Hark ! The Herald Angels Sing - Instrumental

[thereshopeyet]

Neil

Notation
I thought down strokes represent bass line and up strokes the melody line.

The Melody Square
In Lesson Video 1 - 4.04 minutes in you play the melody square.

Are you following the melody as per the tab ?

Melody As Per Tab:
I circled the upstrokes (accounting for the tied notes) but it doesn't sound correct because
some of the upstrokes (not tied) don't match the melody you play.

How do I identify the played melody notes from the notation to get the melody as you play it in the video ?

[TGNesh]

Isn't this a fingerpicking piece?

[thereshopeyet]

In Video 1 Neil suggests trying to figure it out.

1. Get familiar with the Chord Progression.
2. Learn the melody Square
3. Piece it together.

I'm At Step 2 Above
I'm trying to work out the fundamental melody notes from the tab.
I'm not sure how to identify the basic melody notes from the filler notes.

The notes I've circled for the melody seem like too many (doesn't sound right).
Also, got stuck at measure 13 wasn't sure what notes to circle as melody notes there either.

Click Image To Enlarge

[thereshopeyet]

Thanks for commenting on "Hark The Herald Angels Sing" in the weekly news news.
Mmmmm..... I see what you mean..... I did circle a lot the notes ! :S

Identifying the bass notes I understand, strings 6,5 and 4 notes.
I'm not sure what you mean when you say the bass notes outline the melody ?

If I've got the bass notes that leaves ..... melody and filler notes.....

Assuming I Don't Know The Melody When Reading A New Piece of Notation
So is there a rule of thumb to striping the notation back to basic melody only ?

Sorry for being dense :dry: but it comes naturally

I don't really want to jump ahead in the lesson until I understand how to figure this out.

Please help before you go away for a fortnight !

:ohmy:

[willem]

Hi Dermot, when looking to sheetmusic then the notes with the stem up are the melody notes, thats what I have learned.
Don't know if that will help but!!

Willem

[thereshopeyet]

Hello Willem

Thanks for the reply.

If you look at the notation picture in my first post, I circled all the up strokes.
The result was that all notes were circled ! ( except the ties).

That then had me puzzled ..... so some of them must be filler notes, but which ones.

Your clue in the Weekly News Forum Topic is syncopation does that mean every second note is a filler note?

Dermot

[willem]

thereshopeyet wrote:

Hello Willem

Thanks for the reply.

If you look at the notation picture in my first post, I circled all the up strokes.
The result was that all notes were circled ! ( except the ties).

That then had me puzzled ..... so some of them must be filler notes, but which ones.

Your clue in the Weekly News Forum Topic is syncopation does that mean every second note is a filler note?

Dermot

I am not sure, when I have time I will follow the lesson but you said also "it did'nt sound right" so you know the melody in your head?
with syncopation i understand that the note must ring and if there is a filler note you must hit it soft and it must be one lower then the melody note.

Willem

[willem]

Hi Dermot, I'm back and followed the whole show, now I really don't know what your point is 'cos Neil told everything,first he starts of with basic melody(the real melody of the song?) And then will bring you with some playing ideas to the ragtime feel/style. My point with the stem up are melody notes is not from any use 'cos in the tab are the filler notes also written with the stem up, so its better to know the melody good or maybe the lyric, and then try to understand the melody vs filler.

Willem

[thereshopeyet]

Hi Willem

I was just making the assumption that if I didn't know a melody, could I analyse any notation and break it down into bass, melody, and filler notes.

Thanks for commenting and help.

[TGNesh]

Leaving out vital information.......