This is by no means an exhaustive look at chords, but ample to get you through 80% of music and 100% FUN! There are a few other videos already posted for chord theory and basic chords, or if you have a more junior sized Strumstick or Seagull Merlin stick dulcimer.
BTW, did you know that the Seagull Merlin is tuned the same as a Grand Strumstick (DAD)? That means everything you find about a D Merlin M4 will work for a Strumstick (and vice versa ;-)
Here are some resources to help you along your way:
Click this link to have access to our dulcimer guitar cheat sheet in G
We always welcome a conversation! Email us at - hey@heyinglewood.com
Check out our Facebook for the latest news!
]]>It's the first song I learned on guitar, and it's a crowd favorite to have in the back pocket for campfire singalongs.
Jesse Isley is a Nashville session guitarist and selected this song, as well as this Strumstick G model.
If you'd like to learn "Take It Easy," here is a chord guide for sale on our site.
I'm grateful to have been invited back to Forty-One Fifteen, one of East Nashville's recording studios, to shoot some videos. Check out their space.
And check out Jesse's work at Jesse Isley
If you are wanting to learn how to play the strumstick click this link to have access to our dulcimer guitar cheat sheet in G
There are a few other videos already posted for chord theory and basic chords, or if you have a Grand Strumstick tuned to DAD. You can check them out below:
We always welcome a conversation! Email us at - hey@heyinglewood.com
Check out our Facebook for the latest news!
]]>
A whole step down from D and you'll be able to play along with w/ Johnny.
Here we'll walk through the ways that I approached playing the song, from chord shapes and versions, in addition to fingerpicking and stylistic approach. This is my version
Here is a link to purchase the TAB chord guide for this song so you can learn and play along.
Click this link to have access to FREE song guides and cheat sheets 👇🏻
I’ve had great feedback from my ‘Chord Cheat Sheet’. People seem to find it really useful, so I recommend making the most of that.
]]>
IMPORTANT NOTE: Hitoshi elected to record this in F#, not G (down one 1/2 step). We included the chord numbers for reference if you want to play in another key. Have a look at our Free Transposition Download on the site to help.
"With or Without You" off of U2's 1987 'Joshua Tree' record. A true classic. You'll notice that, as with Hitoshi's take on "Please Forgive Me" there's a lot of reliance on the barre chord shape. You don't have to use that chord type, but it's how he chose to "voice" the chord.
Special thanks go to Hitoshi for the song, Gabe Ford with Music City Content Kings for the video work, and Forty-One Fifteen for letting us hang and shoot some videos!
Want more?
Try These 90s Rock Songs on Dulcimer Guitar
Click this link to have access to FREE song guides and cheat sheets
I’ve had great feedback from my ‘Chord Cheat Sheet’. People seem to find it really useful, so I recommend making the most of that!
]]>In terms of the musical aspect of this song, it does do things a little bit differently from your ‘typical’ pop song. The last chord of the song instead of resolving, which is what we call landing back in the original keys the first chord which would be D, you end this song on the 5th Fret (Bm) adding that sad minor quality that the whole song is based on.
0:00 Intro
0:36 What to expect
1:20 Chord walkthrough
2:31 One finger version - Verse
3:13 One finger version- Chorus
4:07 One finger version - Bridge
5:53 Multi-finger version - Verse
7:18 Multi-finger version - Chorus
8:31 Multi-finger version - Bridge
9:53 FREE Downloadable Chord Guide
Click this link to have access to other FREE song guides and cheat sheets
I’ve had great feedback from my ‘Chord Cheat Sheet’. People seem to find it really useful, so I recommend making the most of that!
We also have a range of different dulcimer guitars to purchase on our website!
We always welcome a conversation! Email us at - hey@heyinglewood.com
Check out our Facebook for the latest news!
]]>
Click this link to have access to our dulcimer guitar cheat sheet in G
There are a few other videos already posted for chord theory and basic chords, or if you have a Grand Strumstick tuned to DAD. You can check them out below:
We always welcome a conversation! Email us at - hey@heyinglewood.com
Check out our Facebook for the latest news!
