Learn to play guitar with weekly video lessons & print-friendly guides! Learn your favorite songs & techniques with step-by-step tutorials that actually explain how to get from here to there.
🎸 Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark" — Melody Breakdown Included!
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"You can't light a fire / you can't light a fire without a spark" Happy Friday, my friends! Here's a brand new lesson for you to usher in the weekend. This looks at one of my favorite Springsteen tunes, which many of you requested in response to my prior newsletter. Ask and you shall receive! Don't miss my extra strumming recommendations below – they'll help with this one. Enjoy! -David LESSON #592 "Dancing in the Dark" by Bruce SpringsteenIn today’s new lesson I’ll teach you how to strum and sing the much-requested Dancing in the Dark by Bruce Springsteen. I’ll start by showing you a campfire version of the song, using the easiest possible chords and strumming pattern. From there I’ll level things up — showing you a few ways to upgrade the chords and rhythmic feel. A vocal melody overview is also included at the end of my main tutorial – which leads nicely in to my bonus video where I teach you how to strum while playing the melody... which is a blast to play, once you learn it! Here's the timestamps for my main lesson:
ALSO RECOMMENDED Strumming with a Light TouchThis technique is essential if you'd like to add "filler" strums in between the accented melody notes. These strums, when kept light & brushy, help fill out your overall sound — making things sound bigger. Accenting Individual Notes while StrummingStrumming isn't always about sweeping all the strings equally. Sometimes you want to focus on a single string, and give it some extra oomph and emphasis. This exact technique can be used for accentuating melody notes, as I show in my lesson. "Thunder Road" by Bruce SpringsteenHere's my previous foray into Springsteen's songbook... which I whole heartedly recommend! I also have a cover of Badlands if you're interested in hearing my take on that one. And that'll do for this week's entry — as always, I hope you all enjoy! David Browse all my lessons at songnotes.net |
Song Notes by David Pots
Learn to play guitar with weekly video lessons & print-friendly guides! Learn your favorite songs & techniques with step-by-step tutorials that actually explain how to get from here to there.
HAPPY OPENING DAY!Learn the Iconic "Centerfield" Intro Riff Click to watch free video lesson To all the baseball fans out there... I wanted to re-share this lesson I made last spring, in case you missed it. I break down the opening riff to Centerfield by John Fogerty, with my usual step-by-step guidance. I also have a sing & strum lesson available for this song, if you want to learn to play the full song, from start to finish. Such a fun song! Step-by-step practice notes, audio practice...
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LESSON #616Refine Your Rhythm & Never Lose the Beat! Click to watch free video lesson » If you asked me to give you one strumming lesson that’ll make the most difference your playing, it’s this one. It’s an exercise I put together over the years during my own practice – and finally I’ve made a proper lesson showing you how to do it. I’m calling it the pyramid drill – which seems fitting because of the ascend-then-descend structure, similar to what you find in many workout routines. This drill...