Living For the City is a Stevie Wonder song from his 1973 Innervisions album. He played all the instruments and sang all the vocals on the track, as well as being the songwriter and producer. This fingerstyle solo guitar arrangement combines melody, chords and bass line, and captures the soulful R&B groove of the original recording. It also covers the instrumental bridge section, complete with time signature changes and some unique, dense chord voicings. The lesson is presented with the use of a thumb pick and palm muting on the bass notes as a suggested (but not required) method of performance.
Re: New Lesson Release - Living For The City - Solo Guitar Arrangement by Bob McAlpine
Posted: Wed Aug 12, 2020 11:51 am
by bmcalpine
Hi Dermot,
Thanks for your kind words and I hope you find the lesson rewarding.
My charts are done using Finale (Jazz font). Guitar Pro may be more user friendly, but commonly makes mistakes with enharmonic spelling of notes and chords. It also has some very awkward ways of notating rhythms that would be unacceptable in professional settings. It may work well as a communications tool for guitarists, but my preference for charts has always been Finale.
I agree with you about the Innervisions album - so great. Living For the City has always been one of my faves.
Best,
Bob
Re: New Lesson Release - Living For The City - Solo Guitar Arrangement by Bob McAlpine
Posted: Sat Aug 15, 2020 1:41 pm
by jayswett
Great lesson. I thoroughly enjoyed that.
Re: New Lesson Release - Living For The City - Solo Guitar Arrangement by Bob McAlpine
Posted: Fri Aug 21, 2020 12:08 pm
by unclewalt
I'm really digging this one. It's a big challenge, but doable. Lots of fun to play, and it's giving me new skills. Great stuff.
I now have the intro and verse in my fingers. On to the chorus, etc.!
Re: New Lesson Release - Living For The City - Solo Guitar Arrangement by Bob McAlpine
Posted: Mon Aug 24, 2020 6:44 pm
by tgjameela
We just received some very positive feedback on this lesson that I thought would be great to add to the post.
TG Member mendelsohn123 writes:
"I'm not sure how to get positive feedback to your team so please forward. Your latest lesson "Living in the City" by Bob McAlpine is fantastic. Well done! I hope he will do more in a similar fashion.
Cheers-
Eric"
Thanks Eric! Happy to read that you enjoyed this lesson, we're looking forward to sharing more from Bob on the site!