Intro and Chords

Bohemian Rhapsody – Introduction

Welcome to the guitar lesson on what is referred to as the greatest rock song of all time, Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. It is a 6-minute ‘suite’ –a musical performance that typically includes four or five dances, according to Western classical music. But Bohemian Rhapsody is nothing like a classical piece. It is, in fact, the opposite of a classical piece. It is an alternative rock song parodying orchestral music.

Freddie Mercury was born to Parsi-Indian parents in Zanzibar, which is an island town on the east coast of Africa. After the Zanzibar revolution began, they had to flee to Middlesex, England, to save their lives. Since that is the environment Freddie grew up around, it makes sense for him to choose alt-rock and prog-rock as his genres.

Bohemian Rhapsody Guitar Lesson

The lesson on this song is taught by our beloved expert, Mike Walker, who explains all the different sections of the song –and there are many –in the simplest of ways. The lesson is divided into multiple sections, explaining all the parts of the song section by section –from the intro that talks about the chords and different voicings of those chords, to the rhythms and solos of the song.

The song contains an iconic intro, a ballad segment, an orchestral passage, a rock progression, an iconic solo, and an outro. It is almost as if the song is a contraption of multiple songs. Consequently, it has a number of chords and key changes. The instructor, though, gives time to explain all the changes meticulously.

The song follows the following keys: B♭ Major, E♭ Major, A Major and F Major. With most of the chords being non-standard shapes, for instance, the intro features flat-6 and 7th chords, and minor 7th chords. There is a motif in the verse that makes the section iconic –a set of repeating two notes –G to F while on a Bb chord, A to G on the Gmin, and D to C on the Cmin. The instructor shows how to play it in great detail and along with the original track.

Another iconic part of the song is Brian May’s guitar solo, which has been deemed one of the greatest solos of all time. Featuring a guitar that Brian built in his garage, sloppy vibratos, dynamics, and pure emotional playing make it one of the greatest.

The lesson also has a breakdown of the main solo and the outro solo, including the rhythm distortion guitar parts as well, shown in full by the tutor.

Q. Is Bohemian Rhapsody playable on an acoustic guitar?

Yes, once you master the chord shapes, you can easily play the fingerstyle version of the song and sing along.

Q. What effects does Brian May use?

Brian used a Phaser pedal into a treble booster that then went into a Vox AC30.

Q. How do I sing and play this at the same time?

Practice playing the chords first. The ballad actually follows the vocal melody and so mastering the chords can easily get you there.

Introduction

Hello is a song by Lionel Richie, an American singer and songwriter. It was the third single from his second studio album, Can’t Slow Down, which was released in 1983. This song had a total of three guitarists: Darrell Jones, Tim Ray, and Louis Shelton, who played electric and acoustic guitar, respectively. 

In this video lesson Steve Luciano teaches how to play the song Hello as part of our guitar series on English songs. The song is broken down into multiple lessons for easy learning - Introduction, Song Arrangement, Song Demo, Advanced Voicing and Solo Lesson. Don't forget to make use of the chords and tabs provided with the song lesson!

Strumming Pattern 

The strumming patterns are: D D U U D U. 

Song Structure 

Here is the song structure which you need to follow to learn Hello by Lionel Richie:

Introduction: This is the start of the lesson, during which Steve Luciano, your instructor, will explain all the technicalities you will encounter during the learning stage of this song. 

Song Arrangement: Here, you will learn all the chords necessary to play this song. 

Song Demo: In this section, Steve will play the guitar part of the song alongside the track to help you understand how to sync chords with the vocals. 

Advanced Voicing: For individuals who can play advanced chords, this particular section is for them. It is the bonus of the lesson to make your guitar play more intricately.

Solo Lesson: In this section, you'll learn how to play the slow part of the song — a beautiful example of an instrumental pop solo, the kind that's rarely highlighted in mainstream pop music.

B.Y.O.B. – Introduction

Welcome to the guitar lesson on one of the greatest anti-establishment rebellion songs that brings together metal, punk, and Middle Eastern melodies into a politically charged anthem. – B.Y.O.B. by System of a Down. The song has been received with love across the world and has won a Grammy for the best hard rock performance in 2006. The song has amassed more than 500 million views on YouTube since its release in 2005.

The song name is an acronym for Bring Your Own Bombs, and was made as a form of protest against the american coalition led Iraq War (2003–2011), with lyrics calling out, “Why don't presidents fight the war? Why do they always send the poor?”. It is a song written in strong political commentary on the situation of wars and oppression around the world. The band has a reputation for speaking out for social justice and matters like drug abuse, politics, and suicide in the heavy metal genre.

B.Y.O.B. Guitar Lesson

The lesson on B.Y.O.B. is brought to you by our beloved instructor, Mike Walker, who demonstrates the song in its entirety and explains all parts of the song in great detail. Since this is a heavy metal song, there are a number of unconventional rhythmic patterns and fast melodic lines for the electric guitar, which is a signature sound for this genre of music.

