So you want to get better at Chord Melody’s? You’ve come to the right place. Here are a few songs to help get you started:
Layla Outro – Derek and the Dominos
I use this as a starting point to understand how we put things together. We have the chords we have the melody, how do we go about putting them together and alter the chords to include the melody? This is a great starting point. While I don’t go through the whole Outro (something I plan on doing soon!), I think this is a definite head turner and a great way to get the concept under our belt.
Can’t Help Falling In Love – Elvis
This one actually goes through both the A and B sections… so the whole song! Classic song that doesn’t need a lot of filling out with arpeggiation between the chords.
Fields of Gold – Sting
This one is level up in terms of difficulty, from the goofy beginning Bm to the stretch in the bridge… it’s about keeping the melody there!
Hallelujah – Leonard Cohen (Jeff Buckley)
This one uses a lot of regular open chords which is great, but also uses some CAGED stuff!
Marry You – Bruno Mars
This is one where I utilize 6ths to bring out the melody even more in places.
Well there you have it! Five songs to add to your repertoire and if you didn’t have a clue on where to begin chord melody playing… these songs will definitely give you a foundation.
Dig.