Introduction

Introduction:

In this video lesson Mike Walker teaches how to play the song Home as part of our guitar series on English songs. The song is broken down into multiple lessons for easy learning. Home is the coronation song and a debut single from the winner of American Idol season 11, Phill Phillips. The song was co-written by Drew Pearson and Greg Holden. Phill performed this song for the first time on May 12th, 2012, when he was giving the season's final performance. 

Song Structure:

Introduction: The introduction consists of tuning requirements for the guitar and the basics of what you need to play this song. 

Song Arrangement: This part helps you learn about the intro section. Also, Mike shows you two different picking patterns that you can use for this song and how to move back and forth between the two patterns. 

Song Demo: In this section Mike your guitar instructor is going to teach you how to play the guitar parts of the song alongside backing tracks. 

Vocal Melody: This is the final section of this guitar lesson, and it's the added bonus where Mike teaches you how to play the vocal melody which is present in the song. 

Chords Used in Song Guitar Lesson: The entire song is written in the key of C major with a bright tempo.

Introduction:

It’s My Life is known to be one of the rock anthems, it was released in May, 2000 as the lead single of the seventh album called Crush by the rock band Bon Jovi. This was the song which made it possible for the band to introduce themselves to the younger fanbase. 

Chords Used in Song Guitar Lesson:

Arpeggios Verse & Chorus Chords: This song uses power chords most of the time along with some strong strumming, but it is up to you to add arpeggios to add another dynamic layer in the verses 

Instead of strumming, you can also play the following arpeggios in the verse section:

E|----------------|  

B|------0--------|  

G|----0---0------|  

D|--2-------2----|  

A|--------------|  

E|--------------| 

Strumming Pattern 

This song uses palm muting and strong downstrokes in order to create the classic rock sound. The main strumming pattern for It’s My Life by Bon Jovi is: D D X U D X U D  

• D (Downstroke) → Hit the full chord with power.
• X (Palm Mute) → Lightly rest your palm on the strings for a muted "chug" effect.
• U (Upstroke) → Play lightly, focusing on the higher strings for dynamics.

Song Structure 

Introduction: In the introduction of the song you will be getting to know the tuning required to play this song. 

Song Arrangement: Here you guitar instructor Mike Walker will be combining the guitar and piano parts of the song together which allows you to play the iconic guitar melody of this song. 

Song Demo: After understanding what chords you need to play and where, in this part Mike is going to show you how to play the entire song with the backing track. 

Solo: This is the final part of the guitar lesson, and here you will be learning all the licks which are part of the guitar solo. 

Introduction:

I See Fire is a song written and composed for the movie The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. The song is played over the closing credits of the movie. After its release, the song was able to climb to the 13th spot in the UK Singles Chart and in New Zealand it was able to reach number 1 in just six weeks of time. 

Chords Used in Song Guitar Lesson:

Arpeggios Verse & Chorus Chords: You will be following basic arpeggios picking for this song, and this is what you need to follow in order to create a simple yet attractive progression: 

e|------0---------0------|  

B|------0---------0------|  

G|----0---0-----0---0----|  

D|-----------2-----------|  

A|--2--------------------|  

E|-----------------------| 

Strumming Pattern:

This one is primarily a fingerpicking song, but in case you wish to play the strumming pattern you can follow this: D D U U D U. 

• D = Down strum
• U = Up strum

Song Structure:

Introduction: In this introduction, Mike Luciano, your guitar instructor is going to share why everyone needs to learn this song, and where, and why you should be putting the capo on 

guitar like Ed does. 

Intro Lick and Song Arrangement: In this section, Mike shows you how to play the intro licks for the song and how to use hammer-on and pull-off techniques with your first and third fingers. Along with this, you will learn the entire song arrangement as well. 

Song Demo: This section shows you how to play the song with the backing track played alongside. 

Beginners Version: If you are not able to play with new techniques which you have learned in this guitar lesson you can also try the beginner friendly version of I See Fire by Ed Sheeran which is mentioned in this part. 

Why Learn I See Fire By Ed Sheeran?

I See Fire take the full advantage of acoustic fingerpicking which is something perfect for beginner guitar players to start with. This song will also help you in building dexterity, accuracy, and finger independence as you play. Furthermore, it’s a great introduction to the thumb-bass technique, along with melodic picking. 

FAQs I see fire Guitar Lesson

Q1. What was the reason behind Ed Sheeran's writing I See Fire? 

Ans. It was Peter Jackon, the director of The Hobbit, who asked Ed Sheeran to come up with a song for a kid’s movie. Sheeran saw the movie and started working on the song.

