Neil’s Top Fingerpicking Songs Volume 3

Lessons

• Lesson 1: If - Pink Floyd - Guitar Lesson

  The second side of Pink Floyd’s 1970 album, Atom Heart Mother, had three individual songs by the three main writers. Roger Waters’ contribution was If.
  
  It is a very simple chord progression played with an eight-note arpeggio fingerpicking pattern. The lesson is done ‘Work It Out’ style showing you only the right hand at first, then giving a few hints before revealing the chord progression and arrangement.
  
  There are no attachments with the lesson as they should not really be necessary.

• Lesson 2: Sunshine On My Shoulders

  Sunshine On My Shoulders is one of John Denver's most popular songs. It was originally released in 1971 on Poems, Prayers & Promises and became a hit single in 1973. This lesson is based on the way he would perform it live, typically on a 12-string guitar in the key of Ab. A guitar at standard pitch would use a capo at the first fret and play in the relative key of G. John's 12-string was tuned one step low so his capo would be at the third fret.
  John used an arpeggio picking accompaniment, and this lesson goes into detail about his introduction with a double hammer-on from a G to C chord. The lesson also goes over arpeggio variations you can explore and improvise with so that every time you are doing some things differently.

• Lesson 3: It Doesn't Matter Anymore

  It Doesn't Matter Anymore was written by Paul Anka and first recorded by Buddy Holly. It was the last song he recorded before the fateful plane crash. His version was typical of the rockabilly/country sound he was known for.

  Linda Ronstadt brought new life to the song in 1975 when it was part of her Heart like A Wheel album. Her version featured a basic fingerpicking accompaniment, which even she played live on some occasions. This lesson is based on that and should be accessible to everyone with just a bit of fingerpicking experience.

• Lesson 4: Clay Pigeons

  Blaze Foley was a very talented singer/songwriter who was under recognized in his short lifetime. Many of his songs are held in the highest regard by his contemporaries and the next generation.

  Clay Pigeons is a basic fingerpicking song in the key of G and was covered by no less than John Prine and The Avett Brothers. This lesson talks about generic fingerpicking but also covers how Blaze, The Avetts and John Prine approached the song.

• Lesson 5: Love Song - Acoustic Guitar Lesson

  Love Song is one of the rare tunes to appear on an Elton John album that he did not write. The songwriter was Lesley Duncan, who was known a bit in England but never achieved worldwide recognition. She did play the guitar part and sing harmony on Elton's 1970 album Tumbleweed Connection.

  The guitar part is very basic fingerpicking and uses only two chords with some embellishments. Nancy and Ann Wilson, of Heart also are known to perform the song live and this lesson also covers Nancy's version of the song, which has a bit more variety in the chords and picking.

• Lesson 6: For The Good Times

  Kris Kristofferson’s songwriting career started in the mid-1960s when some established artists started performing his songs. For The Good Times became a hit for Ray Price in 1968, and that opened the door to Kristofferson recording his own album. The original release of Kristofferson was not successful, but a couple months later Janis Joplin’s recording of Me And Bobby McGee changed everything. Kris’s album was rereleased under that title and he became a star.

  The song is a basic progression in the key of C Major, starting with a descending bass line which sets up the verse, as well as being the third line of the chorus. This lesson is done using a simple arpeggio picking pattern, and goes into detail about alternating bass note options for the chords, as well as including some common passing runs.

• Lesson 7: Illegal Smile

  John Prine is an American treasure as a songwriter and entertainer. His debut album in 1971 introduced the world to a handful of poignant classics. John's fingerpicking is very basic but melodic and effective.

  Illegal Smile is typical for his style, with a catchy hammer-on in the bass followed by what I call generic picking, meaning it never has to be the same but there are some simple parameters, which are described in the lesson.

  The song changes into a 3/4 strumming pattern in the chorus, then kicks back to the intro before each next verse. The transitions are also very basic.

• Lesson 8: At The Zoo

  At The Zoo is a very short, but infectious Paul Simon song that first appeared on Simon & Garfunkel's 1968 album Bookends. It opens with some light fingerpicking before settling in to a basic strumming progression using just a few chords. The lesson goes over the chords, the picking, and particularly transitioning from picking to strumming and back smoothly.

• Lesson 9: Comin’ Back To Me - Guitar Lesson

  Surrealistic Pillow, released in 1967, featured two big hits by The Jefferson Airplane, White Rabbit and Somebody To Love, along with Jorma Kaukonen’s iconic guitar piece Embryonic Journey.
  
  There were a few other classic psychedelic tunes, including Marty Balin’s Comin’ Back To Me. It features very simple fingerpicking with just a few chord shapes. The lesson is done without tab, hoping you can get it from watching and listening.

• Lesson 10: The Road - Guitar Lesson

  The Road, originally written by Danny O’Keefe, is the second track of the Running On Empty album recorded by American singer-songwriter Jackson Browne.
  
  The arrangement is done in standard tuning and uses mainly open chords in the key of G, with some unusual ones in the intro. It features moderately fast travis picking, with only a few embellishments throughout the song.
  
  Keep in mind, that even though there are several particular melody notes, especially in the intro, Jackson plays this quite randomly. The student is encouraged to do the same.

• Lesson 11: Danny’s Song Guitar Lesson - Loggins & Messina

  Our first entry in the great songs of Loggins & Messina, Danny's Song is one you can fingerpick anyway you like, or use a standard Travis pick all the way through. It is in the key of D and includes a common descending bass line similar to Mr. Bojangles. This lesson is done with the Campfire approach as all you need to do is play the chords and sing the song.

• Lesson 12: Julia - Guitar Lesson

  In 1968 the Beatles learned a bit about fingerpicking from Donovan while they were in India for a short time. This resulted in a much more refined guitar sound for a few songs on the ‘White Album’, including John Lennon’s *Julia*. This lesson uses John’s repetitive alternating bass fingerpicking pattern with some unusual chord voicings, and shows exactly how he played the original, including a capo at the second fret.

• Lesson 13: Please Come To Boston

  Please Come To Boston was a big hit for Dave Loggins in 1974. He wrote the song after his first big tour, with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, which hit the three cities mentioned. The girl waiting at home was fictional but made for a great story.

  The guitar accompaniment was generic fingerpicking and the lesson presents quite a few different patterns and approaches, in the interest of creating your own version and varying it every time. There is a detailed look at two guitar parts that were played as the introduction, with the main one being in Dropped D Tuning. It is played with a capo at the second fret, as Loggins did when playing it live.

• Lesson 14: Strong Enough Guitar Lesson - Sheryl Crow

  Sheryl Crow is the author of many great tunes over the since the early 1990s. Strong Enough was released in 1994 on her album Tuesday Night Music Club and features some slightly unusual chords in the unusual time signature of 6/4. Otherwise, it is a pretty straightforward fingerpicking song.

• Lesson 15: Good Time Charlie’s Got The Blues - Danny O’Keefe - Guitar Lesson

  Danny O’Keefe is unfortunately mostly remembered as a one-hit-wonder but he wrote some great songs that were covered by artists as diverse as Jackson Browne, Elvis Presley, Leon Russell, Judy Collins, Willie Nelson, and even Mark-Almond.
  
  Of course, Good Time Charlie’s Got The Blues is his most well known and could even be considered a standard today.
  
  It consists of a very cool fingerpicked vamp that might be a bit challenging but well worth mastering. This lesson mostly goes over the way he plays it live and solo.