Intro and Chords

Introduction:

Wonderful Tonight is one of the most iconic rock ballads by Eric Clapton, if you are someone who wants to play and sing side-by-side then this is the best semi-rock song to begin with. 

Chords Used in Song Guitar Lesson

Arpeggios Verse & Chorus Chords: Instead of strumming different chords, you can use a soft arpeggio pattern, which is as follows: 

e|-----------3------------|  

B|------3------3---------|  

G|----0---0------0------|  

D|----------------------|  

A|----------------------|  

E|--3------------------| 

Strumming Pattern 

"Wonderful Tonight" is a slow and relaxed-feel song, which makes it great for beginners. Even the strumming pattern that you have to follow for this song is pretty gentle and amazing for singing. The song is played 4/4 time, and its strumming pattern is: D D U U D U.

• D = Down strum
• U = Up strum

Song Structure 

Wonderful Tonight (Sing and Play): This guitar lesson consists of one complete video in which you will learn the entire song, starting from the intro. Your guitar instructor for this lesson is Mike Dugan, who is a fan of Eric Clapton himself. He will take things slowly and teach you every single chord necessary to play this song on your guitar.

Why Learn Wonderful Tonight Eric Clapton Song?

This is one of the big hits of Eric Clapton, and it does have some simple yet emotional chords present in it. It takes the full advantage of open chords which is great for beginners, and the slow tempo of the song makes it easier for beginners to transition between the various chords that are part of the song. 

FAQs – This Song Guitar Lesson

Q1. Is Wonderful Tonight a wedding song? 

Ans. This song can be termed as a wedding song and lots of couples have used it previously for their first dance, it is the song which keeps on showing in the bill year after year.  

Q2. Why do people love Eric Clapton?

Ans. Eric is known all over the world for his highly influential phrasing, rapid runs and plaintive vibrato, which lots of other guitarists tried but failed to replicate miserably. 

Q3. Which one is Cream’s biggest hit of all time? 

Ans. Wrapping Paper, I Feel Free, Sweet Wine and some of the most famous songs by the band in which Eric used to play electric guitar and gave his voice to some of the songs as well. 

Fun Fact: There is a book titled Wonderful Tonight: George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and Me, written by Pattie Boyd in collaboration with Penny Junor.

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. 

Introduction:

Handy Man is a classic song written by Otis Blackwell in collaboration with Jimmy Jones. But the song became much more popular after James Taylor covered it in his own style of soft rock. 

Chords Used in Song Guitar Lesson

Arpeggios Verse & Chorus Chords: This song requires you to use soft fingerpicking along with smooth chord transitions. The instructions below show how you can play the arpeggios for this song. Don’t forget to use the thumb-heavy fingerpicking technique.  

e|-----------0------------|  

B|------1------1---------|  

G|----0---0------0------|  

D|-------------2--------|  

A|--3------------------|  

E|----------------------|

Strumming Pattern 

You can use a simple flowing rhythm with a 4/4 time signature: D D U U D U. 

• D = Down strum
• U = Up strum

The strumming pattern for the softer version should be played like this: D x D U x U D U.

• D = Down strum
• U = Up strum
• X = Muted strum; here, you have to lightly touch the string as you strum. 

Song Structure 

Song Arrangement And Demo: For this song, your guitar instructor is going to be Steve Luciano; he shares the difference between this easy version of the song and how it can be played even by beginners. In addition to this, you will be using capo and simple strumming for this guitar lesson. The capo is going to be on the 2nd fret. 

Why Learn Handy Man Song?

This song uses easy to understand chords, thus, making it a great song to learn for beginners and for other guitarists no matter what their level is. In addition to this, it is a perfect song to play on acoustic guitar as well because it has that laid back feel to it. 

FAQs – This Song Guitar Lesson

Q1. Who sang the original version of the song Handyman? 

Ans. James Jones, the American singer, was the singer and songwriter of the song. 

Q2. What is the meaning of the Handyman?

Ans. A handyman is someone who is skilled at repairing and making things inside or outside the house. 

Q3. Is there a hidden meaning to the song Handyman?

Ans. There is no such hidden meaning attached to the song, in this song a man is offering his services as someone who is able to fix broken hearts and make people happy again. 

Fun Fact: The Taylor version of this song made him win his second Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. 

Introduction

It’s Time is the debut single by the American rock band Imagine Dragons. The song was released as the leading single from the band’s first major label EP which was Continued Silence. In the same year the band included this song in their first feature album. 

It’s Time is the staple of Imagine Dragons’s live concert; they usually play this song in the beginning of their performance as it is the first song which gave the band its much needed recognition in the American music scene. 

In this video lesson Mike Walker teaches how to play the song It's Time as part of our guitar series on English songs. The song is broken down into multiple lessons for easy learning - Introduction, Song Arrangement 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: The song It’s Time is present in the key of D 

Strumming Pattern 

The strumming pattern that you have to follow for this song is D-DU-UD-DU, which means: 

• D = Down strum
• U = Up strum
• - = Pause or slight break

Song Structure 

Introduction: In this part of the guitar lesson Mike Walker your music instructor is going to show you the tuning requirements for the song. 

Song Arrangement: Here, you are going to learn how to play specific chords in the open chord style. In addition to this, you will also learn the lick, which you will be playing over and over again in the verses. 

Song Demo: This is the last part of this guitar song lesson where Mike is going to teach you how to play the guitar section alongside the backing track. 

Introduction

Tighten is a song by American rock band the Black Keys. It is the third track of their 2010 album called Brothers, which was released as the first single from the album. In 2011, Rolling Stones magazine put Tighten Up on its list of 15 Best Whistling Songs of All Time.  

Also, Tighten Up became the most successful single from The Black Keys. It was the band's first song to hit the Billboard Hot 100 in America and reached number one on the list of alternative songs.

Chords Used in Tighten Up Song

The most common chords you will be using in this song are F#m, AM7, Bm, and C#.  

Song Structure 

Introduction: In this part, your guitar instructor, Mike Walker, teaches you the basic music knowledge to play this song on guitar. 

Verse Chords and Rhythm: Here, Mike will show you where to take the necessary pause and hit the guitar chords when counting to 4. 

Solos: Here, you will learn the first solo, which breaks up the verse section into two parts of the song. 

Bridge and Outro Solo: Mike will teach you how to play the barre chords required to play the bridge and outro solo for this song. 

Song Demo: In this section, Mike will play the entirety of the song on guitar to demonstrate it. 

Easy Version: If you are a beginner in terms of guitar playing, Mike has got you covered with the easy version of the song, which you can play with ease.