Ode To Joy Guitar Tutorial

Welcome back. In this lesson, I'm going to teach you a song called Ode to Joy, which you started in the how to Read Guitar tab lesson. So you already know the first eight notes of the song. If you did that lesson. If you haven't done that lesson, go back and watch it because it tells you how to play the first. Actually, it tells you how to play a good chunk of this song. Because if you can play those first eight measures, those eight measures repeat throughout the song. But let's start from the beginning. I'll go through that again. And we're going to start on the bottom string, the bottom E string, and we're going to play it open twice. So it's going to be open, open. And for now what I want you to do is just fret with your first finger. Just use your first finger and later I'll tell you what other fingers to use. So for now, we're just going to use the first finger to track between the first and third fret. So it's going to be from the beginning, open, open on the bottom string and then stay on the bottom string. First fret, third fret, and then we repeat the third fret, third fret, first fret, open. And the very last note in that second measure is the third fret on the B string. So let's do those eight notes again. So all on the bottom string. Open, open, first fret, third fret, third fret, first fret, first fret, open, third fret on the second string. Alright, those are the first eight notes. So if I go to the third measure of this song, we're going to see that it starts with the number one on the second string. So it's going to be one, one and then three and then open on the bottom string. And then the fourth measure we have open, and then the second string, third fret, 3, 3. So if so let me go back to that first line. We're going to start in the third, that third block of music that is called the third measure. So we're going to start on the first fret. Second string, we're going to play it twice.

One, one.

Slide up to the third fret.

Three.

Open, bottom string, open. And notice I didn't even take my first finger off that third fret. It's still sitting there on the second string. Three, three. So one more time. Second, second string, first fret.

One, one, three. Open, open, three, three.

So let me play this from the beginning. I'm gonna play the entire line starting with the open string on the Bottom. So here we go.

Open, open, 1, 3, 3, 1.

Open. And now B string, 3, 1, 1, 3, E str.

That is the first line of the sign. Now, the good part is, if you can do that, the first three measures of the first line are the same exact three measures of the second line. How cool is that? And you also notice that the second line is the same exact music as the last line. So this song is super repetitive. So these first, second, and fourth lines usually don't give people too much problem. But let's go through the second line. So let's start with the very last measure, because that's where things change. We're going to start on the third fret, second string. And it's just going to be 3, 1, 1. It's the only difference between the first line and the second line. So we're starting on the B string, 3, 1, 1. So if I go back now, I'm going to play the whole second line.

We have open, open, 1, 3, 3, 1, open, 3.

Now 1, 1, 3, open. And here's the different part, 3, 1, 1.

So let me play through those first two lines in its entirety. Just listen, don't play along with me. And here they go. From the very, very top, it's open.

Open, 1, 3, 3, 1, open.

And then B string, 3, 1, 1, 3, open. E, E, E. Back to the B string, 3, 3. Now back to the bottom. E string.

Open, open, 1, 3, three, 1.

Open. B string, 3, 1, one, three, E string, open. Back to B string, 3, 1,1.

So that's the first two lines. And that second line is identical to the fourth line. So we're not even going to go over the fourth line, because you already know it. So let's talk about the third line, because this is the part that usually gives my students the most trouble, because there's a lot more going on here. So again, we're just going to focus using our first finger. Let's start with that first measure, that first block of music in the third line. So we're starting on the B string, third fret. So we've got 3, 3, and then E string, open, open. And then back to the B string, first fret.

So it's 3, 3, open, 1, 3, 3, open 1.

One more time.

3, 3, open.

E1.

So all the fretting is done on the second string. So let's take a look at the second measure. Now we're starting on the third fret of the B string again. So it's B. And then we're coming down to the bottom E string. And it's open one, open, open one open. Alright, so we've got three open, one open. And then we end on one on the B string. So those five notes are three open one open one.

That's the second measure. Now, the third measure is almost identical to the second measure, except the last note is the third fret on the B string. So it starts.

So we just end by coming back to the third fret on the B string. And then the very last measure is the first fret on the second string, followed by the third fret on the second string. And then the very last note, we're changing strings. It's the open G string. So it's B string 1, 3, open G. So if I go through all four measures of this third line, I'll go slow. It sounds like this.

And then after that, you'd repeat that second line, which is the last line of the song. So I'm going to go through this whole thing top to bottom. I'm going to play it nice and slow. Listen, first, you're gonna have to practice this before you can play along with me. But listen, and this way you can see and hear what I'm doing. All right? So I'm gonna start on the open E string, the bottom string. Ready? So it's 1, 2, 3, 4, bum.

Bum, 1, 3, 3, 1, open 3.

1 1, 1, 3, open, open, 3.

3, open, open 1, 3, 3 1.

Open 31 1, 3, open 3, 1 1.

Here's the faster part.

Bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum. Open, open 1, 3, 3 1.

Open 3 1, 1, 3, open 3, 1, 1.

That's the entire song, so practice that first using your first finger. Once you get the hang of it, I want you to introduce the third finger. So this doesn't always happen in tab, but in this particular song, whenever you see the fret number one, use your first finger, all right? And whenever you see the fret number three, use your third finger. So in guitar, your fingers are 1, 2, 3, pinky is 4, your thumb is your thumb. So we have 1, 2, 3, 4. So you're going to use your first finger, your index finger, whenever you see the fret one. And you're going to use your ring finger, your third finger, whenever you see the number three. So I'll show you. I'll play through it again, and this time you'll see my first and third finger. This way my hand doesn't have to move as much. Now, for the picking, you can use all down picking for now. Ideally, when you play this song, you're going to want to use alternate picking when you're playing the same string. So, for example, on these first seven notes, I would go down, up, down, up, down. Oh, sorry.

Down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up.

That's how I would do it if I were doing alternate picking. For me, it's so habit now. My hand just does whatever it wants. For now, until you learn the song, just use all. Use all down picks because it's one less thing you have to focus on. The less things you have to focus on, the better. So I'm just gonna do all down picks for this for now. But I'm gonna use my first and third fret, our first and third fingers on the first and third frets. So here we go from the beginning. Two, three, four.

One, three, three, one.

Open three, one, one, three. Open, open, three, three.

Open, open, one, three, three, One.

Open three, one, one million three. Open three. One, one, three, three. Open one, three.

Da da da One, three, da da.

Open, open one, three, three one.

Open three, one, One, three, open three, one, one.

And there you go. That is the entirety of Ode to Joy. It's teaching a lot of different things. You're working on picking, you're working on dexterity in this fretting hand, and it's working on your skills and actually being able to read and follow along with tab. Fortunately, there's only three numbers you have to keep track of whether it's open, the first fret, or the third fret. So that makes things nice and easy. And you're only using three strings. Most of it is the E string and the B string. But there is that one note that comes in on the G string at the end of the third line. So practice along with Ode to Joy. The key is, if I'm practicing something like this, take it one section at a time. One line. Learn the first line. Learn the second line. Get them really good. Go to the third line. Learn that really good. And then try and put them all together. Okay? And then try playing top to bottom and using a consistent speed. So I don't want to hear.

Fast and choppy is not good. Slow and smooth is better than fast and choppy. So go nice and slow as slow as you need to to keep the speed consistent. You can play along with the metronome. Metronomes are great ways to measure progress as well as speed. So there you go. That's Ode to Joy. And I'll see you in your next lesson.