How to play My Island Home by Warumpi Band

Song Guides
Written By Michelle Nelson
 
Download the chart here
 

My Island Home by Warumpi Band is the compelling original version of the 1990s hit version by Christine Anu. One of the singles from their 1987 album Go Bush!, the classic Aussie rock vibe to this version of My Island Home makes it a great song for guitarists.

Chords: G C (2 forms of C) D Em Am plus embellishments D4 G4 C2

Why is C played two different ways? The verse of My Island Home uses the chord change from G, played with fingers 2,3,4, to the C that includes the little finger on the 1st string ; be sure to maintain your little finger on the 1st string as you change fro one to the other. The chorus uses the usual plain version of C.

Pick or Fingers? Use a pick on steel strings for stronger, brighter projection, especially on electric but My Island Home can also adapt well to fingerstyle performance on acoustic guitar.

Acoustic or Electric? Electric or steel-string acoustic is the best choice for My Island Home. Will work on nylon strings but you won’t get the bright tone of the original.

How do you count the rhythm? The underlying tempo of My Island Home is only moderate, so the semiquaver strums are not as fast as you may first think. Count the first bar of the verse as β€œ1‍ ‍2 - and-a‍ ‍3-e-and‍ ‍4 - and” In the first bar of the chorus count β€œ1‍ ‍2 - and-a‍ ‍3 - and‍ ‍4 - and” and so on.

Could I play a lead solo to My Island Home? : yes, you could add a solo section (over the verse is best). Use the G Major pentatonic mode to create the classic Country rock style of the original. You could also add some lead fills between the main sections, either with that scale or using picked embellishments on the chords, as per the intro.

Relevant pages in Modern Guitar Chord Styles 1 : to learn more about the chords and suggested rhythms in My Island Home see pages 5, 8, 10 - 14, 20 - 21 and 24 - 25. For an excellent introduction to Electric guitar playing, and to learn more about the TAB presentation used in our charts, check out the very helpful Electric Guitar Solo Style 1

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Michelle Nelson

Michelle Nelson is a professional guitarist, composer, and educator with decades of experience across classical and electric styles. A fully accredited VMTA teacher, she has performed in rock bands, classical ensembles, and plucked string orchestras, and currently composes for the Birrarung Trio and Concordia ensemble. Michelle specialises in Classical (Classical era to Modern), Rock, and Blues guitar, and draws inspiration from artists like Ritchie Blackmore, Jeff Beck, Wes Montgomery, and Mauro Giuliani.

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