How to play Song Sung Blue by Neil Diamond
Song Song Blue by Neil Diamond is a sweet, old-school sing-along number that is perfect for intermediate acoustic players and singers who self-accompany with guitar. Inspired by a Mozart melody, the original 1972 version of Song Song Blue was a hit in many countries that became an enduring fan favourite at Diamondβs live shows.
Chords: C C7 G G7 F Dm
Pick or Fingers? Either can work. If playing Song Song Blue finger-style use your index finger for the strumming action on the chords and the thumb for the bass notes. This works particularly well on nylon strings but, as per the original the best choice is steel-string acoustic.
Acoustic or Electric? Best suited to steel-string acoustic guitar but will also work on electric with a nice clean tone. Okay for nylon-string acoustic played finger-style just behind the sound-hole.
Do I need a capo? Not to play the original Neil Diamond version; itβs in the key of C major, as per this chart. Neilβs vocal is in the baritone range which many people who want to sing whilst accompanying themself will find too low. Try using a capo from the 2nd fret up to find a suitable pitch for your vocal range. This chart will work perfectly at whatever fret you fix your capo to.
Is the intro correct? Our suggested arpeggio introduction is based on the electric keyboard intro of the Neil DIamond original. It has a few less short notes but the melodic outline is the same. Hold each bass note as you pick the higher notes that follow it. The suggested chords describe the harmonic outline rather than indicating to hold a full chord for the duration of the bar. Can be finger picked, played with a pick, or hybrid-picked (pick on bass notes, middle and ring fingers for the melody notes).
How does the rhythm work? The rhythm of Song Song Blue is the old-time βcountry swingβ style. Most important to grasp is this means the quavers are not straight equal half-beats; they are treated as as tied triplet on the downstrum followed by a single triplet on the upstrum. This creates the gentle, laid back swing heard on many old-style country/folk songs.
Relevant pages in Modern Guitar Chord Styles 1 : To learn more about the chords and rhythm techniques needed for Song Song Blue see pages 8, 10, 12, 19 - 20 and 39.
Need a bit of help?
Modern Guitar Chord Styles 1 is the perfect companion for our song guides. It will teach you how to read the rhythm slash notation used in our charts (and in professional theatre and studio charts) and is specially designed to help beginners speed up their chord changes, master strumming patterns, and many other techniques.
