Paul | Guitar Lessons and Performance - Paul Elwood

How to play I’ve got the world on a string

lead sheet with lyrics I’ve got the world on a string

“I’ve Got The World on a String” is a 1932 popular jazz song composed by Harold Arlen, with lyrics written by Ted Koehler. It was written for the twenty-first edition of the Cotton Club series which opened on October 23, 1932, the first of the Cotton Club Parades.

The song was recorded and popularized by Cab Calloway who had a #18 hit in 1932. Bing Crosby recorded the song on January 26, 1933, with the Dorsey Brothers and their Orchestra.

The song was one of the first recorded by Frank Sinatra when he transferred to Capitol Records in 1953. His recording on April 30, 1953, with an orchestra conducted by Nelson Riddle reached #14 on Billboard’s most played list.

Paul2026-03-09T18:16:56-04:00

How to play over beautiful love changes

Beautiful Love chord changes. How to play beautiful love over a backing track.

“Beautiful Love” is a popular song composed by Wayne King, Victor Young and Egbert Van Alstyne with lyrics by Haven Gillespie. It was introduced by the Wayne King Orchestra in 1931. The song has been called the “second favourite number” of King, after the Orchestra’s theme song “The Waltz You Saved for Me”.

As a popular jazz standard, the song is included in the first volume of the Real Book as well as the New Real Book.

It appears as a love theme both in the 1932 film The Mummy (when it is played during the ball sequence where Helen is telepathically called to the museum), and in the film Hotel Continental, also 1932. The song is included in the film Sing a Jingle (1944) and it was also included in the 1989 film Crimes and Misdemeanors by Woody Allen.

Joe Pass performed the song at the Brecon Jazz Festival in 1991 and stated in good jest that he couldn’t remember if it was by Victor Herbert, Victor Young or Victor Mature.

Versions of this song:

Bing Crosby recorded the song on July 24, 1944 with Victor Young and His Orchestra for Decca Records.
Anita O’Day – for […]

Paul2026-05-02T09:53:00-04:00

How to play wonderful world- Sam Cooke

Play wonderful world for solo acoustic guitar, Sam Cooke version. Composed by Lou Adler/Herb Alpert

Chords and lyrics

A great song to do fingerstyle in the key of B. “Wonderful World” (occasionally referred to as “(What A) Wonderful World”) is a song by American singer-songwriter Sam Cooke. Released on April 14, 1960, by Keen Records, it had been recorded during an impromptu session the previous year in March 1959, at Sam Cooke’s last recording session at Keen. He signed with RCA Victor in 1960 and “Wonderful World,” then unreleased, was issued as a single in competition. The song was mainly composed by songwriting team Lou Adler and Herb Alpert, but Cooke revised the lyrics to mention the subject of education more. “Wonderful World” ended up doing substantially better on the charts than several of his early RCA singles, becoming his biggest hit single since “You Send Me” (1957). The song peaked at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and hit number two on Billboard’s Hot R&B Sides chart. Herman’s Hermits charted with their recording of the song in 1965, reaching number one in Canada, number four in the United States, and number seven in the United Kingdom, respectively. A remake by Art Garfunkel with James Taylor and Paul Simon charted at number 17 in 1978. The Sam Cooke version was featured in the […]

Paul2026-04-15T07:51:42-04:00

How to play best of my love

How to play “Best of My Love”

“Best of My Love” is a song written by Don Henley, Glenn Frey, and J. D. Souther. It was originally recorded by the Eagles (with Henley singing lead vocals), and included on their 1974 album On the Border. The song was released as the third single from the album, and it became the band’s first Billboard Hot 100 number 1 single in March 1975. The song also topped the easy listening (adult contemporary) chart for one week a month earlier.[3] Billboard ranked it as the number 12 song for 1975.

In 2009, J.D. Souther said of the writing of “Best of My Love”: “Glenn found the tune; the tune I think came from a Fred Neil record… We were working on that album (On the Border) and came to London. The three of us were writing it and were on deadline to get it finished. I don’t know where we got the inspiration.” Glenn Frey recalled: “I was playing acoustic guitar one afternoon in Laurel Canyon, and I was trying to figure out a tuning that Joni Mitchell had shown me a couple of days earlier. I got lost and ended up with the guitar tuning for what would later turn out to be ‘The Best of My Love.'” According to Henley, most of the lyrics were written while […]

Paul2026-05-02T10:00:08-04:00

How to play bye bye blackbird

How to play “Bye bye blackbird”

Bye bye blackbird C chord changes and lyrics

“Bye Bye Blackbird” is a song published in 1926 by Jerome H. Remick and written by composer Ray Henderson and lyricist Mort Dixon. It is considered a popular standard and was first recorded by Sam Lanin’s Dance Orchestra in March 1926.Popular recordings in 1926 were by Nick Lucas, Gene Austin, Benny Krueger, and by Leo Reisman. It was the number 16 song of 1926 according to Pop Culture Madness.

The song was featured in the 1955 movie musical Pete Kelly’s Blues, sung by Peggy Lee in the role of alcoholic jazz singer Rose Hopkins.

In “Goodbye Nkrumah” (1966) Beat poet Diane Di Prima asks:

And yet, where would we be without the American culture
Bye bye blackbird, as Miles plays it, in the ’50s

In 1982, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) posthumously awarded John Coltrane a “Best Jazz Solo Performance” Grammy for the work on his album Bye Bye Blackbird.

Recordings of the song often include only the chorus; the verses are far less known.

Segregationists opposed to the American Civil Rights Movement, notably at the Selma to Montgomery marches, played the song over loudspeakers as a taunt. What kind of douchebag would you have to be do that?

more Kia and Paul at htttps://paulelwood.com/kia […]

Paul2026-05-21T07:52:48-04:00

How to play beyond the sea

download Beyond the Sea PDF

How to play beyond the sea.

