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Danny's Song
by Loggins and Messina • Lesson #95 • Aug 25, 2017
Video lesson
Licensed Song Sheet 2 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.
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Buy at Musicnotes.comEditor’s notes
In this lesson I’ll show you how to play the song “Danny’s Song” by Loggins & Messina. I’ll include the chords needed, progressions used, strumming pattern, and of course fingerpicking tabs to get you started with things. To follow along with my video, I suggest picking up the 4-page song sheet linked above. It has all the lyrics and chords on page 1, while also digging into the progression, fingerstyle, and strumming on page 2. Pages 3 and 4 give you tabs for the entire song, including my exact fingerstyle tab.
Chords needed
Standard stuff here, the one exception being the D/C variant I prefer to play for the C-major used throughout the song. For one, it’s easier to switch to. For two, it’s sounds a bit more unique and interesting than a normal C-major. Use it or not, as per your taste.
E ––––2––––0––––2––––0––––0––––3––––0––––
B ––––3––––1––––3––––3––––2––––0––––3––––
G ––––2––––0––––4––––1––––2––––0––––2––––
D ––––0––––2––––4––––2––––2––––0––––0––––
A –––––––––3––––2––––2––––0––––2––––3––––
E –––––––––––––––––––0–––––––––3–––––––––
D C Bm E7 A G D/C
Fingerpicking pattern
Here’s a bit to get you started if you want to fingerpick the song. I’ll start with the intro, which uses only the D chord (played for four measures):
E ––––––––––2––––––––––2––––––––––2––––––––––2––– <-- right ring
B –––––3––––––––––3––––––––––3––––––––––3–––––––– <-- right middle
G ––––––––2––––––––––2––––––––––2––––––––––2––––– <-- right index
D –––0––––––––––0––––––––––0––––––––––0–––––––––– <-- right thumb
A –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
E –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
D
For a simple fingerpicking approach for the entire song, just use this same pattern on all chords you play. It is important you strum the bass note of each chord first – whether that’s the 4th string, 5th string, or 6th string. Afterwards, position your index, middle, and ring fingers freely – but try to use this same pattern.
Here’s the general patterns I use, in a few different contexts (based on the bass note of the chord):
E ––––––––––x––– E –––––––––––––– E ––––––––––––––
B –––––x–––––––– B ––––––––––x––– B ––––––––––x–––
G ––––––––x––––– G –––––x–––––––– G –––––x––––––––
D –––x–––––––––– or D ––––––––x––––– or D ––––––––x–––––
A –––––––––––––– A –––x–––––––––– A ––––––––––––––
E –––––––––––––– E –––––––––––––– E –––x––––––––––
And here are specific examples, per chords in the actual song:
E ––––––––––2––– E –––––––––––––– E ––––––––––––––
B –––––3–––––––– B ––––––––––3––– B ––––––––––3–––
G ––––––––2––––– G –––––4–––––––– G –––––1––––––––
D –––0–––––––––– or D ––––––––4––––– or D ––––––––2–––––
A –––––––––––––– A –––2–––––––––– A ––––––––––––––
E –––––––––––––– E –––––––––––––– E –––0––––––––––
D Bm E7
See my video lesson for context. Don’t over think it! I’m sure you could get wild and crazy complicated with this - but for now, I want to get you started with what’s above.
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