]]>
This song was released in 1970, and when the writer John Fogerty was asked about what the lyrics meant, he was quoted in Rolling Stone as saying “Certainly, I was talking about Washington, when I wrote the song, but I remember bringing the master version of the song home and playing it. My son Josh was four years old at the time, and after he heard it, he said, ‘Daddy stop the rain.’ And my wife and I looked at each other and said, ‘Well, not quite.’”
As noted above, the song is recorded in the key of G and composed of 5 chords. If you play along with the recording there are a few places where they drop or add a beat which is less regimented and more unconventional than your newly released songs that we see today.
0:00 Intro
2:09 Chord Walkthrough
2:47 One-Finger Version
4:33 Verse - Multi-Finger Version
6:18 Second Verse - Multi-Finger Version
7:44 Complete Chord Guide Download
8:05 Bridge - Multi-Finger Version
9:25 Outro
If you are keen to learn more classic rock songs check out another of our blog posts here!
We always welcome a conversation! Email us at - hey@heyinglewood.com
Check out our Facebook for the latest news!
]]>Micheal Stipe said the song was about his romantic expression. The phrase "losing my religion" is an expression from the southern region that means "losing one's temper or civility".
It's always a crowd-pleaser and it's a great one to teach you on Seagull Merlin. This is song requires a different way of using the Chords and doesn't fall into the usual pattern (hint: 2m and 3m show up).
In these three minutes, I'll teach you the chord structure for the entire song.
OUTRO "Lick": At the very, very end of the song there's a little downward scale, and it's the following: [hi string] 2 1 0 [mid] 1 [hi] 1 0 [mid] 1 [hi] 0 [mid] 1 (F# E D B E D B D B ) I always love to share my tips and tricks with you all, so thank you for watching!
If you also want to learn how to play Losing My Religion on the stick dulcimer we can get you started. Click the link to have access to the free cord guide for this song!
OR
Watch our other lessons on 90's Rock Songs!
AND
Click this link to have access to other FREE song guides and cheat sheets
I’ve had great feedback from my ‘Chord Cheat Sheet’. People seem to find it really useful, so I recommend making the most of that!
We have a few new additions to our Dulcimer guitar collection why don't you check out our shop here.
We always welcome a conversation! Email us at - hey@heyinglewood.com
Check out our Facebook for the latest news!
]]>
I'll be honest, I didn't know how the Seagull G model even worked until I had one.
Watch how I compare the two versions.
Looking for a Seagull Merlin dulcimer guitar? We have plenty of options, including the D (standard) and G ("education") models, EQ model (pickup), gig bags, straps, strings, and tuners.
Check out our video lessons for Seagull Merlin chords to learn the basics and how to play! If you want to get more familiar with the Merlin itself, then watch our Anatomy of a Seagull Merlin video!
Click this link to have access to our FREE song guides and cheat sheets
I’ve had great feedback from my ‘Chord Cheat Sheet’. People seem to find it really useful, so I recommend making the most of that!
Transcript:
]]>
This song made the headlines when it quickly become the anti-war movement anthem. This song has been featured extensively in pop culture depictions of the Vietnam War and other anti-war movements.
Rolling Stone listed this as number 99 on its ‘greatest songs of all time’ list. In my opinion, it’s extremely easy to play, offers lots of flexibility and is a timeless classic known all around the world.
If you also want to learn how to play Fortunate Son on the stick dulcimer we can get you started! Click the link to have access to the free cord guide for this song!
OR
Click this link to have access to other FREE song guides and cheat sheets
I’ve had great feedback from my ‘Chord Cheat Sheet’. People seem to find it really useful, so I recommend making the most of that!
We always welcome a conversation! Email us at - hey@heyinglewood.com
Check out our Facebook for the latest news!
