Lesson Plan

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Lesson notes

The Classics IV had a handful of hits in the late 1960s. Traces, written by Buddis Buie, J.R. Cobb, and Emory Gordy Jr., made it to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1969.

The song opens with an arpeggiated descending bass line under a minor progression, followed by an usual chord sequence outside the key of D, where the verse begins.

The lesson includes arpeggio picking, percussive fingerpicking, light finger strumming, and a lot of barre chords. The song modulates up a half step at the end, making the chords even a little bit more challenging.