Three tracks in total: 1. MELODY LINE SOUNDWAVE VIDEO - guitar picked, 2. STRUM LINE GUITAR, 3. STRUM LINE UKE. Remember to turn down your volume for Google drive audio play at link.
These tracks are NOT synched. So you can strum along with the melody track. Strum tracks guitar and uke give an idea of what your strumming would sound like.
Notes on the tracks:
1. Picked line. I tried arrangement shown at end of this online photo album on both classical (wider fret separation) and western acoustic electric. The notes are easy enough but they are very widely spaced on the fretboard. It was easiest to play the G, A, B upper register sequences with index finger barred across Fret 5. Then you can make B at 7th fret with ring finger, high E string. A note is just barre on string 1. G note is pinky, (8th Fret), String 2/B string. E note is barred 2nd string. D note is ring finger (7th fret), 3rd/G string. This eliminates the sliding up and down action on the hi E string = more control.
This track has longest count-in: 2 full measures + 1 beat rest.
2. Guitar strum line. Very simple version. The sheet music gave a run of 4 Em chords, twice, to lead off. Too boring. If you take the guidance in the chording, and change your fingering to hit the alternate base note shown after the slash (it doesnt matter if it's the actual lowest note or not - the variation sounds better), you get a slow descending mid-range line that's not too hard and sounds better. HERE'S a link to my lyric sheets with hand-drawn chord charts. Play Em with tall boy and ring fingers so that when you want to make the C#, index can slide down to the 4th string E note and ring finger can reach the C# base note in an easy move.
I just did 1 strum per chord in the verse section to show that simple can work fine. You can jazz this up by adding a faster strum pattern.
3. Uke strum line. I've wanted try this experiment for a while. An easy rock song where chords can be formed with 1 or 2 fingers. For small hands and new learners. Here's the link to an online photo album with jpgs of the lyric sheet with simplified uke chord fingerings.
For Em chord: just use tall boy and ruby ring finger on middle 2 strings, 3rd and 4th frets. For the descending mid effect, take off ruby on 2nd strum & add index 3rd string 3rd fret for 2nd chord. 3rd strum - leaving tall boy on, slide index to 2nd fret, 3rd string. 4th strum - tallboy on, slide index to 1st fret. It's worth a shot :) Try to emphasize just the middle 2 strings when you stum.
If too hard, just play all Ems. Another player can express the descending base.
G chord variation - barre 2nd fret, w tall boy on 3rd fret, 2nd string. Try to strum mainly the 3 high strings. (you can rotate the uke slightly toward body to make it harder to strum the low string).
C variation - you can leave the barre on for the G, and just move tall boy to the high string, 3rd fret. Take the barre off in a spot or 2 where you want the C to sound cleaner or less muddy.
D chord variation - leave barre on as for G, no tall boy. Tilt uke slightly away from the body and try to strum mainly the lower 3 strings.
F chord variation - just play with 1 finger, index on Fret 1, 2nd highest string. Try to strum mainly the 2 high strings.
Chorus - is mainly G & D. Strip out any chord changes that happen too fast. The song will still sound good!
Trying a new app that makes a soundwave video of an audio track, uploaded to Youtube. I only get 10 mins of vid per month. So will only convert 1 track per playalong to video. That will be the pick track so that you will have something to see & bigger Play button to hit.
Cheers!
