Chords for Simple Gifts (from Rise Up Singing):

D - / A - / D - / A GD // DA D / - A / D - / A GD

Where - means repeat last chord for one more measure / means next line of song // means break in song (eg change to chorus) chords squeezed together means measure has more than one chord (eg GD means half a measure of G, half a measure of D)

(GUESSing, I'd say measures in first verse begin at capitalized words below, chord change in mid measure on light in de*Light, *True and *Right)

tis the Gift to be simple tis the Gift to be free tis the Gift to come down where we Ought to be and When we find ourselves in the Place just right twill Be in the valley of Love and de*Light When *True Simplicity is gained to Bow and to bend we Shan't be ashamed to Turn, turn will be Our delight til by Turning, turning we Come 'round *Right

And just to show that there's more than one set of chords for any song, RUS has a very slightly different set for Lord of the Dance:

D - / A - / D - / A GD // D - / - A / D - / A GD

You can also change the song into an easier key for you to sing in by using a capo to raise the key higher, or getting a pencil and paper and figuring out the chords in a different key. G for example: G - / D - / G - / D CG // G - / - D / G - / D CG It may seem that this method of chord notation isn't as good as putting the chords over the words, but in fact once you get used to it, it's WAY easier. For me, it keeps the melody more seperate in my head. Rise Up Singing uses the notation for about 1200 songs -- you'd probably know at least 10% of the songs -- and the book only costs about US$18. Their teaching tapes for all 1200 songs are now available but are pretty expensive.

Now...the message I tried to send earlier...

Darn. By the time I'd finished writing this, I was shut out of mudcat (pout).

I took one year of instrumental music. It wasn't until years later, when I started on guitar that I found out what rhythm was, or that it occured to me that I should have been listening to my trombone instead of blindly sliding it to positions similar to those shown in the book. (I'm a little pissed off with my music teacher, eh?)

It sounds like you already know the most basic idea: the melody and accompaniment are separate beasts. Until you've been playing for a long, long time, it's best to just keep a steady ryhthm on the accompaniment as your voice slides where it will through the melody.

G is made of G B D notes. What notes can be in the melody while playing a G chord? ANY notes that sound good to you. If you try to pick out the melody of a song, you'll find that while the suggested chord is G, many of the melody notes are G B or D, but most probably, those WON'T be the only notes.

Regarding chords, I don't think there IS any trick.

Usually, many different sets of chords are available for each melody. Some sets of chords sound better than others. Many only sound better to SOME people. Some people even prefer certain chords because of the exact notes which are emphasized when playing that chord on a particular instrument. (One woman I know thinks C7 on a guitar is an awful 7th chord.) Very complex sets of chords usually have to be memorized. However, like series of chess moves which are much easier to memorize if you've played chess a lot, sets of chords get easier to memorize as you play chords a lot. (One odd thing I've noticed too: I can memorize lyrics quickly and chords slowly. But I usually forget the lyrics first!) For simple songs though...

I just memorized chords or had a song-sheet in front of me for at least a three years. At some point I realized I just "knew" when to change for two chord songs. After seven and a half years, I still make occasional mistakes with three chord songs. However, now I'm sometimes able to make my way through five chord (or more) songs without any conscious thought about what chords to play. I'm especially good at fudging my way through songs in certain keys. Songs in G for example, often use G, C, D, sometimes Bm, Am, occasionally Em, D7... and somehow, my brain has figured out how to jump around between these chords. Try a song in E though, and my fingers may freeze if there are more than E, A and B7 are needed. Theory is all fine and dandy for figuring out chords with pencil and paper in hand, but figuring them out on the fly? Fudging chords to songs -- I think it all comes down to talent and practice, practice, practice.

A final note about chords: they mess up a lot of nice harmonies that are available when singing a capella. (I was glad to hear this confirmed by the pro's on two of the Rise Up Singing teaching tapes.) Listen to the Christmas carols you hear this week and try to figure out: were the best ones accompanied or unaccompanied. I heard the BEST ever version of Silent Night I've ever taken part in. Twenty or so voices. And no damn instruments. And what a fantastic group feeling.