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Melissa
by Allman Brothers Band • Lesson #456 • Oct 15, 2022
Description
Hey, friends! In this week’s lesson I’ll teach you how to play Melissa, the Allman Bros classic from 1972. I’ll break down the chord shapes, talk about the progression & rhythm, and show you a few different strumming options (for both beginners and more intermediate players). This is one so many of you have requested over the years… it’s been a joy to learn, and I hope you enjoy!
Free Video Lesson
Slow Strum-Along
Requires membership to Song Notes Premium. Here’s two videos showing play-throughs of each section, played at a slower pace (70 bpm), without any singing. Once you’ve learned the chords & the overall progression, use these videos to get practice playing along & maintaining a steady tempo.
Strum-along with a very simple strum. Start here if you’re just getting started with this song:
Strum-along with a full (intermediate) strum, matching what Gregg Allman plays:
Vocal Melody Notes
Requires membership to Song Notes Premium. If you’re interested in learning the vocal melody notes this song uses, check out this tutorial. I begin by showing a summary of the melody in tab form, before showing the real-time process of transcribing it (1:26). If you’re interested in singing this song and need help knowing which exact notes to hit (like me!), this video will be incredibly helpful.
Print-Friendly Song Sheet 5 pages
Follow along with my print-friendly guide for this song! It’s available for purchase at Musicnotes.com, the web’s leading provider of licensed sheet music.
On the fence? Here's a guide I made showing the purchase & print process, including answers to common questions about my song sheets.
Buy at Musicnotes.comLesson Discussion
Allman Brothers Recordings of Melissa
Album version (1972):
Live version (1991):
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About Song Notes
Hey there! My name is David Potsiadlo, and I'm the creator of the 400+ weekly lessons here at Song Notes, going back to 2013. Here’s my guitar story »
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