The song is in the key of F major, but the tuning is half a step down; all the strings are tuned down a semitone. This, firstly, widens or brightens the tone, which makes it feel ‘heavy’ and secondly, loosens the strings, which makes it easier to play at a high tempo.

The lesson is easier to master as it only requires rhythmic proficiency to play in its entirety. The song is very drums and lyrics forward, as is with most heavy metal songs. The song is fun to play because of the distorted tone of the guitar. It’s a saturated machine-like sound that has low-frequency notes, which give it a slightly percussive vibe, usually called ‘djent’.

This is also a short lesson, taught easily by Mike, comfortably suited for beginners and advanced players alike.

FAQs

Q. Can I play BYOB in standard tuning?

Yes, you can play BYOB in standard tuning, but then you’ll have to play the song in E major instead of F major, and you’ll also lose the ‘crunch’ in the strumming.

Q. How to sound like Daron Malakian?

If you want to sound like Malakian, you need an Ibanez Iceman DMM1 guitar, going into a Boss HM-2 Heavy Metal distortion pedal, into a Marshall MF350 amp.

Q. Can I play this on an acoustic guitar?

Yes, you can, but it will not have the rage that is needed to lead a rebellion against the war profiteering world leaders.

Introduction:

Smooth By Santana is a mix of rock, blues, and it combines some melodies of Latin rhythms as well. So if you are someone who is interested in learning the ways of Santana this should be a great starting point for your musical journey. 

Fun Fact: In the beginning the song was called Room 17 and the idea of the song came to the mind of Itaal Shur, but then lyrics were all take out from the song and it was given to Rob Thomas, who completely re-wrote the song and changed its original melody, that’s how Smooth came into existence by Santana. 

Chords Used in Song Guitar Lesson

Arpeggios Verse & Chorus Chords: The arpeggios for this song are as follows: 

e|------1-------------|

B|----3---3----------|

G|--2-------2--------| 

D|--------------------| 

A|--------------------| 

E|--------------------|

Strumming Pattern 

There are two strumming patterns for this song, the first one is pretty basic and you can play it like this: DD UU DU. 

• D = Down Strum 
• U = Up Strum

Or you can play this version which adds more groove to the song: DD X UDU. 

• D = Down Strum 
• U = Up Strum
• X = Muted Strum 

Song Structure 

Introduction: In this introduction, Mike is going to show you how to tune up your guitar for this song. 

Song Arrangement: Here, you will learn about the different guitar rhythms that you will be following as you play the song. Mike starts explaining every rhythm starting with the intro section. 

Song Demo: Over here, Mike is going to show you how to play the guitar parts of the song with the backing track. 

Solo 1: From this part, you will start learning how to play different solos which come in the song. This is the first solo performed by Santana in the first part of the song. 

Overdub Licks: This particular section shows how to play a particular lick which is being played at the 32 second of the track. 

Solo 2: This is the second solo from the song. 

Solo 3: Solo which comes after the verses. 

Outro Solo: This one is the last solo which Santana played and it was used as an outro for the song. 

Why Learn Smooth By Santana?

Carlos Santana is known throughout the world for his amazing phrasing and his ability to sustain heavy tones on the guitar. As you learn this song, you will get to know about techniques like Vibrato, sustain, melodic soloing and smooth transition between the lead and the rhythm of the song. 

FAQs-This Song Guitar Lesson

Q1. Who originally sang “Smooth?”

Ans. Smooth was performed by Santana & Rob Thomas who were part of a band called Matchbox Twenty. This song was released as a lead single from the 1999s studio album, Supernatural. 

Q2. What made Santana so famous in the music industry? 

Ans. Santana became much more popular after their incredible set which they performed live at Woodstock in 1969. In that same year, the band also released their self-entitled LP as well. 

Q3. Is Santana considered to be a good guitarist of his time? 

Ans. Santana is known to be the man who invented the Latin rock guitar genre, making it stand as one of the best of his generation. 

Introduction

Black Bird is one of the greatest songs by none other than The Beatles. It’s a song where Sir Paul McCartney performed a solo piece. It is a song that many artists from all around the world cover. The song is also used as an introduction to another hit song by The Beatles called “Yesterday.”

Chords Used in Song Guitar Lesson

Arpeggios Verse & Chorus Chords: For this song, you will be using your thumb for bass notes and playing the melody with the first two fingers. 

Strumming Pattern 

Due to fingerpicking, it does not use the traditional strumming pattern, so you have to learn Travis's picking style, which your guitar instructor is going to teach you in this lesson. Here’s how you will be using it: Thumb (T) → Index (I) → Thumb (T) → Middle (M)

Song Structure 

Introduction: In the introduction, you will learn how to tune up your guitar to play this song. 

