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Originally posted by Mark

Couple thoughts--

For the benefit of anyone interested in learning this song-- in the key of C, the first few melody notes are all found in a C6 chord. With re-entrant tuning, you can play it all with open strings. (Hint: G-A-G-C)

From there, the melody pretty closely follows the chords. Figure it out, and you will learn many important things.

Now, to the question at hand:

To me, using the Fdim (7-8-7-8) as a passing chord doesn't cut it because you are going from a G to an Fdim back to a G.

Nor would an E7+, cuz the melody note is not in that chord. (You'd have to play an E7b9--one voicing of which which looks suspiciously like that Fdim Fran suggested....).

But in both cases you get a g to g# thing going that is difficult to resolve. (Or not-- I happen to love minor seconds.)

The melody note is the 7th of the G (an F on the 8th fret) and the rest of the phrase just walks down the rest of the G7 chord ("Heav-en-ly = 7-5-2). So some kind of a G 7th would be a good way to go.

Try a G11 (aka G7sus): 7-7-8-8. (Which you could call a E7#5b9 if you wanted to force the bass player to play an E note...Or you could play your E+9 this way: 9-8-8-8 -- which kinda sounds cool, depending on where you go next.)

I also like a G9 here= 7-9-7-8.

If you really want to force the bass away from the G, try this:since the F is the third of a Dmin, you can have a sweet little ii7-V7 thing going.

Depending on what else you did leading up to it, this might sound good:

"Sleep" G11 = 0-5-0-5

"in" passing tone at 7, or D9 (5-5-5-7)

"Heav-" Dm7 = 7-9-8-8

"-en-" D11 = 5-7-5-5

"-ly" G9 =2-2-1-2

From there, I might play the next two melody notes as the top voices of an ascending pair of C6 chords: 2-4-3-3 and 5-7-5-7. Or not.

Have fun and happy uke-in'!

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The chord you are trying to get, 1,2,7 8 is possible if your left hand pointer is on 1, middle on 2, pinky on 7 and your right hand pointer is pressing on 8 while strumming with your right hand thumb. Unusual, but nice effect.

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Originally posted by hikabe

The chord you are trying to get, 1,2,7 8 is possible if your left hand pointer is on 1, middle on 2, pinky on 7 and your right hand pointer is pressing on 8 while strumming with your right hand thumb. Unusual, but nice effect.
It would be easier to play 3 diminished chords in a row, from the 7 to 4th to 1st fret, to outline the melody. That takes you to the first fret, sounding the g# on the bass string that you are trying hard to incorporate in your voicings.

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