Excellent beginners song - in the Key of C!

[Raymo]

'Can't help falling in Love', by Elvis, would have to be one of the best
advanced beginner songs to learn, ever, imo. This particular example I'm
referring to, at
http://getsome.org/guitar/olga/cowpie/p/presley_elvis/cant_help_falling.crd,
is in the key of C and meets these claims because:

i) It illustrates the key of C perfectly by including the C Dm Em F G7 Am
chords, and no others
ii) It illustrates perfect cadence by going from G7 (V) to C (I)
iii) It's easy to sing/remember as the words are so simple/repetitive, and
it's a popular/well known song
iv) For the verses, each word more or less goes with a chord; so the chords
prompt the words, and vice versa, very elegantly I think
v) You can strum it or pluck it, or play it arpeggio or a combination of
both
vi) You can play a really fast, punked up version of it too just for laughs;
it works well, trust me!

I'm not too hot on explaining theory, so have only mentioned the basics
there, but pick up the guitar now and strum and sing along. Look at the
screen to get started, then lock it to memory. Please do, you'll not regret
it, and I guarantee it will be a cinch (assuming you know the chords). In
no time flat you'll be serenading your girlfriend/wife/husband/cousin etc.

Cheers,

[Stephen Calder]

Post by Raymo
'Can't help falling in Love', by Elvis, would have to be one of the best
advanced beginner songs to learn, ever, imo. This particular example I'm
referring to, at
http://getsome.org/guitar/olga/cowpie/p/presley_elvis/cant_help_falling.crd,
i) It illustrates the key of C perfectly by including the C Dm Em F G7 Am
chords, and no others
ii) It illustrates perfect cadence by going from G7 (V) to C (I)
iii) It's easy to sing/remember as the words are so simple/repetitive, and
it's a popular/well known song
iv) For the verses, each word more or less goes with a chord; so the chords
prompt the words, and vice versa, very elegantly I think
v) You can strum it or pluck it, or play it arpeggio or a combination of
both
vi) You can play a really fast, punked up version of it too just for laughs;
it works well, trust me!
I'm not too hot on explaining theory, so have only mentioned the basics
there, but pick up the guitar now and strum and sing along. Look at the
screen to get started, then lock it to memory. Please do, you'll not regret
it, and I guarantee it will be a cinch (assuming you know the chords). In
no time flat you'll be serenading your girlfriend/wife/husband/cousin etc.
Cheers,

Good stuff. Just the kind we need.

[David Raleigh Arnold]

Post by Raymo
'Can't help falling in Love', by Elvis, would have to be one of the best
advanced beginner songs to learn, ever, imo.

Plaisir d'Amour is the real title. It is public domain, in that version.
daveA

[Nancy Rudins]

Post by David Raleigh Arnold

Post by Raymo
'Can't help falling in Love', by Elvis, would have to be one of the best
advanced beginner songs to learn, ever, imo.

Plaisir d'Amour is the real title. It is public domain, in that version.
daveA

"Me and Bobby McGee" was one of the first songs I learned to play.
I love the song and I love playing it. It starts out in G Major
and when you get to the Kentucky coal mines, the key switches to
A Major. Neither key is very difficult to play in.

Kind regards,
Nancy

[Robert Machado]

Post by Raymo
'Can't help falling in Love', by Elvis, would have to be one of the best
advanced beginner songs to learn, ever, imo. This particular example I'm
referring to, at

This was the first entire song I learned when I got my acoustic. I still
play it 3+ times a day, never with a pick, and I think back to my wedding
day. This was the song we picked to get married to, and it was the 2nd
reason I learned to play guitar about a year ago. [The 1st reason, if
anyone reads anything I write in this group, was to learn the pinched
harmonic that was played in a Warrant song.]

This song can be played at a lot of different tempos. I didn't learn the
version mentioned in the original post, but this was the song that had my
dreaded B7 chord in it. It also taught me how to play a clean F barre
chord.

Lastly, this was also the song that I discovered that I could sing (if you
could call it that) and play at the same time. It was more like me talking
the words, but up until that point, I had concentrated so much on my playing
that I guess I finally got comfortable with what the left and right hands
were doing.

Oh, and for all the people whom I cursed under my breath for telling me that
practice and repetition was the only way to get my pinky used to playing the
B7, I'm glad I didn't make a fool of myself by writing what I was thinking
because, while perfect, the B7 has come together, and I try to include it in
my warmups. In other words, thanks.

Rob