Transcription:
]]>
Over the years it has had multiple artists cover it including Ed Sheeran, Hozier and the classic version by The High Kings. The Parting Glass is a traditional Irish/Scottish song of farewell, often sung at the end of a gathering of friends. It was the most popular parting song sung in Scotland before Robert Burns wrote “Auld Lang Syne”.
This song has a relatively simple melody, but by using the techniques like ‘hammer on’ and ‘pull off’ it adds that extra flair and gives it more character. I recommend you listen to all the versions of the song and adapt your own unique style and discover what works best for you.
If you also want to learn how to play Fortunate Son on the stick dulcimer we can get you started. Click the link to have access to purchase the cord guide for this song!
OR
Click this link to have access to other FREE song guides and cheat sheets
I’ve had great feedback from my ‘Chord Cheat Sheet’. People seem to find it really useful, so I recommend making the most of that!
We have a few new additions to our Dulcimer guitar collection why don't you check out our shop here.
We always welcome a conversation! Email us at - hey@heyinglewood.com
Check out our Facebook for the latest news!
]]>
This was recorded using a Seagull Merlin M4 stick dulcimer (spruce top). If you've never played an instrument before, but always wanted to, this is the one for you. (Or you could take up cello!) Check them out here!
If you also want to learn how to play the stick dulcimer we can get you started! Click the link to have access to FREE song guides and cheat sheets 👇🏻
We always welcome a conversation! Email us at - hey@heyinglewood.com
Check out our Facebook for the latest news!
]]>
There are a few common questions that get asked about Seagull Merlin so I thought what better way to answer them all be the string professionals and our partners based out of Nashville.
Some questions we answer for you.
1. Why can't I just retune my D Merlin to play in G?
2. Why do I have to change the strings on my Merlin (or any instrument) to play in G?
3. What's a bridge? How's that different from a saddle?
4. Why do I need a new Merlin bridge to play in G (in tune)?
5. What’s string tension and why does it matter?
Make use of our FREE song guides and cheat sheets
Our "Dulcimer Guitar Chords Cheat Sheet" is really useful, so I recommend you check it out and get strumming along on your stick dulcimer guitar.
]]>
Have we got you excited yet? Why don't you check out our FREE chords cheat sheet
]]>
It was first released on the British version of the band's 1965 album Rubber Soul.
This song is slightly different because it has a chord in it that you cannot play on a standard Seagull Merlin or a Strumstick. There is one note in the chord that keeps you from being able to play it.
Watch the full video to find out how I recommend you overcome these hurdles and how I advise we should tweak things.
If you're just starting out on a Seagull Merlin, please don't hesitate to reach out with questions. We love questions!
]]>
See it on both Seagull Merlin and a pickin' stick / Strumstick.
]]>One neat thing to note about this one is the original recording is in G, so you can play along with Radiohead if you have a G-tuned instrument! If you don't have a G tuning, check out the Free Dulcimer Transposition Guide and change the key.
I did a brief cover version (below) of this one using both a Seagull Merlin and a pickin' stick dulcimer (fancy editing), if you want to see it in action.
Feeling lost on how to play more chords on your stick dulcimer guitar? We've got a lot of free dulcimer guitar chords Cheat Sheets and Song Guides available on the website. Check them out!
]]>
Jesse Isley asked if he could play this one and we were not sad. It's worth noting that Jesse had only been playing the Seagull Merlin dulcimer guitar for ~30minutes at the time of this recording.
It's that easy.
If you'd like to learn this one, please email us (hey@heyinglewood.com)
Download our *Free* Transposition Guide to learn this song in a different key. Or grab the Complete Dulcimer Guitar Chords guide.
I'm grateful to have been invited back to Forty-One Fifteen, a great East Nashville recording studio, to shoot some videos. Check out their space!
Want to see what else Jesse has been doing? Check out his work at Jesse Isley.
]]>Pair this with the 2-Finger Claw picking style You're starting to build a tool kit now!
