Month 6, Lesson 3: Oh My Darlin’ Clementine – Lead
Source: Guitar Lessons
Oh My Darlin’ Clementine – Lead
Another old time song that just about everyone knows. It is believed to have been written by a gold miner during the California Gold Rush in 1849.
About This Lesson:
Although this is a very simple song, played in the key of C major, I have added some interest to the song by adding a bunch of 3-note chords or Triads. These give the song a lot of fullness and make if fun (or difficult) to play at first, but it definitely is a song that you can play to show off your playing skills once you master it.
Learning Points:
Triads (3-Note Chords):
The Triads are always played as 3 note chords. Most of the time the highest note or the top note on the stem is the lead note, melody note or the note you would sing. The other 2 lower noes on the stem are notes in harmony that fill in the sound of the chord.
In this song the rule is that the top note on the stem carries the melody. This will not be true for every song though and this rule is often broken.
Arpeggio Chords:
All of the Triads are to be played in Arpeggio fashion. That is not one quick strum of the pick, but slowed down just a bit so you can hear each individual note. Listen to the Guitar Pro File to get a feeling of the proper amount of Arpeggio to give these chords.
Let Ring:
You will see this notation quite a few times in this song. What this means is to hold you left hand fingers in position past the point of the chord timing. Usually the note that follows the Triad is already fingered by the left had already so this will make playing the song simpler.
Also by letting the notes ring, you give the guitar a more harp-like sound and the song sound much smoother and not as choppy.
Triads in the C Scale:
You remember the C Scale don’t you? C D E F G A B C. Did you know that you can play the C Scale with all Triad chords? In the next lesson I will show you how to do that and how cool it sounds. We will also do this in the G Major scale.
About the Tab Notes:
I have placed quite a bit of emphasis on the Triad chords for the Tab Notes, just to get you going in the right direction. Also notice the let ring options for most of the triads.
Articles You Should Read:
Down Up Strokes of the Pick: important as always
Using down ups is the only way to play them fast enough.
Chords in the Key of C Major
Double Note: Be familiar with how they are formed and why.
Triads Chords: As above.
Proper Left Hand Position:
Music Theory You Should Know:
Time Signature
Rest
TAB
TAB Staff
Goals:
Goal #1:
Memorize these triad chords. This will seem very hard at first, but once you do memorize they will be so much easier to play when you come across them in other songs.
Goal #2:
Really work hard on the ‘let ring’ areas of this song. When you do this you will discover how cool the guitar can sound. It is no longer choppy and the notes can all ring through each other. This is used by all intermediate to advanced guitar players and if you listen to their music you will hear them using it.
Goal #3:
The Down-Ups for the right hand pick are really important in this song. Not that they are not in other songs. It’s just if you do not play the eighth notes as down ups you will not be able to play fast enough to get ready for the triad chords, or if you play a triad, followed by a note and they are both eighth notes, you will have the same trouble – play the down ups correctly!
Goal #4:
This song in played in 3/4 timing or Waltz Time. We haven’t done this for a little while. Remember to play 3 beats per measure with quarter notes receiving one beat each. I have shown the timing in the first line of the score only, but I think you will get the idea.
What You Should Practice This Week:
Play this song very slowly and try to get the timing exactly right, while playing the chords with their correct time value. This wll take you a bit of time and effort, but you will find that it will be worth it. This song sound beautiful when played with the triads and melody note combination.
Help Us Out:
Lastly and most importantly, give us feedback, either good or bad. We want to improve this site and we want kids to learn how to play the guitar. If you have suggestions for us, leave a comment. If you appreciate these lessons, leave a comment on that too.
Songs in Downloadable Format:
If you have difficulty reading this score information, we have this score information available free of charge for you with an instant electronic download. Just click on the song title below and you will be taken to our secure server site. You will get a PDF file of the above score complete with the Tab Notes. Be sure to download Adobe Acrobat Reader v6.0 or above. This version will allow you to turn the Tab Layer on or off.
Also you will get the Guitar Pro file. You can download Guitar Pro and get a free trial so you can play along with this song in real time on your computer. If you upgrade to the full version of the song you will have a lot more features available to you, such as the RSE modules which give you realistic guitar files – they sound just like an Acoustic Guitar.
Guitar Pro File – Oh My Darlin’ Clementine – Lead
Download
PDF File – Oh My Darlin’ Clementine – Lead
Download
Go to Oh My Darlin’ Clementine – Lead, Lesson 6.3 Score
Tags: free kids guitar lessons, free online guitar lessons, how to play the guitar, lead guitar, oh my darlin clementine
