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What is a good Jewish song to teach a beginner in guitar? simple cords
A beginner at an instrument should start with a simple set of chords that is too simple to be a real song.
Almost anything from R Shlomo can be played 3 chords (sometimes with a bit of adjusting the song by changing relative majors to minors)
Many Jewish songs are just three chords or so! Many are just A minor, D minor and E (for example, the common melody to v’ani tefilati, if I’m not mistaken). Mikimi by Yosef Karduner is just four chords (google mikimi karduner chords and you’ll find it). Oz v’hadar is just three chords.
If Jewish music has been as influenced by secular music as some
people think, maybe the Four Chords of Pop would come in handy.
You’re probably referring to the very common progression C G Am F. Maminim by New York Boys Choir and Somachti by Shalsheles Junior seem to use this chord progression.
In any case, these four chords are found in many Jewish songs (often in a different order than above). Many of these songs are traditional songs from Eastern Europe, so the use of these four chords doesn’t necessarily indicate recent non-Jewish influence.
Ana Hashem by Carlebach
“You’re probably referring to the very common progression C G Am F.”
I had to look it up.
across several genres of music. It involves the I, V, vi, and IV chords;
As for traditional songs using those chords, my grasp of musical theory
is very limited, but I don’t think the accompaniment to a traditional
song is intrinsically linked to it – the accompaniment is created independently, and can therefore indicate non-Jewish influence.
What about these progressions – do Jewish songs use them?:
G D Em C and Em C G D
(I have no idea what these are, I just saw a claim
that they’re overused in a comments section somewhere.)
Comlink-X, G D Em C is the same as C G Am F (I V vi IV).
Em C G D is the same as Am F C G, which is also a very popular chord progression, especially in the last decade or so. Some Jewish songs definitely use it — see by googling “A F C G” or “Em C G D” and “Jewish guitar chords.” For example, Finally Here by Ari Goldwag uses this progression. Smile by 8th day uses it in part of the song.
C Am F G (the 50s or “doo-wop” chord progression), was very popular in the 50s and is still sometimes found today.
Everyone here plays the guitar?
Teardrop by Abie Rottenberg. Very basic and pretty repetitive.
While I was in camp a couple years back, a fellow staff member taught a few other girls how to play guitar and that was her go to song…It’s still coming out of my ears.
(“It’s the 3 weeks! Please tell me there’s no guitar lessons today!!”
“You call that music?”
groan)
“G D Em C is the same as C G Am F (I V vi IV).”
I suspected as much (that at least one of those was the 4 chords again.)
(If anyone wants that sentence explained, I can try to do it, but I’m not going to make the effort to unless someone requests it.)
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