“Beyond the Sea” is the English-language version of the French song “La Mer” by Charles Trenet, popularized by Bobby Darin in 1959. While the French original was an ode to the sea, Jack Lawrence – who composed the English lyrics – turned it into a love song.

“Beyond the Sea” has been recorded by many artists, but Bobby Darin’s version released in late 1959 is the best known by many, reaching No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, No. 15 on the US R&B Chart, and No. 8 in the UK Singles Chart. in early 1960.

Before Bobby Darin’s version, two instrumental recordings reached the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. Benny Goodman’s version charted in 1948, and was featured in the Cary Grant/Betsy Drake romantic comedy Every Girl Should Be Married. Roger Williams’ recording reached No. 37 in 1955.[

The first recording of “Beyond the Sea” was by Harry James and His Orchestra on December 22, 1947, and the first recording of “La Mer” was by French jazz musician Roland Gerbeau in December 1945.

American R&B singer George Benson recorded an R&B version of the song under the title “Beyond The Sea (La Mer).” It was released on Warner Bros. This version entered the UK Singles […]

Paul2026-03-10T11:31:40-04:00

Midnight rambler

Here’s a classic that’s not too hard to play- midnight rambler. My favorite part is b3rd over the E chord- in first-position E that’s the G on the 3rd fret of the 1 string, and you can hear in on the lyric “hear” in the line “did you HEAR about the midnight rambler”. To play this tune you just need an E (with the G on top), an A and a D, all in the first position. Playing the tune like this is a pretty good and fairly simple way to use a fingerstyle technique so that the melody pops out on top of the rhythm. Enjoy!

“Midnight Rambler” is a song by English rock band the Rolling Stones, released on their 1969 album Let It Bleed. The song is a loose biography of Albert DeSalvo, who confessed to being the Boston Strangler.

Keith Richards has called the number “a blues opera” and the quintessential Jagger-Richards song, stating in the 2012 documentary Crossfire Hurricane that “nobody else could have written that song.”

On the composing of the song, Mick Jagger said in a 1995 interview with Rolling Stone,

That’s a song Keith and I really wrote together. We were on a holiday in Italy. In this very beautiful hill town, Positano, for a few nights. […]

Paul2026-04-23T15:14:59-04:00

Winter Wonderland

Download the lead sheet with chord diagrams, notation, tabs and lyrics for “Winter Wonderland” in the key of D .

Follow the video along with the tabs to play this wonderful holiday tune for yourself!

“Winter Wonderland” is a song written in 1934 by Felix Bernard and lyricist Richard Bernhard Smith. Due to its seasonal theme, it is commonly regarded as a Christmas song in the Northern Hemisphere. Since its original recording by Richard Himber, it has been covered by over 200 different artists. Its lyrics are about a couple’s romance during winter.

A later version of “Winter Wonderland” (which was printed in 1947) included a “new children’s lyric” that transformed it “from a romantic winter interlude to a seasonal song about playing in the snow”. The snowman mentioned in the song’s bridge was changed from Parson Brown to a circus clown, and the promises the couple made in the final verse were replaced with lyrics about frolicking. Singers such as Johnny Mathis connected both versions, adding a verse and chorus. looking for online guitar lessons? First one is free!

Paul2026-04-01T08:08:40-04:00

Patrick Kerssen pianist

Patrick Kerssen has quickly become a regular on the Central Jersey, Pocono, and Lehigh Valley music scenes. A full time professional musician with a deep understanding of jazz, blues, classical, and popular styles, Patrick’s piano playing is sophisticated and subtle while remaining extremely accessible and engaging.

A college educated music educator (Moravian College, ’18) based in Bethlehem, PA, Patrick teaches a wide variety of genres, and takes piano students of all levels and ages both online and in his home. Whether you want to learn to read Mozart’s piano sonatas, improvise over a jazz tune, or accompany yourself singing rock or pop songs, Patrick’s lessons are tailored to help you meet your individual playing goals and foster a deep understanding of the necessary musical concepts. Contact Patrick to start achieving your musical goals today!

Email: pwkerssen@gmail.com

Phone: 973-934-3854

Contact Patrick for lessons Contact Patrick for performance

Paul2026-08-30T10:03:12-04:00

Arturo Baguer bassist

Arturo Baguer, bassist & bass/ukulele teacher.

Originally from Miami, Arturo grew up in New York area, where he began playing professionally at 17. He has played many kinds of music (cabaret, theater , jazz, rock, top 40, classical, country, blues, Afro-Cuban, cumbia and other Latin styles, Celtic, singer-songwriter, Brazilian). He currently resides in Milford, NJ and is active as player and teacher.

Arturo has extensive experience teaching all ages and levels from 5 year old bass students to retirees. Also very familiar with the demands of High School symphonic, jazz and theatre bands as many of his students are active in these. He has been teaching Double Bass and Bass Guitar for 35 years and tailors his teaching methods to each student’s skills and requirements.

He began touring in Europe in 1993 with folk singer Jack Hardy and plays at festivals and clubs in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland and Italy. He has also toured the U.S. and Canada with various acts.

Arturo has done a variety of theater /cabaret work in New York tri-state area including Tracy Venner Sings (Gypsy), Metronome Tap Allstars, Pippin, Secret Garden, Anything Goes, Frida Kahlo: A Life in Art (Dance), David Barry Hot Band featuring Jane Arthur.

His club date work includes many tri-state bands and agencies including Nite Moves Orchestra, Jason Craig Orchestra, Peter Theodore Orchestra, Hank Lane Orchestras, Sneek […]

Paul2026-08-30T10:03:20-04:00

About Paul

Arturo Baguer, bassist & bass/ukulele teacher.