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Tutorial - 'Golden Champagne'
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'Golden Champagne' - Main melody

Rick Graham 210 lessons

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OK, welcome to the first part of this tutorial.

The first thing thing I want you to pay attention to is the initial opening phrase or motif which occurs within the first bar and repeats although slightly different in bar 2. This is the motif which will be making various different appearances throughout the track so be sure to pay attention to it so that you can recognise when it reappears again.

The track has a very distinct swing feel which I have notated in the score using 16th notes so please be aware of that as the groove is vital to the piece.

The other vital element to be aware of is how the lines are phrased. I am usually very liberal when it comes to the left and right hands however I'd like you to pay close attention to how I have notated it so practice it as I have notated here, in particular the left hand.

Just before and during bar 9 I purposely included a vocal like phrase which reflects the words Gol-den Cham-pagne in the rhythm. Try and bear this in mind as you play it and what I do when I play it is imagine I'm singing those words. It's good fun and very beneficial!

Just before bar 13 I make a pickup change from bridge to neck so see if you caqn incorporate that and try to make a note of how the change of sound affects the melody.

Technically, the challenges you'll face are to do with the phrasing so try not to just play the notes from the score. Make an attempt to feel your way into it as you'll get much better results with that mindset.

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