Preview

Tamanna – Introduction

Welcome to the guitar lesson on a timeless Punjabi classic song loved and celebrated all over India. Tammana by Prabh Gill is a song about falling in love, where the singer is expressing his desires. This song has been plucking the heartstrings of its listeners since 2012, and has collected more than 8M views on YouTube since, with comments like – “I love this song a lot, I have also sent it to my girlfriend” and “I am in love with this song.....with every word… {heart emoji}”.

This song is written in Punjabi and talks about love is a way that is transformative. In the chorus, the singer expresses his sole desire –the love should transform us in a way that we see god in each other. This is because the song is set in the traditional north indian culture where love has connotations of divinity and grandeur.

Tamanna Guitar Lesson

The guitar lesson on Tammana is brought by Mike Walker, wo explains all the guitar parts of the song, section by section. The initial sections talk about the chords and rhythm patterns of the song and in the sections that follow, the instructor goes on to explain the various guitar parts –chord voicings, solos, and fills that the song consists of.

The song is in the key of Bb Major, which means the way to play the chords of the song using standard shapes is by using a capo on the 1st fret. The chords of the song follow a minor key for the most part, and only in the chorus do they go to a more major sound. The tutor explains how to capture this movement well with the strumming pattern – D - UDUD - UDUD - DU (D is a downward strum and U is an upward strum.)

The special thing about this song is that it does not have drums in it, which means that all percussive effects are produced by the guitars and the bass. This leaves room for a lot of melodic motifs to fill the space left empty by the absence of drums. Hence, the song has multiple solos and melodic lines that sound beautiful.

Another special thing about this song is that it features a sitar solo near the end of the track, which, although it sounds difficult to play because of the signature picking technique, the instructor shows the way to play the sitar solo on a guitar in an easy way.

FAQs

Q. Is Tamanna suitable for beginners?

Yes. The chords are simple, and the tempo is relaxed. The solos can be learned gradually.

Q. Do I need a capo to play Tamanna?

A capo is not necessarily needed, but the capo raises the default key and makes it easy to play the song.

Q. Is this song beginner-friendly?

A. Yes, this song is beginner-friendly. Once you place the capo at the 1st fret, all you need to do then is play all the standard chord shapes.

In this video lesson J.J. Pattishall teaches how to play the song All Songs as part of our guitar series on English songs. The song is broken down into multiple lessons for easy learning - Munda Iphone Warga, Haye Mera Dil , Pani Da Rang, Main Tenu Samjhawan Ki, Sadi Gali, Ambersaria and O Heeriye. Don't forget to make use of the chords and tabs provided with the song lesson!

Welcome to the guitar lesson on a beautiful, melancholic ballad that is Choo Lo by The Local Train, which features an iconic intro and a powerful chorus that gives goosebumps every time you listen to it. The band’s debut album, ‘Aalas ka Ped’, was received with joy and celebrated across the country. The song Choo Lo has over 80 million views on YT.

Choo Lo is a story about romantic longing. The lover exclaims that he is still standing and waiting where she had left him and that she should touch him, or else he’ll be lost. Invoking the feelings of deep melancholy and longing for a loved one, this song resonated with everyone who had ever been in love. 

Choo Lo Guitar Lesson

In this lesson, the tutor goes over all the parts of the song, starting from the basics –key and tuning of the song to the solo section, along with improvisation tips. The first few sections focus on the intro part, followed by sections on rhythm, chords, strumming, and time signatures, followed by the power chord section that covers the chorus part of the song. Finally, the tutor demonstrates a full playthrough of the song.

The interesting thing about Choo Lo guitar chords is that two of them are suspended chords –Asus2 and Bsus2. These chords do not have the major or the minor third in them, which means that the chords don’t have a concrete identity and give a feeling of incompleteness. The incompleteness relates well to the overall narrative of the song, which is about the desire to be acknowledged. 

The tempo of the song is 146 bpm in 4/4 timing, and the strumming pattern is D - - D - U D U D - D - (D is a downward strum, and U is an Upward strum). The tutor meticulously explores all the melody motifs in the song and teaches the solo note by note in the final sections of the lesson.

The lesson also offers Choo Lo lyrics and guitar tabs along with the video lesson.

The real beauty of this song is in the power chords that are played over the chorus that, when played with a band, in artist speak, sounds ‘big’. Go ahead and pick up your acoustic guitar and treat yourself to one of the sweetest intro melodies.

FAQs

Q. How can I quickly learn the Choo Lo guitar solo?

1. Break the solo into shorter sections and practice them individually until you master them, and then, once mastered, practice transitioning between the sections until the solo sounds as one.

Q. How to play suspended chords?

1. Playing suspended chords at first can be challenging, especially if you’re a beginner, but as instructed by the tutor in this lesson, you can play fewer notes of the chords to get the essential sound and eventually get to the full barre chords.

Snowtime is an understated song by James Taylor, and this song exemplifies Taylor’s enduring ability to create intimacy and warmth by using simple musical elements. Taylor is known for composing masterful fingerpicking and mellow vocal tones, and even with the inclusion of these two signature styles of his, Taylor has made this song feel like a quiet 

conversation with his listeners rather than a performance. 

Snowtime keeps up with the folk-pop sensibilities, which is again Taylor’s signature sound; he uses clean guitar lines, gentle melodies and even simple lyrics, which somehow feel like a personal reflection and universal relatability. The guitar work you have to learn for this song is deceptively simple, yet it has technical finesse to it. 

In order to play this song similar to Taylor’s version, you have to learn precise fingerpicking, which is something generations of acoustic guitarists have to learn if they wish to learn guitar as more than just a hobby.

Snowtime is a song masterclass of a song that was held by restraints; it’s a gentle and introspective song that combines simplicity and sincerity. Whenever you are going to play this song on guitar, you and your audience will feel like they have been transported to their old friend’s home for a cup of evening tea or a cold beer. 

Why Learn Snowtime Song By James Taylor Song On Guitar?

The signature fingerpicking of Taylor is present in Snowtime, and as you learn it, you will get to know about precision, control and independence between your thumb and fingers. This song could be one of the best practical exercises you can do to develop smooth, melodic fingerpicking, doesn’t matter if you are a beginner or an intermediate guitar player. 

Snowtime is a song that describes the life of a performer, and ironically, as you learn this song on guitar, you will have a perfect song to play in an acoustic setting. Just Imagine yourself playing this song live, with confidence and full control over chord progression!!

FAQs – Snowtime Song By James Taylor Guitar Lesson

Q1. Which guitar tuning does James Taylor use for the song Snowtime?

Ans. James usually tunes his guitar in standard tuning of EADGBE when he has to play Snowtime, but to play this song; he also applies signature string gauge adjustments and tweaks the guitar’s tuning to enhance the tonality; if you are just learning how to play this song on guitar, it would be best to go with the standard tuning. 

Q2. Which of the fingerpicking techniques do I need to learn for the song Snowtime?  

Ans. Travi-style fingerpicking is our best pick to learn if you do not wish to follow a strumming pattern for this song.