Neil's Top Chord Solos

Lessons

• Lesson 1: Mrs. Brown, You've Got A Lovely Daughter - Solo Fingerpicking Arrangement

  Mrs. Brown is a catchy ditty made famous in the U.S. by Herman's Hermits in 1965. This arrangement uses the standard fingerpicking technique of alternating bass notes and combining the chords and melody into a solo, instrumental version.

  It is done in the original key of C major, with a couple short modulations into keys that require a few barre chords, including the major shape from the 'A' family. A couple different fingering options are explored and the student is encouraged to experiment with their own embellishments and play it differently every time.

• Lesson 2: Creating Chord Solos - Instrumental Arranging

  On February 14, 2026 Totally Guitars hosted a live lesson for our members. The focus was on instrumental arranging for solo guitar, or Chord Solos. Neil is a master at this and the hour long session was full of specific instructions on how to approach this.

• Lesson 3: Ashokan Farewell - Solo Guitar

  Having just done a lesson for two guitars on Jay Unger's Ashokan Farewell, it was time to do a solo arrangement. In the interest of making this as easy as possible, the lesson is done in the key of G, which allows for relatively easy chord shapes.

  The basic accompaniment is done with 2 or 3 bass notes, all on the beats in each measure. The melody is done with minimal ornamentation.

• Lesson 4: Can You Read My Mind - Superman Theme - Solo Guitar Arrangement

  Can You Read My Mind was the main theme from the movie Superman in 1978, with music by John Williams. It was a vocal hit for Maureen McGovern the next year. It is also heard in most of the following Superman movies.

  This arrangement is in the key of E Major and there are segments on the melody and the chords before a measure by measure breakdown. There is a lot of flexibility in what you can do as far as the filler notes so feel free to vary the arrangement in any way.

• Lesson 5: Can't Help Falling In Love - Harmonization Lesson

  Can't Help Falling In Love was one of Elvis Presley's signature tunes which first appeared in the 1961 movie Blue Hawaii. We have another lesson on this that goes through the chords and progression focused on accompanying a singer.

  This is a lesson in harmonization working through figuring out the chord progression by choosing chords that include each melody note. It starts with a review of triads in a key then uses a logical approach to figuring out what chords can be used for each particular melody note.

  It ends with thoughts on creating your own solo version but the only attachment included just has the melody written out.

• Lesson 6: Danny Boy - Londonderry Air - Solo Guitar Arrangement

  Danny Boy has long been an iconic song we associate with Ireland, although the lyrics we know were written by English lawyer Frederic Weatherly in 1913. The melody goes much further back and was known as Londonderry Air in the mid-nineteenth century.

  I tried to keep this arrangement somewhat simple, just adding harmony in thirds and sixths to to the melody, but it is challenging to get through it smoothly and lyrically.

• Lesson 7: Daydream Believer (Fingerpicking)

  As you may know, we recently did a lesson on The Monkees’ version of John Stewart’s tune Daydream Believer.
  
  This was a classic begging for a solo version and I just had to get to it. As with a few other recent lessons, this took the path of breaking out the components and walking through the construction of your own arrangement.
  
  It is done in Dropped D Tuning, even though the song is played in G, and there is a good explanation offered in the lesson as to of the advantages of this.

• Lesson 8: Get Together - Solo Guitar Arrangement

  We have had a lesson on the Youngbloods' version of Get Together at Totally Guitars since 2010. We recently got a request to add a chord solo version that incorporated the melody into the strumming to create an instrumental version. Most of our solo arrangements are for fingerstyle playing but this one is a strumming version where the rhythm and chord changes are played continuously while the melody is played over that.

• Lesson 9: It Was A Very Good Year - Solo Guitar Project

  This lesson takes a do-it-yourself approach to creating your own arrangement of It Was A Very Good Year. We start with the original lead sheet as Ervin Drake composed in the key of E Minor and follow with a short lesson on reading standard notation in order to transpose it to a better key for a guitar instrumental. The student is guided through writing out the melody in the key of A Minor (staff/tab paper included), looking at different chord voicings to facilitate incorporating the melody notes, and adding accompaniment techniques to complete the project.

