Paul | Guitar Lessons and Performance

America the Beautiful

Lyrics, notation and chord charts here!

“America the Beautiful” is a patriotic American song. Its lyrics were written by Katharine Lee Bates and its music was composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward at Grace Episcopal Church in Newark, New Jersey. The two never met.

Bates wrote the words as a poem, originally entitled “Pikes Peak”. It was first published in the Fourth of July 1895 edition of the church periodical, The Congregationalist. At that time, the poem was entitled “America”.

Ward had initially composed the song’s melody in 1882 to accompany lyrics to “Materna”, basis of the hymn, “O Mother dear, Jerusalem”, though the hymn was not first published until 1892. The combination of Ward’s melody and Bates’s poem was first entitled “America the Beautiful” in 1910. The song is one of the most popular of the many American patriotic songs.

Lyrics, notation and chord charts here.

Paul2026-07-01T19:11:53-04:00

God Bless America

God Bless America

“God Bless America” is an American patriotic song written by Irving Berlin in 1918 during World War I and revised by him in 1938 in the period leading up to World War II. The later version was recorded by Kate Smith, becoming her signature song.

The song is structured as a prayer, with introductory lyrics noting that “as we raise our voices, in a solemn prayer,” and asks for God’s blessing and guidance for the nation (“stand beside her and guide her through the night”).

Irving Berlin wrote the song at the end of World War I while serving in the U.S. Army at Camp Upton in Yaphank, New York. He decided that it did not fit a planned revue titled Yip Yip Yaphank and set it aside. The early lyrics included the line “Make her victorious on land and foam, God bless America…” as well as “Stand beside her and guide her to the right with the light from above”.

Music critic Jody Rosen has noted that a 1906 Jewish dialect novelty song, “When Mose with His Nose Leads the Band,” contains a six-note fragment that is “instantly recognizable as the opening strains of ‘God Bless America'”. He interprets this as an example of Berlin’s habit of interpolating fragments of […]

Paul2026-06-08T20:29:49-04:00

How to play “Country Roads” fingerstyle on guitar

How to play country roads fingerstyle on guitar This is a great John Denver tune – beloved around the world and not too hard to get under your hand. “Country Roads” is a terrific introduction to finger-style guitar playing because the changes are easy and the melody is so identifiable. And if you’re just getting started with reading tabs you can learn the melody line pretty quickly. Here’s a sheet with chords, tabs and notation for “Take me home, country roads” for guitar in the key of C.

This pdf has chord shapes with finger positions for the chords. country roads chords

Don’t concern about what you’ve played, concern yourself about what you’re playing

Paul2026-06-08T20:29:39-04:00

Wish You Were Here

This audio file has a click track to help you stay on time!

wish you were here chords, tabs notation for part 1

Wish You Were Here is the ninth studio album by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 12 September 1975 through Harvest Records in the United Kingdom and a day later in the United States through Columbia Records, as the band’s first album for the label. Based on material composed while performing in Europe, Wish You Were Here was recorded over numerous sessions throughout 1975 at EMI Studios in London.

The lyrics express longing, alienation, and sardonic criticism of the music industry. The bulk of the album is taken up by “Shine On You Crazy Diamond“, a nine-part tribute to Syd Barrett, a Pink Floyd co-founder who had left seven years earlier due to his deteriorating mental health; Barrett coincidentally visited the studio during recording. As with their previous release, The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Pink Floyd employed studio effects and synthesisers. Guest singers included Roy Harper, who sang lead on “Have a Cigar“, and Venetta Fields, who sang backing vocals on “Shine On You Crazy Diamond”. To promote the album, Pink Floyd released the double A-side single “Have a Cigar” / “

Paul2026-06-29T13:44:04-04:00

On The Bus To Galway

On the Bus to Galway

Galway is a vibrant, bohemian city located on the west coast of Ireland, widely celebrated as the country’s cultural and musical heart. Known affectionately as the “City of the Tribes” because it was historically ruled by 14 merchant families, it beautifully balances its rich medieval past with a lively, youthful energy fueled by its large university student population.

Key Highlights of the City

The Latin Quarter:
This medieval neighborhood features winding, cobblestone streets packed with colorful shop facades, independent boutiques, and legendary traditional Irish pubs.

Live Music & Busking:

High-spirited street musicians (buskers) line the pedestrian areas, while traditional music sessions (seisiúns) pour out of lively pubs like Tigh Neáchtain and Tig Cóilí every night.

Spanish Arch:

Built in 1584, this historic stone arch sits on the banks of the River Corrib and serves as a proud reminder of Galway’s medieval trade networks.

