Pay Me or Go to Jail

Okay, Guitar 1, we're off and running. After your first class, you've got a D and an A7 chord in your brain, and your fingers are starting to get the message. (If you don't have 'em, let me know so that I can help)

With those two chords, you've got everything you need to tackle one of my favorite tunes in the Old Town School songbook, Pay Me My Money Down, which you'll find on page 93. (We probably played it in class, if things went according to my lesson plan).

I don't know about you, but I love singing "Pay me or go to jail!" It doesn't get more rock and roll than that, though this tune is waaaaay older than that. It started out as a song that stevedores (dock workers) sang down in Georgia when unloading cotton and freight off of ships.

You know who else likes this song? Bruce Springsteen!  And if it's good enough for The Boss, I daresay it's good enough for us. In class, we probably stuck to a straight-forward marching rhythm (one down strum on each beat: one two three four), but listen to the way they shuffle up the rhythm in this video. More of a chuck-a-chuck-a with a down-up strum on each beat. Give that a try when you practice at home--because you're TOTALLY going to practice at home, right? RIGHT?!

Getting bored with the tune because you've practiced it SO much? Change up the lyrics! One of the things I do to help me come up with ideas as a songwriter is make up new words to tunes I already know.
How about Take Me To Funky Town? (credit to my fellow instructor Charles Kim for that one)
What Makes a Monkey Frown?
Hey, See That Funny Clown?
Chasing a Bunny 'round?
I give up. You can do way better...