View post (FINGERSTYLE SONG ARRANGEMENT)

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ChristopherSchlegel
Guitar Tricks Instructor
Joined: 08/09/05
Posts: 8,367
ChristopherSchlegel
Guitar Tricks Instructor
Joined: 08/09/05
Posts: 8,367
12/03/2018 12:32 pm

Hey & welcome to GT!

Originally Posted by: sansspite5

I joined GT cos I wanted to play solo guitar...arranging songs..mainly fingerstyle guitar. Can anyone help how to start and where to start.

Arranging a song to be played completely on solo guitar is more of a classical approach. So you might want to look through my classical tutorials. The easier material might be beneath your physical playing skills level, but the concepts can help you understand how to harmonize a melody in order to put chords to a melody.

https://www.guitartricks.com/forum/thread.php?f=36&t=28987

When this technique is done for pop or jazz tunes it's typically called chord melody style. That's because the idea is to play both the melody & the chords all at the same time. I do some tutorials aimed at learning those skills in a jazz context.

Joe Pass Style

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=149

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=268

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=708

And I've done some tunes that have a chord melody approach in the tutorial.

After You've Gone[br]https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=644

[br]St. Louis Blues[br]https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=759

Summertime (Jazz)

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=2189

Doing it as acosutic fingerstyle, Anders does a great job of showing how this works in a ragtime style setting.

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=975

While those are mostly jazz related, this style can be applied to any genre! For example Anders does a great job on a pop tune here.

Fields of Gold

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=1150

Also, Travis picking is an interesting technique used in country style that can help you develop your technique to play chords & melody at the same time.

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=2357

Hope that helps! Please ask more if necessary & best of success!


Christopher Schlegel
Guitar Tricks Instructor

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