SIMPLE CHORD-MELODY ARRANGEMENT IN C
This month’s guitar exercise shows a simple chord-melody arrangement in the key of C. All of the chords shown here are root-position chords down by the nut, making the open strings a no-brainer as you play through the melody. Hear audio example.



As you play, pay special attention to the top note written in each chord, and take care not to play any higher notes than the ones that are designated—our ears like to “pick out” those top notes as melody notes, so playing anything above them (like playing an open high-E string on the C chords in bars 1 and 4) would change the melody slightly. One cool thing about this example is that all of the fretted melody notes are set up to be played with the first and fourth fingers of your fretting hand. As a result, you can let the bassier notes from the chord shapes on beats one and three of each measure ring out underneath the melody. To do so, avoid damping each chord after you strum, and keep pressing any notes fretted by your second and third fingers for as long as possible between each chord change.

In “Make a Chord-Melody Arrangement,” we’ve explored this process even further, with more cool tips for bringing chord-melody arrangements to life. With a little practice, you can make similar arrangements for just about any tune!

FEATURE LESSON
BRUCE COCKBURN LESSON
Celebrating his 30th album, Slice o Life, Bruce Cockburn offers an insider’s tour of his brilliant one-man-band guitar style. With video. [More]

THE BASICS
SINGING WHILE PLAYING LESSON
Learn to put your guitar and voice together to play and sing your favorite songs. With audio. [More]

WOODSHED
MAKE A CHORD-MELODY ARRANGEMENT
Want to sound like a band, but lack the extra musicians? Use this process to start arranging multiple parts on one guitar. With audio and an arrangement of “When the Saints Go Marching In.” [More]

PRIVATE LESSON
TRACE BUNDY
The emerging fingerstyle guitarist illustrates the limitless possibilities of using multiple capos. With video and the Lick of the Month. [More]

ACCENT ON MUSIC GUITAR SEMINAR COMES TO PORTLAND, OREGON
Limited space is still available for this year’s Accent on Music Guitar Seminar in Portland, Oregon (July 20–26). Mark Hanson, Pat Kirtley, and Tony McManus—three terrific guitarists, each of whom has been author or subject of recent articles in Acoustic Guitar—comprise this year’s teaching roster. With total registration limited to 40 students, and instruction focused on small groups organized according to skill level, this weeklong event is not to be missed. For additional information, registration, and a helpful FAQ, visit accentonmusic.com/seminar.html.

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