https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-noise-lessons/in-the-bleak-midwinter/ Guitar Noise Discussion Board en-US Thu, 04 Jun 2026 05:11:20 +0000 wpForo 60 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-noise-lessons/in-the-bleak-midwinter/paged/2/#post-135607 Sat, 29 Oct 2005 20:06:14 +0000 Guitar Noise Lessons dsparling https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-noise-lessons/in-the-bleak-midwinter/paged/2/#post-135607 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-noise-lessons/in-the-bleak-midwinter/paged/2/#post-135546 Sat, 29 Oct 2005 16:25:09 +0000 Thanks for the mp3 file of "In the Bleak Mid-Winter". Wonderful lesson, and being able to hear how it should sound helped alot. Still working on getting it down, but I'll get it! :wink: I was also wondering if you could post an mp3 of your most recent lesson: "The King of Love My Shepherd Is"? It would help out greatly. 8)
Dan]]> Guitar Noise Lessons Dan T. https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-noise-lessons/in-the-bleak-midwinter/paged/2/#post-135546 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-noise-lessons/in-the-bleak-midwinter/paged/2/#post-130916 Fri, 07 Oct 2005 18:45:51 +0000
I think you are right about it being more difficult if you arent used to the tuning. The first thing he noticed was the tuning and although it wasnt intimidated away from it, there seemed to be a flash in his eye like.. humm.. ok.. lets go..

I'l really lucky to have the teacher I have. Very easy going. Willing to go any direction that I want to be taken. His simply an amazing guitarist. and great at instructing.

Geoo]]> Guitar Noise Lessons geoo https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-noise-lessons/in-the-bleak-midwinter/paged/2/#post-130916 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-noise-lessons/in-the-bleak-midwinter/paged/2/#post-130862 Fri, 07 Oct 2005 16:20:08 +0000
Took this song to my lesson last night. We never got around to it because he was throwing some other Christmas songs at me. But before I left I showed him your arrangement and he looked a bit interested. He picked his guitar back up and started playing it. Sounded decent for someone that had never heard it but he handed it back to me, smiled and said... Good luck!! Well, that's cool that he tried. Unless you really use DADGAD a lot , what may be intuitive to someone who does may seem difficult, or at least uncomfortable, to someone who doesn't :)

As far as DADGAD arrangements go, I had thought "Bleak Mid-Winter" to be more on the easy side, but I use DADGAD as much, if not more than I do standard.
I got home, feeling a little disappointed in my lesson because I was making so many mistakes, but I tried playing around with it a little bit (At a VERY slow pace) and it was too bad. Its going to take me alot of work to get it up to speed and clear but I think its coming along nicely.
Geoo Good luck - keep working at it - it WILL come to you if you keep at it. Guitar is hard enough, and then to have to rethink in a different tuning sure doesn't make things any easier.

Case in point...I'm working up another Christmas arrangement in open G minor. I've never used this tuning before and though my arrangement fell together fairly quickly, it's been a week now, and I still can't play it well enough to record it for the lesson I'm working on. Very frustrating...

Anyway, it will come. All it takes is a little determination...]]> Guitar Noise Lessons dsparling https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-noise-lessons/in-the-bleak-midwinter/paged/2/#post-130862 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-noise-lessons/in-the-bleak-midwinter/paged/2/#post-130848 Fri, 07 Oct 2005 15:45:57 +0000
Took this song to my lesson last night. We never got around to it because he was throwing some other Christmas songs at me. But before I left I showed him your arrangement and he looked a bit interested. He picked his guitar back up and started playing it. Sounded decent for someone that had never heard it but he handed it back to me, smiled and said... Good luck!!

I got home, feeling a little disappointed in my lesson because I was making so many mistakes, but I tried playing around with it a little bit (At a VERY slow pace) and it was too bad. Its going to take me alot of work to get it up to speed and clear but I think its coming along nicely.

