String Love Guitar Lessons

Here we are, a season of Thanksgiving.

The Thank You Song

I’ll keep this post focused on the guitar aspects of this song.

First off, it’s in the key of F.

I open up with an intro in which I lift the bar off of the 1st and 2nd strings and bring the bar back down. If you listen to the recording (available in the sidebar), you can hear this oscillation from the full barred F major chord to the haunting F+7sus that results when you lift the bar off of the 1st and 2nd strings while keeping everything else in place.

From there, <em>The Thank You Song</em> is pretty straightforward.

It’s in 3/4 time, and I use the P, I, MA, I, MA, I arpeggio most of the time (which you can learn more about in these online guitar lessons).

The Thank You Song

F
Thank you, Lord,
Bbadd6
For the gift of this life.
C7                                      Bbadd6
Thank you for all of Creation,
C7                      F
And thank you for light.

Thank you for peace and for quiet,
And thank you for sound.
Thank you for Truth and for Love
And the power of Now.

Thank you for time and for space,
For breath and for blood.
For giving us everything, everything,
And always with Love.

Thank you for life,
From cradle to grave.
Your precious protection
Corrects and reminds us to pray.

Thank you for wind,
Thank you for sun.
Thank you for planting your presence
Within everyone.

Thank you for practice and effort,
Thank you for growth.
Thank you for laughing and learning,
And thank you for jokes.

Thank you sincerely, thank you clearly,
With all of my heart-
That river inside me that guides me
From your whole to my part.

And as we find freedom, Lord,
Help us remain,
So we can help others
Come out of their pain.

Thank you lord for Redemption,
And thank you for Grace.
Thanks for your sacred creation-
The Human Race.

So help us Lord, oh,
Please hear our song.
Guide us in goodness and train us
To serve one and all.

…

So that’s <em>The Thank You Song</em>.

Head to The Thank You Song page to download a pdf with the chords and lyrics for your home guitar playing enjoyment.

And if you would like to learn how to play this or any of the other Friday Songs, I’m here to help. I teach Nashville Guitar Lessons and webcam guitar lessons and currently have some availability should you want to take your guitar playing to a higher level while learning some super beautiful, powerful music.

Micah Lapidus is a great friend, musician and rabbi.

He works as the spiritual head of the Davis Academy in Atlanta, Georgia.

And he writes incredibly beautiful tunes. Some of his songs are in Hebrew, some are explorations directly from certain books of the Bible, and some are his own English language interpretations of his walk with Spirit.

You’ll be hearing plenty more from and about Micah over time here at String Love. Micah is an extraordinary soul and one of the most powerful allies I’ve had in my walk with the guitar.

Of all of Micah’s songs (and there are many–pay attention here and I’ll let you know when his forthcoming recording is ready!), I’m currently most in love with If The Sky Could Talk.

Micah was kind enough to share the lyrics and chords with me and consent to me sharing this song with you.

So, here it is.

I’m including an informal recording of Micah and I playing this tune together last summer.

Chords to follow as soon as Micah gets them to me (wink)…

If The Sky Could Talk

If the sky could talk every cloud would have a story
If the heaves could speak then the sun might laugh
If the forest could talk every pine would have a secret
If the woods could speak then the redwoods might sigh

If the desert could talk every grain of sand would whisper
If the desert could speak then the dunes might cry
If the river could talk then the current might whistle,
If the river could speak then the creek might sing

Every voice and every word, every sound was ever heard
Across the earth, up to the sky, there’s not a sound simply passes on by

If the sky could talk every storm would be a prayer,
If the heavens could speak then the moon might cry
If the forest could talk then the moss would spin a yarn
If the woods could speak then the leaves might lie

If the desert could talk every rock would say water,
If the desert could speak then the ground would groan
If the river could talk then the water might yodel
If the river could speak it’d be calling your name.

The sky knows what’s up, and the ground knows what’s going down,
the wind knows where the wind blows and the sun shines where the sun goes.

The sky knows what’s going down and the ground knows what’s up.
The moon shines in the moon shine and the tide ebbs and flows.