Make sure to keep your right hand in a natural position such that your finger movements are not any different than they would be if you were simply flexing your fingers in and out. This will work for all sorts of stick dulcimers, including Strumstick, Seagull Merlin, and pickin' sticks. (And guitars, ukuleles, etc)
Make use of our FREE song guides and cheat sheets
Our "Dulcimer Guitar Chords Cheat Sheet" is really useful, so I recommend you check it out and get strumming along on your stick dulcimer guitar.
Transcription:
This one I played on an African Mahogany pickin' stick, tuned to G (I think?). BUT, it will work on a Seagull Merlin M4 as well.
The melody is trickier because it's on lower strings, and I chose to do a bend into the third to last note.
Feeling lost on how to play more chords on your stick dulcimer guitar? We've got a lot of free dulcimer guitar chords Cheat Sheets and Song Guides available on the website. Check them out!
]]>Watch and don't forget to pick up some of the FREE DOWNLOADS we have!
]]>He's a Nashville-based musician with a forte for bass and cello, but I asked him to mess around with stick dulcimers and this is one of the pieces he came up with. Pretty neat.
"Dancing On My Own" by Robyn, from her 2010 Body Talk record. The original is all pop and synth, and this version is none of that. A testament to the way you can make a song your own and how one might approach arranging a song on a stick dulcimer guitar.
We were again able to use Forty-One Fifteen, one of East Nashville's top recording studios, to shoot videos. Check out their space!
]]>
One thing to note, too, is this song is in 6/8 time signature so it'll feel different than most songs (which are usually in 4/4) and strumming might feel awkward at first. Stick with it, you'll get it!
Manchester Orchestra is one of my favorite bands. “The Gold,” which came out on their most recent [as of right now] album A Black Mile To The Surface, is the radio single, and it is in the key of D.
If you have a Seagull Merlin or strum stick grand, it should already be tuned to D. Most Seagull Merlins are tuned to D, and the bigger the McNally Strumstick Grands are tuned to D standard so you should be able to play along with the recording which is primo!
This song is extremely straightforward for the chord part. It is a one-finger song: it’s just open D, and then the second fret (which is the third of the scale), and then you do the fourth fret (which is the fifth of the scale). That’s the verses.
There’s a slight change that comes in around the Pre-Chorus, I’m not sure how they break it down: “You don’t open your eyes, for a while you just breathe that moment down, 40 hours of roasting and I’m trying to translate you again.” That’s it- that’s the whole song for the one-finger version. So it’s just open second fret, fourth fret, with an occasional first fret thrown in there, and you will hear that if you just play along with the record- it’s once in a while so I can’t say it comes in right at the place every time.
But I wanted to get to the “lick”-thing that it’s known for which is that opening riff that goes in between verses. There’s a lot of coordination involved here, if you’re new to the instrument you can do this, it’ll just take some practice [which we’ll talk about in separate videos/articles?].
There’s a couple of different ways you could approach this: the way that I like it is to actually stum the whole instrument at one time which should make it easier in theory for a lot of folks. Then it’s just a matter of getting your left hand down so you’re not having to go with the individual strings. So your right-hand doesn’t have to be as nimble if you’re doing it this way. It will be trickier because you have to strum everything, and the strumming rhythm might catch you, but to me, it’s easier, and you can catch chords as well.
The way that the song goes it slides in, that’s how it is on the record. A slide is where I’m striking the strong on one place and sliding into the note I want. And I’m doing it with my middle finger intentionally so I’m set up to have my index finger, and I’m just doing it middle, index, middle. It’s going straight down the scale: 2, 1, OPEN, 2, 1, OPEN, 2 (in terms of frets).
So there’s a little bit of a rhythm you’ll want to listen to the record and get that down. It’s actually in 6/8, not 4/4 which we’re interested in (1, 2, 3, 4). With 6/8 it’s that sort of a swing feel that wants to be filled in a little bit along the way. That’s why I like to have the rhythm be covered with the full-string version.
What I do there is: “Lick,” bar the whole thing with my middle finger (cause I’m already there), then with my ring finger so I don’t have to slide all the way up (but you can do that).
