GREENSLEEVES
Here are two versions of Greensleeves. The first is a simple classical style arrangement consisting of melody and bass with some additional harmony notes. The second is a more elaborate folk fingerstyle version that should be played with an improvised feel. Both versions can be downloaded as a PDF file for easier offline use.
Version 1
Greensleeves - Playing Tips for Learners
The first version of Greensleeves is a straightforward bass and melody, classical-style arrangement. It's easy to play as it stays within the first three frets at all times. Most of the notes are reachable simply by holding the nut position chord shapes marked above the notation staff. The advantage of being able to hold familiar chord shapes while playing the song is that you can improvise, too, to give it more of a folk fingerstyle feel. You can improvise by filling in with eighth notes between the melody notes using chord tones of the current chord. You can also bring in non-chord tones as passing notes.
The chord tones of each chord are:
The Melody
Emphasise the melody so that it sounds clear of the bass. You can do that quite effectively if you use rest stroke. Rest stroke, in case you don't know, is a classical guitar technique where you pluck the strings in such a way that your finger then comes to rest on the string above. It's a more forceful stroke that is useful for emphasising the melody and, if you're playing on nylon strings, it also brings out a noticeably fuller tone. The bass notes are shown in the notation with downward pointing stems. All are played with your (picking-hand) thumb.
Time Signature
The time signature in this particular arrangement is 3/4, so if you want to improvise with fill-in 8th notes, the count will be 1 & 2 & 3 & for every bar or measure. You don't have to fill every beat with 8th notes, though. Use your discretion. It's also possible to feel every two bars as a single bar of 6/8, which has more of a two-beat lilt if you up the tempo a little. Remember to spread or roll some chords for more of a lute-like 'olde worlde' effect.
Key and Mode
To all intents and purposes, Greensleeves is in a minor key. It's actually a Dorian mode melody that through the ages has acquired a more modern minor key treatment. Dorian mode songs are those composed with the notes of the Dorian mode, one of several medieval 'scales' that were used before our current major-minor key system became the standard way of composing for the next four-hundred years. The original Dorian mode consisted of the notes D E F G A B C - with D as the principal note, called the 'final' and similar to the tonic or key-note of the major minor system. The original Dorian mode (D Dorian) is very similar to the key of D minor except that the 6th note of the Dorian mode is B, not Bb, which is the 6th note of D minor.
This arrangement is a transposition to A Dorian. The notes of A Dorian are A B C D E F# G. As you can see, there's no G#, but there are a few in the song. That's the result of chromatically raising G, the 7th note, to G# so that it will act as a leading note that moves strongly up to the key note, or converts the naturally occurring E minor chord (E G B) to the stronger, E major (E G# B). The use of E moving to A minor in the harmony is stronger than E minor progressing to Am, so composers began adopting it until it became standard practice. This practice is where the 'harmonic minor' scale comes from, and chromatic changes like this are what led to the modes evolving into our modern major and minor keys. The use of F major as a chord in A Dorian is another example of minorisation.
The first version of Greensleeves is a straightforward bass and melody, classical-style arrangement. It's easy to play as it stays within the first three frets at all times. Most of the notes are reachable simply by holding the nut position chord shapes marked above the notation staff. The advantage of being able to hold familiar chord shapes while playing the song is that you can improvise, too, to give it more of a folk fingerstyle feel. You can improvise by filling in with eighth notes between the melody notes using chord tones of the current chord. You can also bring in non-chord tones as passing notes.
The chord tones of each chord are:
- A minor - A C E
- C major - C E G
- G major - G B D
- E minor - E G B
- E major - E G# B
- F major - F A C
The Melody
Emphasise the melody so that it sounds clear of the bass. You can do that quite effectively if you use rest stroke. Rest stroke, in case you don't know, is a classical guitar technique where you pluck the strings in such a way that your finger then comes to rest on the string above. It's a more forceful stroke that is useful for emphasising the melody and, if you're playing on nylon strings, it also brings out a noticeably fuller tone. The bass notes are shown in the notation with downward pointing stems. All are played with your (picking-hand) thumb.
Time Signature
The time signature in this particular arrangement is 3/4, so if you want to improvise with fill-in 8th notes, the count will be 1 & 2 & 3 & for every bar or measure. You don't have to fill every beat with 8th notes, though. Use your discretion. It's also possible to feel every two bars as a single bar of 6/8, which has more of a two-beat lilt if you up the tempo a little. Remember to spread or roll some chords for more of a lute-like 'olde worlde' effect.
Key and Mode
To all intents and purposes, Greensleeves is in a minor key. It's actually a Dorian mode melody that through the ages has acquired a more modern minor key treatment. Dorian mode songs are those composed with the notes of the Dorian mode, one of several medieval 'scales' that were used before our current major-minor key system became the standard way of composing for the next four-hundred years. The original Dorian mode consisted of the notes D E F G A B C - with D as the principal note, called the 'final' and similar to the tonic or key-note of the major minor system. The original Dorian mode (D Dorian) is very similar to the key of D minor except that the 6th note of the Dorian mode is B, not Bb, which is the 6th note of D minor.
This arrangement is a transposition to A Dorian. The notes of A Dorian are A B C D E F# G. As you can see, there's no G#, but there are a few in the song. That's the result of chromatically raising G, the 7th note, to G# so that it will act as a leading note that moves strongly up to the key note, or converts the naturally occurring E minor chord (E G B) to the stronger, E major (E G# B). The use of E moving to A minor in the harmony is stronger than E minor progressing to Am, so composers began adopting it until it became standard practice. This practice is where the 'harmonic minor' scale comes from, and chromatic changes like this are what led to the modes evolving into our modern major and minor keys. The use of F major as a chord in A Dorian is another example of minorisation.
Greensleeves - Improvised Fingerstyle Version
Here's the second version of Greensleeves included in the score above. The main difference is in the extra fill in notes, grace notes and tied notes. The tied notes cause a slight lilting effect that gives the melody more of a vocal quality.
Here's the second version of Greensleeves included in the score above. The main difference is in the extra fill in notes, grace notes and tied notes. The tied notes cause a slight lilting effect that gives the melody more of a vocal quality.
Download both versions of Greensleeves as a PDF file for offline viewing and printing.
greensleeves1.pdf | |
File Size: | 524 kb |
File Type: |