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Ok OGLWithme, I thought your suggestion on a video of this nature was a good one - so I put one together. I realized though as I was editing this that it's next to impossible to cover everything that needs to be covered with the 10 minute constraints that you have with YouTube, but I tried to cover the basics to give you an idea of at least my thought process for how to approach something like this. The important thing to remember is that 1) determine which key you're going to do it in, 2) pick out the melody in a way that you can work into the chords that you have to play and 3) work out the bass / rhythm part underneath the melody. That formula really works for most all fingerstyle compositions. Hopefully (if nothing else), this gets your creative juices flowing a bit and you try composing something. Start with a common melody, something like "Jingle Bells" or "O' Susanna", and then work your way up to something more complicated.
Oh, I mentioned this at the end of the video but if you're trying to create a melody fingerstyle guitar composition like this and just can't seem to make it work, post the explanation up on YouTube and then link to it in the forum here and I'll help you out. Don't be embarrassed to do that either (although you may want to turn comments off on YouTube because people can be ruthless), we're all at different levels of learning so it's ok if you're struggling - there would be thousands of other people out there that are stuck at the same place just like you are.
This is an awesome video Brian -thank you. Continuing to strive to pick that melody with the chords. I’m excited to be brave enough to attempt it <<<No longer afraid of this guitar -thank you for all your ongoing advice !! 
AWESOME!!! Thank you! Helped me a lot—I’m gonna start with an easy melody I play well and work up from there!
I am so glad I found you Brian. this is the stuff I would love to learn. I shall practice.
Video not available for users in Europe? :-(
“Some YouTube content partners choose to make their videos available only to certain countries.”
I would really love to see this lesson.
Hmmm… You’re the 4th or 5th person I’ve talked to about this. Let me check w/ YouTube and see what I can do about this. I want these videos viewable in Europe as well as that’s a large part of my audience. Thank you for pointing out.
Thanks Brian. I’m looking forward to being able to watch your new video.
I’m glad to hear that shutting out your Europe audience is not what you want. I hope you can solve this problem with youtube. Thank you for your efforts.
This lesson has been invaluable to me. I’ve wanted to learn to finger-pick for a long time and this is the perfect venue for me. I’ve been practicing for about 3wks. I’m not there yet, but i’m definitely headed there. I wish i’d have made a video of day 1 and compared it to now. Thank you Brian!
I followed along w/u on this lesson after taking a few days off(to let my fingers heal some, plus just to step away for a little bit), and for the 1st time i actually sounded somewhat like the same thing u were doing…WooHoo! Baby steps.. very incouraging
@miky2times - Glad this is starting to click with you - I have plans to do lots of finger style lessons like this over the next 3 months. I’m no Chet Atkins when it comes to fingerstyle, but hopefully I can show some of the basics to get people picking that way - I’ve just recently become comfortable with the thumb pick and would recommend that if you’ve never tried it.
@leonmicha: google says the video could contain GEMA licensed music and the GEMA does not granting google the rights to play it in Germany (I think it’s because google doesn’t pay enough to the GEMA for playing “their” songs).
The GEMA (“Society for musical performing and mechanical reproduction rights”) is a performance rights organization from Germany.
:-(
I really like your open style of tuition. Simple explanations and enthusiasm always does the trick. I’ve admired your electric blues lessons, but can I ask you for more Acoustic fingerstyle blues etc. please.
I have played l_ead for years. The reason I can pull it of and sound good is because I have a great rhythm player.this is the best site for guitar knave found. Thanks. For the great rhythm. Lessons. Ropinrick lh lh!
This is awesome! I have always been searching for a lesson similar to this. I actually often when I’m bored pick out a random melody and add some bass notes to it, but all that came out was a terrible mixed-up song. So your lesson kind of put the elements I was striving for and made them into perfect sense. Thanks!
I really like the concept of teaching how to compose a style rather than play a song. My question is can you explain how to harmonize with the melody? is it in thirds or something else? I know the alternating base is usually a I-V alternating. I like learning these things in the nashville numbering system because it is so portable to any key. Thank you and I look forward to more chet style lessons.
Technical advice for users in Germany:
to be able to watch the blocked free videos (GEMA-license-problem) of activemelody.com in Germany on youtube, you can use e.g. proxy-addon for Firefox like proxtube (https://addons.mozilla.org/de/firefox/addon/proxtube/)
The plugin uses webproxys in US and is legal.
Finally I can watch Brian’s great tutorials again.
hey braian i am really grateful ! you have learned me alot and i love you for doing what you do! and I appreciate everything you do! and you know jimi hendrix whit hey joe I whood really appreciate if you can do the aner of learnen me that solo! / johan wald from SWEDEN!!!!
Brian. this was an amazing piece of lesson, must say an inspiring one… I was trying something like this but was not able to get the rhythm part correct and was looking for some help. I have posted the tab here. It would be a great help if i hear from you. Thanks a bunch.
Below is what the straight melody looks like in the key of C. I am just not able to get an interesting composition created using the melody and the chords.
C C C C C C Am G G Dm7 F G7 C
e———|———|——3-5|888-53|———|——————-
B——-5|-33-35|—-5—-|———|5—33-|35————3—
G-5545-|—-5—|-55——|———|-5—-5|————4—5-
D———|———|———-|———|———|——55-7——-
I’m trying to learn this song but I cannot figure out how you are finguring the D chord. You play the G then to C back to G then to D??? Or are you not playing a D???? Please help me on this.
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