April Smiles – EP018

Helpful Tips

Usher in spring by learning to play this beautiful song twice! Once as a solo chord melody and again as a duet. Now, you may be wondering: why learn the same song twice? The answer lies in how it helps you grow as a musician in two important ways.

The first benefit relates to your performing ability. Many songs begin with a solo instrument before the full band kicks in. A couple of examples are “Fried Chicken” by the Zac Brown Band and “Little Wing” by Jimi Hendrix, both of which start with a solo guitar before the rest of the band joins. By learning the chord melody first and then the duet, you’ll gain valuable performance experience moving from solo to ensemble playing.

The second way this song will improve your musicianship is by giving you a blueprint for arranging or composing music. If that’s something you’re interested in, I suggest starting with the duet. The duet will help you see how the melody, harmony (chords), and rhythm work independently of one another. These three elements form the foundation of music. By learning the duet, you’ll gain insight into how I combined all three parts to create the chord melody.

P.S. Want to dive deeper into music theory? Check out our course HERE. And if you’re interested in songwriting, be sure to explore our course HERE, as well as this lesson, which offers three valuable tips.