"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 Springsteen​Click to Watch Video Lesson​ In 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​
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LESSON #598Let's Dive Into Jimmy Buffett's 1977 Classic In this lesson I’ll teach you to play Jimmy Buffett’s 1977 classic Margaritaville on an acoustic guitar. In the last few years, this is one of the songs I receive requests for the most.... so I'm excited to finally share this lesson! While this song uses just three chords, there’s plenty of opportunity for extra flourish using seventh chord variations and melodic strumming fills. I’ll teach all this using two different approaches: one...
Hey there, Reader — to close out a whirlwind end to the summer, I'm excited to bring you a brand new video lesson & a new 16 page PDF handbook! This tackles a topic I've wanted to explore for a long time now, and I can't wait to share. Without further ado... LESSON #597Getting Started with Double Stops!Fun riffs using Harmonized 3rds, 6ths, and 10ths Click to watch free video lesson In today’s lesson I’ll introduce you to double stops, diving straight into a handful of fun & approachable...
LESSON #596Ozzy Osbourne, Fingerstyle? Yes! Click to watch free lesson » In today’s lesson I show a fun fingerstyle groove inspired by the intro to Ozzy Osbourne’s 1991 hit Mama I’m Coming Home. Instead of teaching the full song, I take the beautiful intro sequence and show you my own spin on it using harmonized 6ths – which allow us to create a beautifully melodic sound with just two strings. As per usual, I'll walk you through things step-by-step. Don't miss my print-friendly practice...