Q2. What other songs are out there which sound similar to I See Fire? 

Ans. There is a huge library of Ed’s songs, which sounds pretty familiar, starting with Eyes Closed, Give Me Love, Happier, Shivers, and Beautiful People. 

Q3. Which song is Ed Sheeran’s biggest hit? 

Ans. Without a doubt it has to be “Perfect,” this particular song topped charts in more than 18 different countries, making him one of the most loved artist all around the globe. 

Fun Fact: The song I See Fire was written, composed, and recorded on the same day. After Ed Sheeran watched the entire film The Hobbit for which the song was officially released on 5th November 2013. He sat down to write the lyrics and his flow made him finish composition and recording of the song in just 24 hours. 

Believer – Introduction

Welcome to the guitar lesson on a sensational pop blockbuster by one of the greatest pop-rock artists of modern music, Believer by Imagine Dragons. This song needs no introduction, for it amassed 2.8 billion views on YouTube and made Imagine Dragons world-famous, charting their way to everyone’s playlist.

Written in part and sung by Dan Reynolds, the song is about overcoming suffering and pain. He says, “The meaning of the song is reflecting on the painful things in my life, rising above that, finding a place where I could be appreciative of the pain and make it my greatest strength”. The message in the song is acceptance of pain in order to overcome it and cultivate belief in oneself through it, hence the title.

Believer peaked at number four on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming the band's third top ten single after ‘Radioactive’ and ‘Demons’.

Believer Guitar Lesson

In this lesson, the tutor goes through talking about the individual parts of the song, one section after another. The first section contains the basic information about the song, like the key, tuning and tone. The second section talks about the chords and rhythm and the chords used in the song, followed by a section on the structural arrangement of the song, as in the position of verses and choruses. Finally, the tutor demonstrates how to play the song in its entirety with some improvisation tips.

Believer guitar chords are in the key of Bb minor. Mainly, three chords repeat over the length of the track, and palm-muted ‘chugs’ on the thicker strings give the song a metal vibe, while the special 12/8 time signature gives it a pop vibe. 12/8 time commonly feels like a shuffling rhythm, as if counting 1-2-3 repeatedly. The chords used are Bbm, F and F#.

The interesting bit about the arrangement here is in the overdubbed use of multiple guitars or guitar sounds. The tutor explains how there is a distorted rhythm guitar playing the power chords leaning on the low frequencies and the clean lead guitar playing the high frequency harmonies on top of it, both covering the sound space.

The instructor also goes through the lead or the vocal melody section of the song and shows how to play note by note, along with a demonstration on how to improvise on the track using the Bb minor pentatonic scale shape on the fretboard.

Consequently, this tutorial explores all the sections of the great power ballad of a song that Believer is and delivers the lesson in a structured format.

FAQs

Q. What is the story behind Believer by Imagine Dragons?

Dan Reynolds, the frontman of the band, was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis, which is a form of arthritis and causes great physical pain. His experience with the pain and rising above it is where the song comes from.

Q. Does Believer have a guitar solo?

Believer does not have a specific guitar solo in the track, but there is plenty of room in the track that you can solo over the chords using the Bb minor pentatonic scale.

Introduction

This is the most iconic instrumental theme of one of the greatest mafia movies ever produced by Hollywood. The theme was produced by Nino Rota for the film The Godfather in 1972. The lyrics of the song were written by Larry Kuski, and the original song was composed by Nino Rota. The English version of the song was sung by Angela Bacari. 

In this video lesson Mike Walker teaches how to play the song Godfather Theme as part of our guitar series on English songs. The song is broken down into multiple lessons for easy learning - Introduction and Chords, Solo, Song Demo and Improvisation. Don't forget to make use of the chords and tabs provided with the song lesson!

Chords Used in Song Guitar Lesson

Arpeggios Verse & Chorus Chords: For the most part, the song is in the key of F. 

Song Structure 

Introduction and Chords: In this section of the guitar lesson Mike walker your guitar instructor shows you how to tune the guitar for this song. Likewise, Mike also talks about which chord progression you need to follow for this song. 

Solo: The melody of Godfather theme is divided in 2 sections and here Mike shows you how to play both of them separately and as one after you master both the parts. 

Song Demo: In the song demo, you will learn how to play the entirety of the song with the backing track. Mike also highlights the importance of improvisation, which you should be doing, as the song playing the iconic tune on the guitar is a bit more challenging than playing other rock and metal songs. 

Improvisation: Here, you will learn all the improvisation techniques that Mike has used to play this song. Furthermore, you will learn the alternative scales, which come in handy during your initial plays if you are a beginner. 

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.

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. 

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.