Brown Eyed Girl Guitar Lesson.
Brown Eyed Girl. Song Background
If you ask anyone to name a Van Morrison song, you can bet your bottom dollar most people would say Brown Eyed Girl. The iconic intro (using double-stops) along with the unforgettable melody and sublime lyrics, make this a must learn easy guitar song.
Brown Eyed Girl was written by Morrison, recorded in March 1967 and released as a single in June 1967, peaking at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. It has been recorded by hundreds of artists and, believe you me, this is not an exaggeration.
The song’s nostalgic lyrics about a former love were considered too suggestive at the time to be played on many radio stations. A radio-edit of the song was released which removed the lyrics “making love in the green grass”, replacing them with “laughin’ and a-runnin’, hey hey” from a previous verse. This edited version appears on some copies of the compilation album The Best of Van Morrison.
Have a listen to the original version of Van Morrison playing Brown Eyed Girl to really get a feel for the song
Brown Eyed Girl Guitar Overview
Simple chords and strumming patterns mean Brown Eyed Girl is a must for all beginner guitarists, and is all the more appetising because of the sing-a-long chorus. A few beers, campfire burning and willing joiners to “your” tune. What is there not to like?
Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you get started.
1. Brown Eyed Girl Chords
The chords for Brown Eyed Girl are not too complicated to learn, and the rhythm pattern is relatively straightforward. However, if you listen intently enough, you will hear the great underlying electric guitar which picks out notes that resemble the actual melody. Once you learn to play the song, it will enable you to ramp up your skills to the next level and have a crack at playing the intro and underlying picking guitar.
The original was recorded at 148bpm. Chord diagrams generated from Guitar Toolkit (a great App!)
2. Brown Eyed Girl Strumming Pattern
Practice strumming the chords. Once you are comfortable with the chords, it’s time to start strumming them. “Brown Eyed Girl” has a fairly simple strumming pattern, which consists of downstrokes on the downbeats and upstrokes on the upbeats. Start by strumming each chord four times, using a steady, even tempo
The basic pattern looks like this: D D U U D U. And to help you along, here is the structure of the song.
Step 3: Brown Eyed Girl Verse & Chorus
Add in the verse and chorus. Now that you have the basic chord progression and strumming pattern down, it’s time to start learning the verse and chorus of the song. The verse consists of four lines of lyrics, each of which is followed by the chord progression. The chorus is a bit more complex, as it consists of four lines of lyrics followed by the chord progression and then a final line of lyrics.
Step 4: Brown Eyed Girl Lead Licks
Practice the lead guitar part. “Brown Eyed Girl” features a simple, yet catchy lead guitar part that plays over the top of the chord progression. This part consists of a series of short, bluesy licks that are played using a combination of single notes and double stops. To play this part, you will need to practice your alternate picking and bending techniques.
Step 5: Put it all together. Once you have mastered the chords, strumming pattern, verse, chorus, and lead guitar part, it’s time to put it all together and play the full song. Start by playing through the verse and chorus a few times to get a feel for the overall structure of the song. Then, add in the lead guitar part wherever it appears in the song. With a bit of practice, you should be able to play “Brown Eyed Girl” from start to finish.
By familiarising yourself with the chords, practicing the strumming pattern, learning the verse and chorus, and practicing the lead guitar part, you should be able to Brown Eyed Girl on Guitar with confidence in no time.
Brown Eyed Girl Song Lyrics
Intro
G … C … G … D7 … X 2
Verse 1
G C
Hey where did we go
G D
Days when the rains came
G C
Down in a hollow
G D
Playing a new game
G C
Laughing and a-running, hey hey
G D
Skipping and a-jumping
G C
In the misty morning fog with
G D
Our hearts a-thumpin’
Pre-Chorus
C D G Em
And you … my brown-eyed girl
C D G D7
You’re my … brown-eyed girl
Verse 2
G C
And whatever happened
G D
To Tuesday and so slow
G C
Going down the old mine with-a
G D
Transistor radio
G C
Standing in the sunlight laughing
G D
Hiding behind a rainbow’s wall
G C
Slippin’ and a-slidin’
G D
All along the waterfall
Pre-Chorus
C D G Em
With you … my brown-eyed girl
C D G D7
You’re my … brown-eyed girl
Chorus
D7
Do you remember when … we used to sing
G C G D
Sha la la la la la la la la la la ti da… just like that
G C G D G
Sha la la la la la la la la la la ti da… la ti da
Break
G … C … G … D …
G C
So hard to find my way
G D
Now that I’m all on my own
G C
I thought it just the other day
G D
My how you have grown
G C
Cast my memory back there, Lord
G D
Sometimes I’m overcome thinkin’ about it
G C
Making love in the green grass
G D
Behind the stadium
Pre-Chorus (Repeat)
Chorus (Repeat)
Now it’s all down to you – so watch the video lesson to nail this completely.
——————————————
