Below is the lesson for “Sleep Walk” by Santo & Johnny.

Helpful Tips

A somber melody that serves as a perfect challenge for the intermediate fingerstyle player. From a fingerstyle perspective, this piece jumps between using a thumb, three finger, and four finger approach. This mix of fingerpicking approaches is an excellent way to achieve different timbres. Which leads us into the big takeaway of this lesson: The key to a great performance is not ONLY in playing the correct notes, but in how we play them.

In other words, think about the “feel” of this piece. As mentioned in the first sentence, the tonality is somberly. Therefore, our playing should reflect this. Now this can be a difficult concept to grasp, but fear not, because we’ll be covering many tips throughout the lessons to help you add emotion to your playing.

If you are brand new to this concept, check out this lesson; which tackles a BIG question: Have you ever learned a song note for note, but it just doesn’t sound right? Oftentimes it’s not only about playing the correct notes, but rather how you play them.

Part 1 – Performance & Free Lesson

Part 2 – For Premium Members

Tab Play Along