Chords and Rhythm: In this part, Mike Walker, your guitar instructor for this song lesson, will show you the required fingerpicking technique, chords and rhythms that you need to follow. 

Song Arrangement: Right in this part, you will learn how to play the different parts of the 

song, starting from the intro and then verses, chorus, and outro. 

Song Demo: Finally, in this section, Mike will show you how to play the song on guitar with a backing track. 

To become a well-rounded guitarist or to witness the magic of James Taylor’s fingerpicking at its best, you need to learn the intermediate guitar version of the song Snowtime. This is the one-song lesson that serves as a perfect blend of technical as well as musical growth; in addition to this, the entire guitar lesson is pure playing satisfaction. 

With this intermediate version of the song Snowtime, you will be introduced to Travis playing, in addition to the subtle-note alternations, a skill that develops precision and independence between thumb and fingers. 

Musically speaking, the song slowly builds on soft and flowing acoustic guitar with unmistakable smooth vocals layered on top of them. From this lesson, you are going to capture the serene and contemplative mood present in the song, which is quite often associated with winter. It’s a song that teaches you that sometimes simplicity when executed with proper finesse, can create a powerful musical experience. 

Strumming Pattern 

The song is known for its gentle fingerpicking, but when it comes to learning the intermediate version, then you have to follow the given strumming pattern to capture a laid-back and flowing feel of the song: D – D U – U D U.

• D = Down Strum. 
• U = Up Strum. 

If you wish to add more feel to the song, you can use this optional strumming variation: D – D – x – U – D U. 

• D = Down Strum. 
• U = Up Strum.
• X = muted percussive strumming, which helps you add texture without overpowering the song. 

Strumming works well in this song, but if you wish to capture the sound of the original recording truly, we would advise you to blend light fingerpicking with strumming transitions.  

Why Learn Snowtime Song Intermediate Version On Guitar?

Snowtime by James Taylor is considered to be the perfect first step towards learning fingerstyling with light strumming; this lesson simplifies the intricate part just enough that the song lesson becomes a bit challenging and, at the same time, rewarding. 

It’s a song that requires you to play your guitar gently and cleanly and follow the required rhythm. The kind of control you will learn in this song lesson will take you one level above beginners and make your sound stage-ready. 

Here, you will be playing open chords, which come with tasteful embellishments; this helps you in mastering transitions while still showing you how to add musical sophistication to your guitar playing. 

Snowtime is being played at a steady, reflective pace; playing it on guitar trains your mind and hands-on timing; as a result, with this slow tempo, you will learn to avoid rushing and lock your chord progression with vocals. 

Snowtime is an understated song by James Taylor, and this song exemplifies Taylor’s enduring ability to create intimacy and warmth by using simple musical elements. Taylor is known for composing masterful fingerpicking and mellow vocal tones, and even with the inclusion of these two signature styles of his, Taylor has made this song feel like a quiet 

conversation with his listeners rather than a performance. 

Snowtime keeps up with the folk-pop sensibilities, which is again Taylor’s signature sound; he uses clean guitar lines, gentle melodies and even simple lyrics, which somehow feel like a personal reflection and universal relatability. The guitar work you have to learn for this song is deceptively simple, yet it has technical finesse to it. 

In order to play this song similar to Taylor’s version, you have to learn precise fingerpicking, which is something generations of acoustic guitarists have to learn if they wish to learn guitar as more than just a hobby.

Snowtime is a song masterclass of a song that was held by restraints; it’s a gentle and introspective song that combines simplicity and sincerity. Whenever you are going to play this song on guitar, you and your audience will feel like they have been transported to their old friend’s home for a cup of evening tea or a cold beer. 

Why Learn Snowtime Song By James Taylor Song On Guitar?

The signature fingerpicking of Taylor is present in Snowtime, and as you learn it, you will get to know about precision, control and independence between your thumb and fingers. This song could be one of the best practical exercises you can do to develop smooth, melodic fingerpicking, doesn’t matter if you are a beginner or an intermediate guitar player. 

Snowtime is a song that describes the life of a performer, and ironically, as you learn this song on guitar, you will have a perfect song to play in an acoustic setting. Just Imagine yourself playing this song live, with confidence and full control over chord progression!!

FAQs – Snowtime Song By James Taylor Guitar Lesson

Q1. Which guitar tuning does James Taylor use for the song Snowtime?

Ans. James usually tunes his guitar in standard tuning of EADGBE when he has to play Snowtime, but to play this song; he also applies signature string gauge adjustments and tweaks the guitar’s tuning to enhance the tonality; if you are just learning how to play this song on guitar, it would be best to go with the standard tuning. 

Q2. Which of the fingerpicking techniques do I need to learn for the song Snowtime?  

Ans. Travi-style fingerpicking is our best pick to learn if you do not wish to follow a strumming pattern for this song.