Overdubs

Flowers – Introduction

Welcome to the guitar lesson on a sweet pop single –Flowers by Miley Cyrus from the Endless Summer Vacation album that rose to the top numbers as soon as it hit the charts. The song has more than a billion views on YouTube and has become the best-selling global single of 2023. It was her second song that topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart after ‘Wrecking Ball’ in 2013.

Flowers is about the realisation that you do not need to rely on someone else to feel complete and that you can take care of yourself, give yourself flowers and become the reason for your own happiness and need not look for it elsewhere. She says in an interview, “If you can’t love yourself, how in the hell are you gonna love somebody else?”.

The initial version of the song was a slow ballad, with Cyrus singing and Michael Pollack playing the piano. Later, during the production phase, it became an uptempo song.

Flowers Guitar lesson

In this lesson, the instructor goes over all parts of the song, covering each section of the song arrangement. Starting from the basic tuning and key of the song to the structure and layout of the chords that are played, followed by a demonstration of how to improvise on the song with an acoustic guitar.

Flower guitar chords are in the key of A minor, which consists of standard chord shapes of C, Am, Dm, G, F and E. The rhythm of the song is in the standard 4/4 time signature, and the strumming pattern, as meticulously shown by the instructor, is D - D - U D U D U D - D (D is a downward strum, and U is an Upward strum).

The special thing about this song is that, since it is a pop-up tempo song, there is an opportunity for players to learn it and play a slow, acoustic version of it using the same chords in their arpeggiated form (picking the individual strings instead of strumming all at once). The tutor shows how to achieve this sound accurately on every chord that is played on the track. There is also an opportunity to solo or improvise on the track using the A minor pentatonic scale.

FAQs

Q. Is ‘Flowers’ by Miley Cyrus easy to learn on the guitar?

Yes, ‘Flowers is a beginner-friendly song as it uses standard chord shapes that are easier to play in the open position on the guitar. A steady 4/4 rhythm and a standard pop strumming pattern also help in quick learning.

Q. Do I need a capo to play ‘Flowers’ on the guitar?

You do not need a capo because the song is in the key of A minor, the chords of which can be easily played in the open position. 

Introduction

Ironic is the song by Canadian singer and songwriter Alanis Morissette. It was the third single from her 1995 studio album, Jagged Little Pill. 

In this video lesson Amy May teaches how to play the song Ironic as part of our guitar series on English songs. The song is broken down into multiple lessons for easy learning - Chords, Rhythm, and Song Demo. Don't forget to make use of the chords and tabs provided with the song lesson!

Chords Used in Song Guitar Lesson

Arpeggios Verse & Chorus Chords: You will use open chords for this song. 

Chorus Variation: D G D E-minor are the chords you will use when playing chorus variation. 

Strumming Pattern 

This song has lots of repetition, making it easier for new guitar players to learn and play. The strumming pattern varies throughout the song, but for the most part, you will be playing:

Down-Down Up-Down Up-Down

Song Structure 

Chords, Rhythm, and Song Demo: This guitar lesson has only one section. Your instructor is Amy May, who will show you how to play specific chords for this song using a capo on the 4th fret. The tuning note for this song is Low-E. 

Why Learn This Song?

For six straight weeks, this song remained on top of the Canadian RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart, making it the second most successful song of the year in Canada. In addition to this, Ironic reached the top five spots in Australia, New Zealand, and Norway. This is a pretty catchy song, and once you start listening to it, you will be humming it day in and day out. 

Tips To Improve Guitar Playing: 

• When playing any chord, use one finger for one chord. 
• Always keep your thumb behind the middle finger and halfway down the neck. 
• You must understand that to become a better guitarist, you first need to be a better musician. 

Introduction

In this video lesson your instructor, Mike Walker teaches how to play the song Stairway to Heaven as part of our guitar series on English songs. It is one of the most iconic piece of rock music. Playing it on your guitar instantly earns you street cred as a guitarist. 

Don't forget to make use of the chords and tabs provided with the song lesson!

Strumming Pattern 

The intro and the verse section of the song are all about fingerpicking, but as the song moves towards the more guitar-centric section strumming does come into play, and the strumming pattern is as follows: D - D U - U D U

• D = Down strum
• U = Up strum
• - = Pause or hold

Song Structure 

• Introduction: Mike Walker will introduce this song lesson. He will be your guitar instructor for this lesson. He will teach you how to tune your guitar and share his advice on why every rock fan should learn this song. 
• Intro Piece: This is the part when you play instantly makes everyone acknowledge that you are playing Stairway to Heaven. 
• Section A and B: Section A is pretty similar to the intro piece, Mike tells you which chords to play to make it sound different and how to play Section B.
• Section C and D: This part of the guitar lesson continues with the acoustic guitar chord. 
• Section E and F: Here, you will learn the most repeated guitar part of the song, section E. The F section is about the last acoustic part of the song. 
• Song Demo: In this part, Mike will show you how to play the entire acoustic guitar section alongside the backing track. 
• Solo Lesson: This is the most anticipated part of the song; Mike breaks Jimmy Page’s iconic solo with multiple licks and plays them with the backing track. 
• Overdubs: This is the last section of the guitar lesson, and here, you will learn about overdubs, which are basically the additional layer of guitar tracks used in the song. 

Introduction:

If you know about Nirvana, the band, you know them for this one song Come As You Are. It is their most iconic song of all time, and it’s a must-learn for beginners who want to make it big in the guitar and rock scene. 

Strumming Pattern:

This particular song follows a plucking/ riff-based rhythm rather than using traditional strumming. The iconic riff can still be played using this pattern: D D U D D U. 

• D = Down Strum 
• U = Up Strum

Song Structure 

Introduction: The introduction starts with explaining to you how to tune your guitar and how to turn your guitar down to a whole step to get the exact sound which you hear on record. 

Chords and Rhythm: Over here you will be learning how to play the basic power chords that are part of this song along with the rhythm which you will be following. Keep in mind, if you are using standard tuning, you have to use a whole step lower chords. 

Song Arrangement: Here you will be given a walkthrough of each section of the tune, most of the tunes for this song are somewhat related to the intro riff. So you have mastered the starting riff and the rest will be much easier. 

Intro Riff and Solo: Here again you will be learning how to play the center riff which results in the different tunes that you get in the song. 

Song Demo: In this part J.J Pattishall is going to show you how to play the entire song with the backing track. 

Sing and Play: This section is all about J.J giving you tips and tricks on how to play the song as well as sing it. He will show you the coordination tricks you can use to keep up with the song.

Why Learn Come As You Are (Complete) By Nirvana? 

The opening riff of the song is simple and easy to learn making it great for impressive others. Also, it takes the benefit of minor scales with the addition of a slight bluesy feel, and in order to play it you will have to learn alternate picking technique and smooth transitions. 

FAQs-This Song Guitar Lesson

Q1. What is the meaning of the song Come As You Are by Nirvana? 

Ans. The song is about how people are expected to act when struggle arrives in their life. Still, the song is filled with contradictory meanings and it is full of confusion, similar to how most people are in their lives.  

Q2. What genre does Come As You Are fall in? 

Ans. This particular song falls in the category of grunge alternative rock, the song writer is none-other than Kurt Cobain who was the lead singer of the band Nirvana. 

Q3. Which one is the saddest song from Curt Cobain?

Ans. The most haunting and saddest song ever written and recorded by Curt Cobain was Something In The Way. The tragic tune of the song is entirely written by the lead singer himself.