Everything has been a breeze for me up to this point but this one has been kicking my butt! It’s like I’ll remember a part, then forget it! Ugh, I guess this is my first sticking point!
Nothing to do but grind through it.
3 Likes
Quick note: on the lesson description, there’s a typo: sleeping, instead of keeping, near the bottom of the page.
[mod note: thanks for the alert, typo now fixed]
I’ll admit, I’ve been leaving my finger style playing in the dust. This is a good song to learn on, and a good one to have under my belt.
In my humble opinion being able to find a melody on the fretboard requires that we build a connection between mind-ear-guitar…it is in this seemingly never ending process of forgetting and remembering that I believe this connection is built. The good news is that mussel memory will help! It takes time and dedication, but it’s all worth it if playing melodies is something that you really want to achieve.
2 Likes
Yes , you are right ,…if you are just starting out this could be a …BEEP…(hey ,sencure through my own keyboard 
) ,…it took me quite a while ,. …I also quite often take a week, and month or much longer break with really difficult songs,… but i think you have figured that out by yourself so good … 
…luck and above all have fun,… 
Ps:Welcome here
Greetings,Rogier
1 Like
Was going to report the error in the tab below the lesson, but I see that others have already mentioned that, so just thought I’d mentioned that the last chord in the tab as written actually kinda works if you want a jazzy ending, as it’s a Cmaj7 (though it would work better to play a D instead of the high B or C to get the C9).
And also, in case this amuses anybody, I wanted to mention that I initially misread the name of this lesson as “Happy Birthday, Finger Style!” as if Justin were wishing a Happy Birthday to finger style playing.
1 Like
If it doesn’t hurt your brain too much, I recently discussed how the 3rd and 7th can be the most important notes in a chord here:
[I]f you are playing with a bass player who is already covering the root, the need to play the root is lessened considerably. And for many rock/pop songs, the 5th is often more important than the 3rd for chords where your ear can tell by context of the previous chords whether this chord is supposed to be major/minor. For jazz (or blues sometimes), the 7th or even 9th might become more important than the 5th, depending on the chord and the context within the song. Perhaps more than even the root if you have a bass player, meaning the 3rd and 7th are often the two most important notes. But sometimes this is so even without a bass player in an extremely traditional non-jazzy song, as you can see in the 2nd-to last note in “Happy Birthday” that’s coming up soon in this module).
1 Like
I came into this lesson with both excitement and apprehension as I quite like the sound of fingerstyle but am really awful at arpeggios even with a pick or on the keyboard due to poor motor skills. I just spent the last half an hour struggling through this (till power savings on my PC suddenly kicked in) but am realising that I’m enjoying the grind. Still suck at it, mind, but what a joy.
4 Likes
It is a good idea to introduce finger picking at this stage even if I am not a fan of the acoustic and finger picking.
Yet, I learned this song in 30 minutes and this is how it sounds now.
Admittedly, it is more difficult than one would think at first glimpse.
Now it is time to perfect the pace, rhythm and the clarity of the tones. 
1 Like
4 hours of grinding and I can now play this under a minute with some mistakes and hesitations. Hopefully I can get this sounding decent after a couple more hours. This and REM’s Everybody Hurts took up at least 7 hours of my weekend.
1 Like
Oh I forgot to come to this thread to say that I played Happy Birthday for my father in law on his birthday about 2 weeks ago. It was just my in-laws, hubby, and me. As we were discussing life, the subject of me playing my FIL a song for his birthday came up, and so I popped up with “I actually can piddle my way through HB.” I had to have my hubby go get the guitar because I just couldn’t move my legs from the nerves that came right after I offered to play it, and after warning them that it would be slow, out of timing, and possibly a mistake in there somewhere bec I’d only started learning it a few weeks prior, I did muddle through and my MIL actually sang along. Nevertheless, he loved it. Progress! Of course now I can play it much better but birthdays are over!
3 Likes
jeez louise man i spent almost 12 hours learning this
2 Likes
Finding this so difficult. After long sessions on the Fender my fingers are unused to the wider neck of an acoustic and I am constantly fretting and picking the wrong strings. Anybody else finding the transition between electric and acoustic a problem?
1 Like
Golly. i’ve only just gotten over “wish you were here”. and now this "dragon of a song ".
1 Like
yup. I’m mostly on my accoustic. when i occasionaly jump on my mustang it feels so narrow im fretting two strings per finger. just a case of getting used to it i guess. we should probably have bought an electric and an accoustic with rougly the same dimmensions. (gibsons/epiphone for eg)
1 Like
Having read through the earlier posts i am glad I am not the only one finding it difficult. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised as it is the first time I have had to really coordinate what individual fingers are doing on each hand. I learn a block and then add it what I know, sounds good but I find I have forgotten some of what I thought I had learned, getting there slowly.
Michael
2 Likes
I am unable to save the Guitar Pro file that is in the resources tab. I’m not sure if that is intentional or if I’m missing something.
Thanks
1 Like
@roskin22, you click on the download link and save as. It will save as a GP file that can then be opened if you have the Guitar Pro software.
This is now fixed. Thanks.
If anyone’s finding this really difficult, just know that it’s been 2 months since I spent dozens of hours struggling through this song, then a few dozen more on REM’s Everybody Hurts, I’m now able to play-along to Blackbird (one of my dreamer songs) imperfectly.
I would have never thought it’d be possible for me to do so especially after how I initially struggled through this. If you think you don’t have the motor skills but love fingerstyle - you’ll be able to do it as long as you put in the hours. Justin’s recommended progression practically guarantees it.
1 Like
Ber @Pronewbie
I am finding the same as you I can play each short section but putting them together from memory is not really happening.
With the tab in front of me I can play it, but I think Justin wants us to play it from memory.
Have given up on it once and come back to it I think I am at the point of giving it up again and moving on.
Michael 