,
The woman by whom God’s heavens were opened,
Whom I will praise over every creature.

She is not like other women,
Great Mary, the flower that never withers,
Balsam is not like heavy clay,
Unlike bitter ale is wine.

TAB - River John Sunset Waltz

Finally made up the TAB for this. Found it easier to write up by hand using the TAB rolling stamp I got from Music Escapades. See demo on my Insta page.

It seems like a good way to use scrap paper, and not use up printer cartridge ink.

Easy way to create a large print, horizontal printable.

I'm not intuitively a TAB user. But I did find that jotting down the tabs to an AABB fiddle tune type of piece was a lot easier than music notation.

Hand generated bc I just don't have the time to learn a new program. But I think it's readable, looks actually ok in pdf viewer.

The pdf indicates 3 pages. But you just need to print the first 2 pages. 3rd is because I couldn't figure out how to clean it up. But I know what to do for next time.

This is kind of a prototype. Free offering in my Google docs. Constructive comments welcome.

Here's the link to it:

TAB, River John Sunset Waltz

Old Irish Blessing, rhythm guitar accompaniment

 Last year a long time friend since elementary school, high school band buddy and univ roommate had a 2nd stroke. As part of recovery, she wanted to get back to her piano, for all the good things that music does for the brain - increase concentration, stimulate memory, strengthen  hand-eye coordination.

When looking for pieces to play together, I stumbled on one of the kids' RCM books. It's Vocals Level 5, and had the tune which could be picked out on guitar, and a separate accompaniment part for piano. Perfect for our rehab goals.

When it came to adding another guitar player into these jams, we needed chords. But there aren't any shown in the RCM arrangement.

So I worked some up for the other player. 

There are a few other songs in other RCM levels that will be good for our ongoing rehab project, which is mainly now just for fun.

But it occurs to me it might be helpful if RCM printed chord names into songs in their repertoire books. That way, if a student has a parent who plays guitar but not piano, it gives more opportunity to practice with accompanist. Calling RCM!

I've posted the video on YouTube. Here's an attempt to share the chord progression without infringing on copyright: 

Old Irish Blessing, chord progression

I'll post this to my IG account as part of Fingerstyle Friday. Even tho it's not really fingerstyle (altho I do pick out the tune). And it's not Friday.

It's a pretty tune. Someone around here is starting university in a few days. It seems like a nice send off for him. And for us entering the new normal. And for all of us who bid a wistful farewell to summer and look toward the fresh starts of fall.

Connect external mic to phone or tablet

Huge breakthrough for me! Now I can get better quality on a quickly dashed off video without having to set up the whole computer.

The key is to get a patch or adapter that goes into the power or charging port of your devise.

These bits and bobs of tech are pretty cheap on evil Amz. Like under $15 Cdn.

Find them on my YouTube:

Connect mic to phone demo

Connect mic to tablet demo

Fingerstyle Friday

Starting my first Fingerstyle Friday (on a Saturday) with The Parting Glass.

Arrangement by Michael Wood. It's in at least a couple of his books of tunes.

Meant to showcase fingerstyle guitar in some pretty little tunes.

Find it on my YouTube: LT Guitar, Parting Glass

Or IG account

Cheers!

New Insta account

 I've created a new Insta account for the lesson studio. Find me as leathertown_guitar_studio . 

As much as I want to avoid Meta products, it's a useful tool for connecting folks between this website/blog and my YouTube channel.

I'll keep it a business account so the algorithms don't tunnel too far into my brain lol.

See you there.

Cheers!