Using The Ultimate Folk Guitar Song Book by Jerry Silverman According To The Principles Of Correct Practice For Guitar

Mel Bay Study Group

"The Ultimate Folk Guitar Song Collection"
by Jerry Silverman

Bass Runs

Key of C, 4/4 time

Ultimate Folk Checkpoints: 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8

MEL BAY Checkpoints: 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12

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These lessons are based on this book........

Ultimate Folk Guitar Song Collection

Bass Runs: Key of C, 4/4 time

"The Ship That Never Returned", p. 11

Hear a midi file of the song...

Fast Melody Fast Melody Slow Accompaniment Fast Accompaniment Slow

General: This accompaniment is a bit livelier than "Uncle Joe", it is an 8th note accompaniment, using and up-strum after the bass notes. The chord changes come faster as well.

Play the bass notes with a down-stroke, and the following chord with an up-strum.

Measure Notes

3
We have a chord change on beat 3 of this measure, to a D7 chord. For the bass run on beat 4, use the 2nd, ,then .3rd finger.

This little change to a D7 chord actually takes us out of the key of C major for a brief time, as the D7 chord is borrowed from the key of G. Placing the D7 chord in front of the G7 like this is called using a "secondary dominant". Don't worry if that makes no sense, just listen to the little "lift" it gives the music. You'll understand it later.

4-15 Nothing new going on here, just continue as before.

16 Practice the little 16th note run carefully here, using the Basic Practice Approach to nail it.
When you play the first note C, make sure your 1st finger is close to the 4th string, ready for the D# coming up. Don't let it stick up in the air!

Make sure you learn the melody as well.

Bass Runs: Key of C, 3/4 time

"Who's Gonna Shoe Your Pretty Little Foot"-p. 13

Hear a midi file of the song...

Fast Melody Fast Melody Slow Accompaniment Fast Accompaniment Slow

Nothing new here, just the fact that we are in 3/4 time. Notice, however, that all of these simple folk songs use only the Primary Chords in the key of C (as Mel calls them). The only exception is the D7 chord in "The Ship That Never Returned".

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