Salthill Promenade:

A scenic 2km coastal walkway along Galway Bay, where locals love to stroll, look out at the Aran Islands, and participate in the tradition of “kicking the wall” at the end of the path.Bilingual Identity: Galway is situated next to Ireland’s largest Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking region), making it a unique hub where you will frequently hear the Irish language spoken.

Festivals:

The city hosts massive global events, most notably the Galway International Arts Festival every summer […]

Paul2026-06-15T11:22:45-04:00

Chord of the Day: Am6

Download the Am6 PDF sheet

Minor chords- often you hear them described as “sad” compared to major chords, and that might be true but when you add a 6th into the mix you get something magical. Mysterious, plaintive, moody… the minor 6th has a very evocative sound, to me anyway.

On the left hand side we get the root from the open A string and the 2nd fret of the G string. 2nd fret of D string gives us E, 1st fret of B string for C and 2nd fret of E string for F#.

On the right, 5th fret of E gives us A (both E strings) as well as the 7th fret of the D string. The 5th fret of the G string gives us our minor 3rd which is C. 7th fret of A string provides the E (fifth), and 7th fret of B string gives us the F#.

Have some fun with this lovely chord!

Paul2026-06-08T20:28:45-04:00

Folsom Prison Blues

Download PDF with tabs, chords and lyrics

folsom_prison_blues
“Folsom Prison Blues” is a song by American singer-songwriter Johnny Cash, based on material composed by Gordon Jenkins. Written in 1953, it was first recorded and released as a single in 1955, and later included on his debut studio album Johnny Cash with His Hot and Blue Guitar! (1957), as the album’s 11th track. The song combines elements from two popular folk styles, the train song and the prison song, both of which Cash continued to use for the rest of his career. It was one of Cash’s signature songs. Additionally, this recording was included on the compilation album All Aboard the Blue Train (1962). In June 2014, Rolling Stone ranked it number 51 on its list of the 100 greatest country songs of all time.

Cash performed the song live to a crowd of inmates at California’s Folsom State Prison in 1968 for his live album At Folsom Prison (1968), released through Columbia Records. This version became a number-one hit on the country music charts and reached number 32 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the same year. This version also won the Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male, at the 11th Annual Grammy Awards in 1969.

Original 1955 recording

Cash was inspired to write this song after seeing the movie Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison (1951) while serving in West Germany in the United States Air Force at Landsberg, Bavaria (itself the location of […]

Paul2026-06-08T20:22:32-04:00

Continental Divide

Continental Divide music sheet

This composition came out of a trip to Yellowstone with Mrs. E. We had a pretty fantastic time! But the title has more to do with the current state of affairs in the US; we are, quite literally a divided continent.

this piece was composed using Musescore, a free notation/composition/music tool.

Paul2026-06-08T20:28:37-04:00

Every Time We Say Goodby

ev’ry time we say goodby

“Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye” is a popular jazz song with lyrics and music by Cole Porter. Part of the Great American Songbook, it was published by Chappell & Company and introduced by Nan Wynn and Jere McMahon in 1944 in Billy Rose’s musical revue Seven Lively Arts.

The lyrics celebrate how happy the singer is in the company of the beloved, but suffering equally whenever the two separate. Describing it by analogy as a musical “change from major to minor”, Porter begins with an A♭ major chord and ends with an A♭ minor chord, matching the mood of the music to the words.

The Benny Goodman Quintet (vocal by Peggy Mann) enjoyed a hit record with the song in 1945.

“The easiest way to avoid wrong notes is to never open your mouth and sing. What a mistake that would be.” – Pete Seeger

Paul2026-06-17T07:18:07-04:00

How do lessons with Paul work exactly?

How do lessons with Paul work, exactly?

I offer in-person and online lessons, and the process is slightly different, depending.

In either case, you’re probably interested in playing a particular song, or maybe a couple of ’em. If you’ll give me a couple of choices I’ll pick one and break it down into manageable sections* based on your interest, aptitude and level of experience. We tackle it one piece at a time, at whatever speed is comfortable for you.

During the online lesson I’ll help you figure out any parts you’re having trouble with. Split screen video show both hands and my face, so you can hear and see just what I’m doing. The video is recorded and available to you after the lesson, along with a synopsis, action items and significant take-aways, courtesy of Fathom the online AI teaching assistant I use.

In-person lessons are very useful for brand-new guitarists! You can get a sense of how to hold the instrument, tuning, finger position, music theory as it pertains to guitar playing and much more.

Sign up for your first free lesson here:

Guitar Lessons In-Person

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* how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!

“I believe every guitar player inherently has something unique about their playing. They just have to identify what makes them different and develop it.” – B.B. King

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Paul2026-06-08T20:28:30-04:00

About Paul

Key Highlights of the City

Live Music & Busking:

Spanish Arch:

Salthill Promenade:

Festivals:

Original 1955 recording

How do lessons with Paul work, exactly?