  I suggest not looking at or printing the Tab version until you have watched the lesson and made a decision on trying it with the standard notation.

• Lesson 10: Itchycoo Park - Solo Guitar Arrangement

  Itchycoo Park is a very catchy pop tune from the psychedelic era. Written by Steve Marriott and Ronnie Lane and released by their band, The Small Faces, it was their biggest hit in the U.S.

  This arrangement includes some percussive playing and a couple unusual, or modified chord shapes, but should be accessible to guitar players who have some familiarity with solos that keep a steady alternating bass.

• Lesson 11: Jerusalem - Solo Guitar Arrangement

  Jerusalem was written in the early 1900s by Hubert Parry, who set the poem 'And Did Those Feet In Ancient Time', by William Blake to a beautiful melody. The song has been an anthem of sorts in the U.K. for over 100 years. It was used in the London Olympics, and was the opening track on Emerson, Lake & Palmer's 1973 album, Brain Salad Surgery.

  James Taylor did a short arrangement of it in his bio 'Break Shot', available as an Audible book. That is where this lesson came from and it includes much of James' stylings and sound. It is challenging and the lesson goes into precise details of thinking of every notes' role in the play.

   

• Lesson 12: Let It Be Me - Solo Guitar Arrangement

  Originally a popular song in France, Let It Be Me, with the addition of English lyrics by Manny Curtis, became a hit for The Everly Brothers in 1960. Their trademark was close harmony vocals, mostly thirds and this lesson tries to capture both melodies separately before combining them in the last verse.

  It is very important to have a clear handle on many things in this situation, starting with the chords progression but more important is the distinct melody lines. These are explained in the lesson but there is also room for improvisation in Section B particularly. Like most solo arrangements, the accompaniment, or more specifically the filler notes, do not have to be the same in every play through, as long as the melody comes out loud and clear.

• Lesson 13: Long, Long Time - Solo Arrangement

  This solo fingerstyle guitar arrangement of Linda Ronstadt's Long, Long Time, which was written by Gary White, goes over some different ways of combining the melody and chords. There is tab to a verse and chorus, and the student is also led into creating their own version, and experimenting with different embellishments and variations.

• Lesson 14: Love Me Tender - Harmonization Lesson

  Love Me Tender is an early Elvis Presley classic, and we have had a complete lesson on the basic accompaniment and chord progression here at TG for years. This lesson takes a different approach–figuring out the chords on your own using a combination of music theory and listening.

  
  We start with a theory review of the key of D Major and its triads, then follow up with what chords contain any given notes, with the goal being to harmonize the melody using triads in the key. There are also a few chords outside the key, and the theory behind those is explained. We have included Elvis’ original recording in the lesson for the student to listen to while working out the chords.

  
  The lesson ends with a segment on a basic accompaniment version (much like our original look at Love Me Tender), and some thoughts on putting together your own solo arrangement.

• Lesson 15: Chord Solos - A Guide to Instrumental Arranging

  A Chord Solo is an instrumental arrangement of a song that incorporates the chord progression, the melody, and the rhythm and wraps them up into something playable by a solo guitarist. They also make great instrumental sections to a song you are singing, much like the original recording might include a lead break. This set of lessons introduces some of the concepts and techniques to get you started on this journey. It is designed to teach you how to make your own arrangements, not just play some that you may have heard.

• Lesson 16: My Back Pages - Solo Arrangement

  My Back Pages is a Dylan song that was covered beautifully by The Byrds, and countless others since then. Roger McGuinn took Dylan's original version, originally in 3/4 time, changed it to 4/4, standardized the progression (each of Dylan's verses used different chord sequences), trimmed out a couple verses, and fine tuned the melody.

  This lesson walks through how Neil puts together solo arrangements, first by having a clear idea of the progression and the melody, then looking at things you need to consider when combining them. It really encourages the student to create their own but also includes tab and a complete look at his fingerpicking arrangement.

