UCL2 WEEK 6 [T2-23]

WEEK 6

This week you will explore the fantastic Blondie song, DREAMING, which contains a simple chord progression but has a few stops and starts here and there.

DREAMING

The lyrics to DREAMING were initiated by Blondie's guitarist Chris Stein. He wrote the music for this song and came up with the line "dreaming is free." Then lead singer Debbie Harry wrote the rest of the lyrics after hearing the chord progression tracks for the songs.

The chords contained in this song combine open chords with some alternative chord voicing's for C & F and during the chorus sections, there are some added 9th patterns which sound great:

The Gb is a walk down chord that takes you from G - F major. Notice the red cross above the G String? This means that you do not play the G string for that one chord. Watch the videos below for guidance.

DREAMING - Song PDF

STRUMMING PATTERNS

There are a few interchangeable strumming patterns within this song arrangement so for a detailed breakdown, download the structure and watch the video tutorials below:

Song Structure

VIDEO TUTORIALS

INTRO SECTION

Start with calypso on C then complete the two-bar pattern on F using the alternative chord voicings below for this section only. Notice how the C major chord at fret number 3 is exactly the same shape as a Bb. It is slightly easier to play than a Bb because there is not as much string tension from the nut at fret 3. The F major is exactly the same as a barred D major shape but played on fret number 5.

VERSE 1 & 2 SECTIONS

The verse sections contain calypso strum for all except the final two bars of F as follows:

CHORUS SECTIONS

In the chorus sections you will follow the same 2-bar strumming pattern as the verses except in the second bar of each chord you will play an Added 9th note in the chord. This just means you add a D note to the C major and a G note to the F major - but don't fret about the technicalities - just play the shapes below:

BRIDGE SECTION

This is where we get a bit more technical. Notice how the F chords come in on beat 2 of the bar each time they are played. For the second bar of F you don’t need to play anything but if it helps to play muted strings then that will work just fine. Check out the video tutorial for more info.

VERSE 3 SECTION

Again, there are some single strums here and blank bars where you don’t need to play anything at all. It can often be difficult to leave space when strumming, but spaces are just as important as the strums themselves and really work those dynamic features of the song.

OUTRO SECTION

Play the same as the chorus sections twice round and then complete the final set as illustrated below going from the 3rd - 5th – 7th fret for the C chords for the final 2 sets of C as follows: