A Soalin' by Peter, Paul & Mary

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TGNeil
Posts: 963
Joined: Thu Feb 18, 2010 1:09 pm
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Wed Nov 30, 2022 9:29 pm

Hey Gang,
Here is a short lesson on A Soalin', a song I have meant to get to for years. An old student asked me about it recently and the fuse was lit. It is a great exercise in counterpoint (multiple melodies being played simultaneously), making it a bit challenging. On the good side, it is only really four measures long.

It has also been added to the Peter, Paul & Mary pack.

A Soalin' started life as a guitar exercise by Noel (Paul) Stookey. He came up with the short pair of melodies in counterpoint. His band mate, Peter Yarrow noodled along in the key of E Minor (capoed to the 2nd fret making it really F# Minor), they added some old English lyrics sung in a round style, and the 4-measure exercise became a favorite challenge for guitar students and players from 1963 on.

This short lesson breaks down the way Paul originally fingered it, adds some alternate ideas, has some thoughts on Peter's noodling, and even includes tips on harmonics that can be used.