• Lesson 17: Rainbow Connection - Solo Guitar Arrangement

  I recently did an accompaniment version of Rainbow Connection as a lesson and this arrangement just sort of materialized. I haven't really worked it out carefully but this lesson shows a relatively easy way to play it as a solo. I encourage you to take what I put in the lesson and add your own embellishments. It is also important to work on playing each verse slightly differently, following the rhythm and phrasing of the syllables. In other words, you should be singing the song in your head and using those phrasings and accents as your guide.

• Lesson 18: Send In The Clowns - Solo Guitar Arrangement

  Send In The Clowns, Stephen Sondheim's classic from his 1973 musical A Little Night Music, was first recorded by Frank Sinatra but it was Judy Collins version from 1975 that launched it into mainstream modern culture,

  This arrangement includes a little harmony added to the melody, which mostly features short phrases with steady filler between the melody notes. It is played with very flexible timing, which can make some of the unusual chord shapes a little more accessible.

• Lesson 19: The Windmills Of Your Mind - Solo & Accompaniment Versions

  The Windmills Of Your Mind is one of the most hauntingly beautiful songs of all time. Composed by Michel Legrand for the 1968 movie The Thomas Crown Affair, starring Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway, with lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman, the soundtrack version was recorded by Noel Harrison and has been covered by a multitude of artists.

  This lesson includes a basic accompaniment version, for those inclined to sing, as well as a solo guitar version, which is not too difficult if you have some experience with chord solo arrangements.

• Lesson 20: Walk Away Renée - Solo Guitar Arrangement

  Walk Away Renée was a hit for The Left Banke in 1966. Written by teenage keyboard player Michael Brown, but also involved were Bob Calili and Tony Sansone, it has stood the test of time and remains a classic from this one-hit-wonder band.

  We already have an accompaniment version lesson here but this is Neil's solo arrangement, which has a few difficult chord shapes and left hand moves. The student should be quite familiar with solo fingerpicking tunes before tackling this but there is a lot to be learned from working on it.

  On our old difficulty scale this would be about 8.5.

• Lesson 21: Ain’t No Sunshine Chord Solo

  This lesson on Ain't No Sunshine is our third. It is a solo guitar arrangement that combines the melody with a rhythm accompaniment. There are two verses, each playing the melody in different octaves and ranges. It would help to take a look at the earlier Target lesson to get a feel for the basic accompaniment before working on this but if you already have some experience with chord solos that is probably unnecessary. The melody includes many combined left hand techniques: hammer-ons, pull-offs, slides, and bends.

• Lesson 22: God Only Knows – Solo Guitar Arrangement - Beach Boys

  The Beach Boys landmark album Pet Sounds included God Only Knows, a musical masterpiece written by Brian Wilson and Tony Asher.
  
  Many years ago I put together this solo arrangement and, after enough requests at TG, figured it was time. I tried to be as accurate as possible to many of the voices and nuances Brian included, which makes for some unusual chord voicings and difficult transitions and stretches but if you take it in small doses I think you’ll enjoy the challenge.
  
  God Only Knows includes a beautiful instrumental interlude that features vocal counterpoint that feels like weaving melodies. I tried to capture a bit of that with the arrangement which creates a couple more unusual chord shapes and finger stretches.
  
  The outro focuses on the last two measures at the top of 17 & 18, which jumps to the coda and cycles over the overlapping voices.
  
  Finally we wrap up with an overview of the arrangement and how the repeats work throughout the song, paying close attention to the instructions outlined throughout the tab.

• Lesson 23: Trilogy Solo Guitar Arrangement - ELP, Greg Lake

  I recently posted a lesson on the way Greg Lake accompanies himself now in their classic ballad Trilogy. As it evolved I messed around with the melody and got a few requests to do a solo guitar arrangement.
  
  The song is very free form, as far as the rhythm is concerned, and this lends itself well to playing very freely and with quite a bit of improvisation. It is really just a matter of playing the melody and embellishing it with chord tones in the breaks between notes.
  
  This approach makes the lesson a bit non-specific as far as exactly what to do. It is more suggestions of things to consider and think about. I do not really address the right hand technique much, you just need to “feel” it.

