Below is the lesson for “I Don’t Know My Name” by Grace VanderWaal.

Helpful Tips

The song that catapulted America’s Got Talent winner Grace VanderWaal to overnight fame. It’s amazing to me to see so much talent in such a young girl! I honestly believe she will go on to accomplish great things in her future!

The song is primarily a 1 4 6 5 in the key of C Major. This means our chord progression is:

C (1) F (4) Am (6) G (5)

The melody notes she sings mainly hit on the down beats (1 2 3 4). Think of it as:

[Bar 1] I (1) Don’t (2) Know (3) My (4)

[Bar 2] Name (1)

What makes this arrangement interesting is the 16th note rhythm strums we are adding between these melody notes. This gives us a lively and upbeat feel, just as we hear when she performs the song. Try and focus the strumming towards the bottom 2 strings (A & E), as this will make it easier to play the piece at a faster tempo. I would also recommend to use your thumb to hit every melody note. Be sure to listen to the original, so you can understand the feel of the song. There are tempo changes throughout the sections and it really helps to build towards the climax (final chorus) at the end of the song.

Part 1 – Performance & Free Lesson

Part 2 – For Premium Members

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