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Premier Clinic: Fingerstyle
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“I Believe” Arrangement
from Stephen Bennett’s Fingerstyle Finesse
Last month, we followed our tune, “I Believe” through the intro,
the first verse and into the chorus. Hopefully you’ve taken some
time exploring the melody and structure of last month’s segments;
if you haven’t, make sure to find all of the tab and instruction at
premierguitar.com. This month we’ll pick up where we left off and
navigate through the second verse and close in on the bridge.
Some things to think about as we move forward: this tune has
a strong backbeat, meaning an emphasis on beats two and four.
This emphasis is an important component of Stephen Bennett’s
playing – the added hint of percussiveness helps fill out the sound
of the song, and you should experiment with adding a percussive
feel to your fingerstyle playing.
To further emphasize the point of developing a fuller, more
complex sound in your playing, “I Believe” is also an example
of a fingerpicking tune that does not rely on alternating bass.
The bass line is something like what an actual bass player
might play. However, try to keep the bass line and the melody
distinct; they are two separate parts that sound great when you
put them together, even though individually they are perhaps
nothing special.
Verse 2
In the second verse, we’ll try to add little variations into the song,
both rhythmic variations (in the bass line) and a melodic variation.
You’ll start by simply going back to the alternating F-C that we
used earlier in the song; then, in bar 36, we’ll go to a quick stretch.
This, again, is just an incomplete F – hit the high A (5th fret) with
your pinky and the low F with your first finger. You would have
been doing it with your thumb before, and it you want to do it
with your thumb, go right ahead. It’s quite a stretch, it doesn’t last
very long and it’ll be good for you, so make sure to practice it so
you can hit it quickly and keep moving.
Note that with the D major chord, formed with the 12th fret harmonics
and the F# on the 6th string in bars 39-40, we have an
example of harmonics being integrated into the melody. Another
compositional idea worth mentioning here is that of secondary
melodic parts. Note the little answering phrase to the main melody.
If the melody is A, C, E, then the answering phrase is A, C, G.
As you move towards the bridge, into bars 45 and beyond, you’ll
notice that the more popular thematic elements of “I Believe” are
revisited. Next month, we’ll dig in deeper to the bridge and bring
all of this together.
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