YouTube guitar lesson by Lauren Bateman teaching "Sister Golden Hair" (America). The lesson lists chords used (Am, C, G, Em, Dm, F / Fmaj7 substitution), notes capo on 4th fret, and explains a repeating four-measure intro strumming pattern plus a slightly different F/Fmaj7 pattern. The instructor shows verse technique (straight eighth-note strumming with accents on 2 and 4, using stronger downstrokes and muted strums for drive) and describes a split measure where Am occupies beats 1–2 and Em 3–4; chorus is similar but ends with one strum per chord and a muted transition into the chorus.
Chapters
Hey, guitar enthusiasts, have a super fun song here called Sister Golden Hair by the band America. Great song with some really cool strumming patterns. There is one bar chord, but I'm going to show you how you can change that so you can just play open chords. What we're going to have in this song is we have an A minor chord, we have a C chord, we have a G chord, D minor chord, D minor chord. And we do have an F chord, but you could always use this F major 7.
Okay.
That's an E. It sounds really great on this song. And if you're noticing playing all of these chords with a capo on the fourth fret of my guitar and that's giving this really bright sound on the bottom. So again, A minor, C, G, E minor, D minor, F bar chord. If you're working on your bar chords. If not, this F major 7 works perfectly fine.
So there's a lot of cool stuff going on on this song. We're going to start with the intro, okay. And we basically have a four measure pattern that he kind of repeats. So what I'm hearing when I listen to this intro on the A minor chord, I'm hearing 1, 2, 3 and 4.
Down, which is down, down, down, up, down, up.
Okay.
1, 2, 3 and 4. 1, 2, 3 and four.
And then what he does is he switches over to an F chord.
Okay.
Or if you want to use The F major 7, that's perfectly fine. The F major 7 he slightly different strumming pattern on, which is 1 and.
2, 3 and 4. And so it's down, up, down, down, up, down.
So if I put these back to back, it's 1, 2, 3 and 4.
And 1 and 2, 3 and 4 and.
All right, so if you're not playing two different strumming patterns back to back, you might want to sit here and just work on those. Again, back to a minor.
1, 2, 3 and 4. And 1 and 2, 3 and 4. And down, down, down, down, up, down, down, up, down, up.
Okay, and then what we do is we have two measures of C which goes back to the A minor strum. So that's pretty easy.
Then you're back to 1, 2, 3 and 4. And 1, 2, 3 and 4.
All right, so we put those four four measures together. It's going to sound like this. 1, 2, 1, 2. Here we go.
Okay, so just one little measure in the middle that's different. And then we go to an E minor chord and we just kind of repeat the whole thing.
One, two, three and four. And one and two, three and four. And 1, 2, 3 and 4. And 1, 2, three and four. And.
And then four.
1, 2, 3 and 4 M. 1 and 2, 3 and 4.
M. Okay, so that's our intro. So if I take that from the top, I'll play it a little bit slower. 1, 2, 3, 4.
All right, so that's our intro. A little bit faster now.
One, two.
Here we go.
So that is our intro section of the song. Now, I hear a few other things going on in the verse, but if I was going to sing and play this at the same time, this is what I would do on the song. So I would take just an eighth note strumming pattern. One and two and three and four. And one and two and three and four. And I would accent the two and four. So this song is a really driving beat to it. So to start off, I would just.
Have 1 and 2 and 3 and 4. Play down, up, down, up, down, up, down, up.
Okay, and that sounds all well and good until you put in a little spice.
So you can hear on the 2 and 4. I'm almost. Because I'm playing by myself, I don't have a full band. I'm creating that band effect by adding a little bit of oomph, a little bit of percussion on 2 and 4.
1 and 2, 3 and 4.
So I'm just aggressively strumming the 2 and 4. I'm also strumming more of the strings.
Okay.
So on the other strums, I'm just kind of hitting the lower notes of the guitar. Lower in pitch, not lower on direction. Lower pitch of the strings.
Strings. Okay.
It gives me a little bit more of a drive on this song. So if I take the verse.
Well, I tried to make it Sunday but I got so damn depressed that I set my sights on Monday and I got myself unrest and I ain't ready for the altar But I do.
Agree this time when a woman.
So the other great thing about this and using the F major 7, it's a really easy transition into the C chord. So if I use F major 7, my first and third fingers are already in place. All you have to do is lift up that pinky, move the second finger up, and you're right in place there. Okay. I always. I encourage you. If you're working on barre chords, try and throw them in. But if you want it to sound better, you know, for you to play for friends, you can always use the F major 7. Now I just want to make a note. There was one section where There was a split measure of A minor and E minor in that verse. So all I did was 1 and 2 on the A minor and then 3 and 4 on the E minor.
So it's 1, 2, 3 and 4.
Okay.
So just a half measure of each. But you can see how having that accent gives a little bit more drive to the song, right? As opposed to just, you know.
It'Ll work.
While I try to make it Sunday But I got so damn depressed now.
If I throw the accent in.
Just.
Gives a little extra oomph, it gives a little bit more drive to the song. So I like that. Now on the second verse it's played pretty much the same except for the ending. Okay. So I want to just make a note on that. So on the first verse we have two strums on C. 1 and 2.
And 3 and 4. 1 and 2 and 3 and four.
The second time we're going to be going into a chorus so that C. The second C we're going to do two down strums on 1, 2 and then we're going to mute the guitar. And I do that by just resting my fingers gently on the strings with my strumming ham. So but it.
Okay, hear that? And then I just quickly mute the string. So I have my D minor chord.
1 and 2 and 3 and 4.
And then I have my F chord or F major 7.
1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and.
And then I had a C. 1.
And 2 and 3 and four and.
And then 1, 2. Which is then gonna bring us into our chorus section. Now the chorus section we're gonna treat much like the verse section. Except on the end we're gonna be doing one strum per chord. Alright, so our D minor chord is gonna be. Well I tried to fake it I.
Don'T mind saying I just can't make it.
And then we go right back into.
Here we go. 1, 2, 1, 2, here we go.
Self undress I pray for the altar But I do agree.
And I keep on think about Jesus the golden hair surprise I just can live without you can't you see it in my eyes? I've been one poor responding and I than to.
It doesn't.
Will you meet me in a little Will you meet me.
Will you love me just a little Just enough to.
Show you well I try to fake.
It well I know I'm saying I.
Just can't make it now if you are a huge fan of the band America, I highly recommend you go check out my more intermediate lesson on horse with no name where I show you some fun and cool strumming patterns. Go check that out. Right over there.
