Dan Zanes

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Stand By Me


F and A Minor Chords

Dan Zanes Lesson >

Stand By Me > F and A Minor Chords

Greetings friends! We’re hitting the big time now. Yes! We’ve got ourselves a four chord song and it has a minor chord. I’m talking about “Stand By Me” but I could be talking about 80% of the mainstream songs from the doo-wop era. This C-Am-F-G chord progression feels right in every way and I’m excited to show it too you. By now you’re somewhat acquainted with the C and G chords so you’re more than half way there. The F chord that we’re taking on isn’t the easiest trick in the book but you can get it…and once you do, you’re very much over the hump as far as challenging open chords go. The Am is quite simple to play yet it sounds deep and mysterious and is closely connected to the C chord (but more on that later). This is social music we’re talking about and Ben E. King's “Stand by Me” is one of those songs that most people are familiar with and love to sing. You can play it quietly during a romantic midnight moment on a park bench (my ideal scenario) or lead a rowdy sing along on a bus ride. It’s flexible, meaningful, and very, very social. Stick with it here because once you’ve got these chords things start to get A LOT easier!

Dan Zanes

 

 

 

Topics and/or subjects covered in this lesson:
Guitar

Backing Track

Print Print Chords & Tab

Loop 0:00 Run-Through of Stand By Me

 

When the night has come

And the land is dark

And the moon is the only light we'll see

No I won't be afraid, no I won't be afraid

Just as long as you stand, stand by me

And darlin', darlin', stand by me, oh now now stand by me

Stand by me, stand by me

 

If the sky that we look upon

Should tumble and fall

And the mountains should crumble to the sea

I won't cry, I won't cry, no I won't shed a tear

Just as long as you stand, stand by me

And darlin', darlin', stand by me, oh stand by me

Stand by me, stand by me, stand by me

 

Whenever you're in trouble won't you stand by me, oh now now stand by me

Oh stand by me, stand by me, stand by me

Darlin', darlin', stand by me-e, stand by me

Oh stand by me, stand by me, stand by me

 

Loop 1:38 Am and F Chord Breakdown

Loop 5:43 Chord Progression Breakdown

Loop 7:35 Practice Loop of Chord Progression

Loop 8:57 50's Chord Progression

Loop 9:52 Using and Pick and Singing

Loop 11:10 Practice Loop of Playing and Singing

 

Download the Sheet Music PDF

  

Loop 12:14 Getting Your Fingertips

Loop 13:37 Closing Thoughts

 

 

Comments

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Matthew
Matthew Feb 12, 2017

Great song & lesson! Your approach to singing and lyrics is simple yet suprisingly powerful.

Anyways, recorded my own version (played around with some harmony too); would love to hear any feedback you have.

Thanks,

Matthew

Dan Zanes
Dan Zanes Feb 12, 2017

hey there matthew! thank you for that version...i love it! great playing and singing and over all atmosphere. you had a few different ways of moving from the Am to the F and my favorite was around 1:50, that felt like the smoothest transition. there are no wrong answers and it's cool to hear how different players interpret songs but one of the things i look out for is whether or not my playing is supporting the vocal fully or possibly distracting from the vocal. the way you played the progression at 1:50 (and several other points oin the song) was, i thought, fully supporting the vocal. and i love the harmonies too! thanks a lot for this...i look forward to hearing more music from you!

Midnite Mike
Midnite Mike Feb 11, 2017

Good stuff man!

Dan Zanes
Dan Zanes Feb 12, 2017

thank you midnight mike! it's great to be here. the bar has been raised very high so i have my work cut out for me! let me know how you like it as we go along.....

bruno
bruno Feb 11, 2017

Hey Dan! So awesome to have you on the site! I love how you take this simple, old-school song and give it your own voice and personality. Looking forward to following along.

Dan Zanes
Dan Zanes Feb 12, 2017

hey there bruno! thank you for writing in. it's a real honor to be a part of the SJ stable and i appreciate your welcoming words. let me know how you like the lessons as we go here. and what else i can be doing to make them work for you!

Mike Caren
Mike Caren Feb 11, 2017

Hi Dan --- great tune.  I love your thoughts about singing and making the tune your own.  Ben E King's version is amazing and a little intimidating at the same time.  I'm looking forward to learning to sing with you --- and I'm definitely just starting the journey of finding my voice --- so I appreciate your words of encouragement.

Dan Zanes
Dan Zanes Feb 12, 2017

thank you for your good words mike! i'm going to try and break things down to their basic elemants so we can all find our way inside the songs. and i'll be sure to maintain a steady focus on singing as well as playing....keep me filled in on your progress!

 
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