This week, let’s take a look at a beautiful traditional gospel tune.

Depending on where you’re coming from, you’ve either been singing this song since you were knee high to a grasshopper, or you’ve never heard of it and might not understand how I went from a soulful Brazilian number last Friday to a traditional gospel tune this Friday.

Well, welcome to Music: leading the way beyond all borders and divisions through appreciation of diversity since the first drum was born.

In the Garden holds a special place in my heart for a lot of reasons.

First off, it’s just a sweet, simple, beautiful song.

Secondly, I’ve played this song in some very powerful contexts over the years. This song carries some serious power for spreading harmony, peace and love wherever you play it.

If you examine the lyrics, you’ll discover that they portray the speaker of the song walking in heaven and meeting Jesus.

The meeting transpires and leaves the speaker completely overwhelmed by the power of Christ Consciousness.

I of course have no idea where you’re at with spirituality, religion, Christ or the afterlife, but hopefully you’re at least amenable to the idea that neither you nor I have consciously died this go-round on Planet Earth, so anything’s possible.

In that Spirit, In the Garden evokes the powerful human urge to transcend suffering.

Whether that transcendence comes through an afterlife, awakening in this life or some other way besides doesn’t really matter.

There is certainly a bunch of suffering happening right here on Planet Earth. I see it, you see it, we all see it.

In the Garden is a balm for tough times, a blessing for the sick and weary and a celebration of divine possibility in a world that sometimes seems far removed from the heights of Love.

As far as actually playing In the Garden, I like to play it capo’d up at the second or third fret to make it easier to sing.

It’s in 3/4 time, so keep that in mind as you work up your arrangement.

In the Garden

C
I come to the garden alone
F                               C
While the dew is still on the roses
G                                  C
And the voice I hear falling on my ear
D7                     G      G7
The Son of God discloses

Chorus:

C                                        G
And He walks with me and He talks with me
G7                            C
And He tells me I am His own
C                                  F
And the joy we share as we tarry there
C                G        C
None other has ever known

He speaks and the sound of his voice
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing

(Chorus)

I’d stay in the garden with Him
Though the night around me be falling
But He bids me go, through the voice of woe,
His voice to me is calling

(Chorus)

For this week’s Friday Song, let’s head back down to Brazil for a super beautiful tune by Dercio Marques called Raso De Luz, which translates as “Ray of Light.”

This sweet tune is easy to play while containing some nice but simple chord variations, and it’s great practice for the 3/4 PIMAMI arpeggio. Just go ahead and position your I, M and A fingers on the 3rd, 2nd and 1st strings respectively and keep them there most of the song.

With your thumb, you’ll get to pick and choose which bass notes you play, but you can keep things very simple at first and still come out sounding fantastic with this one.

Raso De Luz is in the Key of G and uses the chords you’d expect to find in G Major. There’s the trademark bass walk-down from G major through D major with F# in the bass to E minor. In the B section, you’ll head from C major down through G with a B in the bass to A minor, and while holding down the usual A minor fingering, you grab a G bass note with your pinky to continue the downward motion of the bass line. The B section finishes off with a D7 to D9, for which you simply lift your finger from the 1st string to play an open E note alongside the other notes in the usual D7 in 1st position.

In addition to the lyrics, there’s a beautiful humming part that begins and ends the song, and as soon as I have the chance to knock out some live video performances of these songs, I’ll include the video along with these Friday Songs to help you get acquainted with these songs, many of which you may not have encountered before.

But without further ado, here are the chords and lyrics for Dercio Marques’ Raso De Luz:

Raso De Luz

D/F#  G         D/F#
Quem ja ouviu
Em      D7
Os passarinhos
C
Nos arvoredos
D/F#         G
Do amanhecer
G7           C
Carro de Boi

G/B               Am      Am/G
Chiando na Estrada
D7
Sereno nas frutas
D9         G    G7
Um doce viver

C     G/B                  Am  Am/G
Sentir que o claro da vida
D7
E um raso de luz
D9            G     G7
Que desagua do sol
C         G/B        Am           Am/G
Manha manha manhazinha
D7
E um raso de luz
D9             G   D/F#
Que desagua do ceu

(back to top)

And here are the lyrics translated:

Who already heard
the birds
In the groves
At dawn

Ox cart
Squeaking on the road
Dew on the fruits
A sweet life

Feeling that the clarity of life
Is a ray of light
That flows from the sun
Morning, morning, little morning
Is a ray of light
That flows from the sky.

…

Enjoy this song, have fun playing it and definitely drop me a line with questions, ideas and comments!

Welcome to another installment of Friday Songs!

Today, I’m going to take a look at another of my songs off of my first CD Spirited.

Hold Me Now is a sweet devotional ditty that relies on a very simple picking hand arpeggio combined with some very small variations in the chords you play with your fretting hand.

Automating the playing is key for being able to play along while you sing, and the way to get to that point is to drill the arpeggio into the ground until you can basically play it no matter what distraction comes along to attract your attention.

This song is in 3/4, so it uses the P,I,MA arpeggio (which you can learn more about here and here). Pay special attention to the 3/4 versions of the arpeggio mentioned in those lessons.

When I play this song, I tend to move between different arpeggios rather than holding steady with just one. I will often also use the P,I,M,A,M,I six-note arpeggio on occasion.

In order to play the small bass note variations, I position my I, M and A fingers on the 3rd, 2nd and 1st strings and keep them there for the entire song. The thumb handles the 6th, 5th and 4th strings.

The way this song works, you play each chord for two cycles of the P,I,MA,I,MA,I arpeggio. But the second time, there’s a slight change. Leave out the second MA and play your thumb instead.

That looks like this:

1 ———-A———A———-——-A————–——
2 ———-M———M—————-M————-——
3 ——I———-I———I———I———I————I——
4 ———————————P———–———P———
5 -P——————–—————————–———

Here is a video of this right hand pattern over C to Csus:

As I play my thumb on the 4th string, I place my pinky finger on my fretting hand on the 3rd fret of the 4th string to grab the F note that creates a suspended C major chord. I do this maneuver for both the C to Csus and the G/B to G7/B chords in the ‘A’ section of this song.

For the second half, do the same C to Csus move, and then just play the Dminor to G major as normal.

And here are the lyrics and chords for your enjoyment (if you’d like a downloadable pdf of Hold Me Now head here).

Hold Me Now

C   Csus    G/B
Hold me now,
G/B G7/B   C
Help me grow.
C    Csus   G/B
Hold me now,
G/B G7/B   C
Help me grow.

C   Csus       Dm
I become and I am
G       C
Inside you.
C   Csus       Dm
What I am I receive
G        C
Inside you.

Hold me now,
Help me grow.
Hold me now,
Help me grow.

My gift is to believe
Inside you
In this joy I receive
Inside you.

Hold me now,
Help me see.
Hold me now,
Help me see.

I am all that I am
Thanks to you.
Humbled here where I stand
Thanks to you.

Hold me now,
Help me see.
Hold me now,
Help me see.

For this moment of peace,
thank you.
In this moment of peace,
I thank you.

Hold me now,
Help me fly.
Hold me now,
Help me fly.

On this jetstream of light
Within me.
This bright jetstream of light
Within me.

Hold me now,
Help me fly,
Hold me now,
Help me fly.

My heart beats to your song
Within me.
My heartbeat is your song
Within me.

Hold me now,
Help me be.
Hold me now,
Help me be.

We are children of God,
All equal.
We are children of God,
All equal.

Hold me now,
Help me be.
Hold me now,
Help me be.

Your love brings us to be together.
Your love calls us to sing together.
Your love brings us to be together.
Your love calls us to sing together.

Hold me light,
Help me love.
Hold me light,
Help me love.

Light, hold me light,
Love, help me love.
Light, hold me light,
Love, help me love.

Holy Light,
Holy Love.
Holy Light,
Holy Love.

Light, Holy Light,
Love, Holy Love.
Light, Holy Light,
Love, Holy Love.