So some options there. [If you have questions, throw them in the comments there.] I may have missed something, but that’s how I would approach this song. It’s pretty straightforward, and see what you think.
]]>And below I'll walk through the ways that I approached playing the song, from chord shapes and versions, in addition to finger picking and stylistic approach.
Want to play it in a different key? Check out our FREE key change guide!
Have you subscribed to the YouTube channel yet?
DO IT... please.
And while you're here, don't forget to check out our dulcimer guitar collection! Plenty of different instruments to consider.
]]>Transcription:
If you're going to play an instrument you gotta figure out how to do it a couple of different ways so that you have options. Fingers work great, and pics are another way. There’s all kinds of pics that you can use, flat and pointy, all kinds of different ones. I'll leave it to you to figure out which one works best for you and which one has the best sound because they all have a bit of a plasticy sound, for lack of a better word. They have different weights of plastic and different types of flexibility. These all make differences in the tone - it can be more of a flappy sound. The angle of how you hit the string with the pick also affects the tone.
So, this is how I hold the pick. I roll my finger like this, and put the pick right here in that first piece of my finger and hold it with my thumb down like that. Now I do that because I was taught that way, but also because when you move your thumb the whole finger setup will move. This lets the pick point wiggle back and forth. When you see that on the string it'll make more sense. So let's take a look. I've got it up against the string, and I'm gonna try and exaggerate the movement a little bit.
If I were to do this, notice I’ve got my hand at an angle like this, that’s how I would roll it. When I'm plucking the string with the pick, for me I can push out with my thumb and pull in with my thumb and then get what is the down and then up motion of the pick in terms of hitting the string. That's exactly what we talk about when we talk about strumming a dulcimer guitar, a lot of times it's down, up, down, up, right? So the same thing is true with picking. We wanna have a down up, down up. That way we can never have to move our hand. If we were on one string, we never have to move the hand at all - we only have to move the thumb. We get an economy of motion for things like (music). Stays pretty straight-forward. If you're moving across strings you just move your hand steady - easier said than done. Then you go like that, or you can (music). So you get the same motion, same holding the pick angle, for when you’re strumming and also when you’re picking. So you go down up, down up, down up on the low string, and then the middle string. So I can go down up, down up, down up. And I’m just switching strings but you can see my hands aren’t moving a ton, I’m just moving my thumb and moving the entire hand a bit.
I’m sure that leaves questions for you. I would love it if you could tell you what they are so I can address them. I’m not entirely sure how to teach some of these things digitally, so help me out and let me know. Thanks!
Three quick requests and one suggestion:
1. Please subscribe to the channel.
2. Leave a comment.
3. Click the bell so that you know when videos come out.
Now my suggestion is: I’ve got a free download on my website, it will help you transpose. I would love for you to download it and let me know if it helps that way you can learn more songs on the channel.
]]>This will work for all sorts of stick dulcimer guitars, including Strumstick, Seagull Merlin, and pickin' sticks. You can even pair this
with the 2-Finger Claw picking style.
Have you subscribed to the YouTube channel yet?
DO IT... please.
And while you're here, don't forget to check out our dulcimer guitar collection!
]]>Have you subscribed to the YouTube channel yet?
DO IT... please.
And while you're here, don't forget to check out our dulcimer guitar collection!
]]>
Have you subscribed to the YouTube channel yet?
DO IT... please.
And while you're here, don't forget to check out our dulcimer guitar collection!
]]>
Have you subscribed to the YouTube channel yet?
DO IT... please.
And while you're here, don't forget to check out our dulcimer guitar collection!
]]>Make sure to keep your right hand in a natural position, such that your finger movements are not any different than they would be if you were simply flexing your fingers in and out.
Check back on the blogs for more fingerpicking ideas, like the 3-Finger Rolls.
This will work for all sorts of dulcimer guitars, including Strumstick, Seagull Merlin, and pickin' sticks.
]]>
Watch the above to see how I blended some of the styles you can use on your Strumstick.
]]>