Geoo]]> Guitar Noise Lessons geoo https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-noise-lessons/in-the-bleak-midwinter/paged/2/#post-130848 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-noise-lessons/in-the-bleak-midwinter/#post-129744 Mon, 03 Oct 2005 16:45:13 +0000
Bars 1-4 (Intro):
G - 6th string/5th fret - 3rd finger

Bar 5 (beats 1-3) (you can finger these all at once):
G - 6th string/5th fret - 3rd finger
B- 3rd string/4th fret - 2nd finger
C- 2nd string/3rd fret - 1st finger

Bar 5 (beat 4):
B- 6th string/4th fret - 3rd finger
F# - 2nd string/2nd fret - 1st finger
Note: Just slide those two finger down from where they were:
3rd finger: 6th string/5th fret -> 6th string/4th fret (G->F#)
1st finger: 2nd string/3rd fret - 2nd string/2nd fret (C->B)

Bar 6:
E - 6th string/2nd fret: 2nd finger
E - 4th string/2nd fret: 3rd finger

Bar7:
C - 5th string/3rd fret - 2nd finger
B - 2nd string/2nd fret - 1st finger
E - 5th string/2nd fret - 1st finger
Note: Keep the 2nd finger (C) down through out the measure, but lift the first finger to go from the 2nd string (B) to the 5th string (E)

Bar 8:
E - 4th string/2nd fret - 1st finger
F# - 4th string/4th fret - 3rd finger

Bar 13:
C - 5th string/3rd fret - 2nd finger
C - 2nd string/3rd fret - 3rd finger
B - 2nd string/2nd fret - 1st finger
Note: I play the open G (beats 2 and 4) with my right hand thumb

Bar 14 (beats 1-2):
C - 5th string/3rd fret - 2nd finger
C - 2nd string/3rd fret - 3rd finger
E - 1st string/2nd fret - 1st finger

Bar 14 (beats 3-4):
E - 6th string/2nd fret - 2nd finger
E - 4th string/2nd fret - 3rd finger
B - 2nd string/2nd fret - 4th finger

Bar 15 (Beat 1):
G - 6th string/5th fret - 4th finger
Bar 15 (Beat 2):
B - 2nd string/2nd fret - 1st finger (lift 4th finger at this spot)
Bar 15 (Beat 3):
C - 5th string/3rd fret - 2nd finger (lift 1st finger at this spot)
Bar 15 (Beat 4):
E - 4th string/2nd fret - 1st finger (lift 2nd finger at this spot)

Hope that helps...let me know if you see anything that doesn't make sense...I'm notorious for typos...]]> Guitar Noise Lessons dsparling https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-noise-lessons/in-the-bleak-midwinter/#post-129744 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-noise-lessons/in-the-bleak-midwinter/#post-129710 Mon, 03 Oct 2005 13:33:14 +0000 Well I'm glad it's not just me. This song seems much more difficult to play than it looks! I think part of it is the drop tuning, as the fingers have to get into positions with which they are not familiar. Might take some time to build up the "muscle memory." Hopefully .... :lol:]]> Guitar Noise Lessons slejhamer https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-noise-lessons/in-the-bleak-midwinter/#post-129710 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-noise-lessons/in-the-bleak-midwinter/#post-129705 Mon, 03 Oct 2005 12:38:49 +0000
I'm not giving up though. I am going to present this to my guitar teacher this week and see if he can steer me in the right direction.

I love this song, it is such a pretty song.

Geoo]]> Guitar Noise Lessons geoo https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-noise-lessons/in-the-bleak-midwinter/#post-129705 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-noise-lessons/in-the-bleak-midwinter/#post-129659 Mon, 03 Oct 2005 03:41:03 +0000
You're quite welcome! I've got several more in the works.

Most of my arrangements are in DADGAD or standard, but I've been working on another Christmas tune in open G minor ("The Huron Carol," commonly known as "'Twas in the Moon of Wintertime" in most hymnals)...if anyone's interested, maybe I'll submit that one as my next lesson...]]> Guitar Noise Lessons dsparling https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-noise-lessons/in-the-bleak-midwinter/#post-129659 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-noise-lessons/in-the-bleak-midwinter/#post-129633 Mon, 03 Oct 2005 02:00:12 +0000
Thanks again]]> Guitar Noise Lessons jeremy https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-noise-lessons/in-the-bleak-midwinter/#post-129633