• Lesson 24: Pipeline - Guitar Instrumental Arrangement

  Pipeline is an iconic surf tune written in 1962 by a couple teenagers, Brian Carman and Bob Spickard, high school buddies in Southern California who joined the surf movement as The Chantays. The song has been covered by a very diverse group that includes The Ventures, Dick Dale, Anthrax, Agent Orange, and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
  
  I have performed a solo guitar version at concerts over the years but never quite arranged it formally, until now. There were some modifications that had to be done and a lot of artistic decisions to make, some of which are addressed in the ‘Goals & Obstacles’ segment. The biggest goal was to combine the bass line with the opening lead guitar lines, the Em and Am phrases. This will prove challenging to most students but is possible if you work on it very slowly until it is clean. The opening glissando, the tremolo, descending slide will also take some concentrated effort to work in smoothly.
  
  Don’t let the level of difficulty discourage you from tackling this tune, you will get a lot of enjoyment out of just working through some of the phrases and sections.
  
  Part 5 of the Pipeline lesson covers the last measures of the A Section where you are just holding a few chords, B7, C7 and Am, playing a repetitive picking pattern. The pattern can be easily played as written in the tab, or be embellished with a back roll, spreading out the 3 strings rather than playing them together. Of course this makes it much more difficult and I recommend working on most other parts first.
  
  This segment starts with a couple other fingering options for the Am Phrase.
  
  Part 6 looks at the B Section where the bass pattern is a simpler 2-note alternating one using just the root and fifth of the chords. Once again, there are some tricky fingerings for both hands, be sure to take this slowly at first.
  
  The last parts include The Arrangement and a Play Through.

• Lesson 25: Eye In The Sky Solo Arrangement - Guitar Lesson

  A few years ago we put up a lesson on Eye In The Sky by The Alan Parsons Project which was a version designed to incorporate the accompaniment parts for the vocals. This lesson is for solo guitar, bringing in the melody lines, as well as some harmony and even background vocals.
  
  It starts with the opening bass line, adds the keyboard fill, then runs through a few verses and choruses with slight variations each time, and ends with a little improve before fading out. It will prove to be quite challenging but should be a lot of fun to tackle, even if you want to work on some of the parts.

• Lesson 26: This Masquerade - Solo Guitar Arrangement

  Masquerade by Leon Russell has been a favorite of mine since Carney was released in 1972 (along with Tight Rope and a handfull of others). I really never thought about playing it until I met Corina (who had grown up as a huge fan of The Carpenters) in 2013 and it became a staple of our set of songs. After many requests to do a lesson on how I play an accompaniment to a vocalist, it seemed logical to take it another step–the solo guitar version, as that is what I do pretty regularly.

  This lesson is done in Leon's original key of C Minor, but the best way to get there on the acoustic guitar is play in the user-friendly key of A Minor and capo to the third fret. I talk about a percussive accompaniment and paying close attention to the phrasing variations in different verses. There is also a short segment on improvising a lead over simple chord changes, which can be quite challenging even without a complicated lead.

  In general, this is how I approach almost everything I play, and the variations materialize organically. You have to find a way to making this your own and not hold the tab sacred.

• Lesson 27: White Bird - Solo Guitar Arrangement

  This arrangement of White Bird has been a lesson many of our members have been asking us to finish since Neil first teased us with it a few years ago.
  
  The lesson starts with some percussive techniques for the right hand and includes all the verses, the chorus and bridge, as well as all of the instrumental interludes (violin solo, guitar solo and another bridge).

• Lesson 28: Ferry Cross The Mersey - Solo Guitar Arrangement

  Ferry Cross The Mersey was a big hit for Gerry And The Pacemakers in 1965. The tune features a bit of an unusual modal progression in the verse, becoming more of a standard major key for the chorus and bridge.
  This lesson combines some of the backing chords and fills with the melody harmonized in parallel minor thirds, also somewhat unusual. Natural and artificial harmonics are used as well.

• Lesson 29: Bus Stop - Solo Guitar Arrangement

  Bus Stop was written by Graham Gouldman and became one of The Hollies biggest hits. This solo fingerpicking version includes all the parts: The Intro, Verse, Chorus and even the short solo.