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Happy Birthday triad exercise (Key of G)

Lesson #312 • Jul 23, 2020

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It includes all of my notes for this lesson, allowing you to follow along at your own pace. You're free to download, print, and share the PDF across your devices.

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Editor’s notes

Hey friends – here’s a quick lesson for playing “Happy Birthday” in an arrangement that leans heavily into triad chord shapes (mainly on the thinnest 3-4 strings). Chord-wise this mostly uses G and D – but we’ll be adding and removing certain fingers at various points in order to let the melody of this classic tune shine through with what you’re playing. And of course, these triads can be used in various circumstances in so many other songs and scenarios – so you’ll get a lot out of this one, beyond wishing someone a happy birthday. As always, tabs included in my chord sheet!

Timestamps:

  • 0:00 Lesson overview
  • 1:04 Chord progression, big picture
  • 1:52 Chord shapes I’m using
  • 4:57 Melody notes within the tab
  • 5:48 Tab, measures 1-4
  • 8:12 Tab, measures 5-8
  • 9:31 Final advice & practice tips

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