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Verse section here
The chorus section, naturally enough, follows the verse section I did last week (click here). That section ends on the 'One chord', the Am. It's the I chord, or rather i chord, because the piece is in a minor key, but just like Stairway to Heaven, the chorus section moves to the III chord, which is the related major, C.
I know this must like so much gibberish to anyone just starting out ... don't worry about it until you feel it like you're ready to delve deeper into how music hangs together. You don't really need to know all the background theory to enjoy playing guitar, but once you do understand the structure of music, you will be able to recognize these 'families of chords' that we know as 'keys'. The word "Key" is very appropriate, because it instantly conveys a whole lot of information: 7 notes, 7 chords. It truly is the key to knowing what to expect in the piece of music, and how each chord relates to the others, how it will function in context.
The chord progression as roman numerals goes:
| III - - | i - - | VII - - | v - - | i - - | vi - - | V - - | - - - |
| III - - | i - - | VII - - | v - - | i - - | V - - | i - - | - - - |
It's pretty much the same as the verse section, but that opening C chord lifts the whole sequence up a notch. It's interesting how much influence it has over the 'vibe', for lack of a better word, of the piece. The minor quality of the verse gives it a melancolic feel; once the C chord appears, the related major, the whole mood changes, and the brightness it brings lasts until it ends back on the i chord, the Am. So, now in plain terms, here are the chords:
| C - - | Am - - | G - - | Em - - | Am - - | F - - | E - - | - - - |
| C - - | Am - - | G - - | Em - - | Am - - | E - - | Am - - | - - - |
It's easier now to see the small difference between the verse and chorus. It's really just the first two bars of each half that are different, but what an effect it has.
There's nothing of any special note in this section ... the flow is the thing. Keep it simple, slow, steady and musical. You should feel absolutely free to drop some of the 'in between' notes out if you feel there's too much there. This is only my quick arrangement.
There a few good examples of what they call 'dynamics' toward the end. 'Dynamics' in music is difficult to describe in words, as I'm finding out, but can be seen as light and shade; as texture of sound; an interplay between soft and loud; long and short; ringing and muted. It's a subtle thing, but for example, I expanded what was a two-note double stop in the beginning to a four note chord near the end (bars 1 and 9), a natural build that I played without thinking about doing it. I pluck the four note chords in bars 13 and 14 but strum the last chord, a difference in texture. The last single note before the ending chord (circled on the tab) I choke off, creating a tiny gap of silence just before the final strum. All other notes ring their natural length. These are the dynamics, all elements that you don't really hear until you really listen for them, but they turn notes into music. This is what you should always keep way ahead of anything else whejn playing. There is only one way to do that, and that is to play and play and play and listen and listen and listen.
Full speed midi | Half speed midi | GuitarPro file | mp3
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