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How to play gentle on my mind. This part 1 lesson is for solo guitar fingerstyle and includes tablature

How to play “Gentle on my mind” fingerstyle guitar.

tab for Gentle on my mind

“Gentle on My Mind” is a song that was written and originally recorded by John Hartford, and released on his second studio album, Earthwords & Music (1967). Hartford composed the song after watching Doctor Zhivago in 1966, as he was inspired by the film and his own personal experiences. The lyrics describe the reminiscences of lost love of a man as he travels through the country. The following year, Hartford released the song as a single on RCA Records.

It then caught the attention of Glen Campbell, who recorded his cover version with a group of session musicians known as the Wrecking Crew. Campbell’s cover of “Gentle on My Mind” peaked in the top 30 on Billboard’s Hot Country Singles chart. In 1968, between Campbell’s and Hartford’s recordings, the song earned four Grammy Awards. It ended up being popularized by Campbell, whose version became by 2001 the second-most-played song on the radio in the United States.

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Song lesson list

I’ve made lessons for literally hundreds of songs for students over the years- all different types of music, different genres and differing levels of complexity. Check out the song list page linked above and see if there’s something there you’d like to cover. Many of them have a combination of chord and lyric sheets, lead sheets, video lessons and style examples.  If you’re interested in a song you don’t see, let me know!

Paul Elwood
Paul ElwoodPaul Elwood Guitar Coach
I most enjoy the interaction between myself and my students. There is something profoundly cool about helping a guitarist or a uke player on their own path. I find working with beginners- especially adult beginners- is both humbling and fulfilling. I like to think I offer excellent customer service! I truly enjoy working with people who are either looking to take up this wonderful instrument or improve their playing. My remote students get a combination of real-time coaching and personal customized video lessons and in-person students get the advantage of one-to-one focused attention, of course. We start out with a goal -usually a song you want to learn- decide when we’ll meet, and figure out how long it’s going to take to get it the way you want.