Hey Friend,

I was surprised that most of y’all in our little group didn’t seem that interested in learning the song “Aubrey” by Bread. I think two people replied back about it...

Now I understand it’s sweet and kinda sappy, slow and a bit folksy with the fingerpicking and all, but all those attributes make it a perfect candidate for learning and reinforcing guitar techniques that will serve you well no matter what style of music you prefer playing.

For instance, the slow tempo forces you to maintain even, steady timing.

Slow can be harder than fast, because you can’t be sloppy. Each note has its own space and you have to make sure it can be heard.

The fingerpicking teaches you finger independence and patterns.

Each finger must act as its own entity. Otherwise you have digits all trying to do the same thing at the same time, and they get in each other’s ways.

The chord progression is great for your fretting hand because it gets you out of straight chord changes and into different chord fingering variations and tonalities.

There’s some cool theory-based techniques, too.

My favorites are the diatonic and chromatic drops and ascensions throughout the song. They really help to build (and release) tension to make you feel the emotional content.

Even if you’ve never experienced the type of scenario sung about, you can’t help but feel the tug on your heart, the rise and fall of the the song sections and how they resolve.

By studying how the different layers of melody and counter-melodies work to build the emotional structure, you get real insight into how songwriters catch and keep the listener engaged.

These notes by themselves don’t have the same emotional punch as they do when played together. You know this intuitively, but feeling it and knowing how to create it are two different things.

That’s why music theory is so important - you learn how to use sound to draw out emotion.

I don’t care what style of music you love - when you learn how to use melodies, harmonies and rhythm to build emotional tension, you have potential to earn fans for life. 

The key to a great song is to tap into an emotion and wash it over a listener so they experience those feelings. Do this well and people will listen over and over again.

This song got to #15 on Billboard Magazine’s Hot 100 when it was released in 1973 and is still one of Bread’s most popular songs.

Peace~

Dave

P.S. If you’ve already responded that you’d like to learn “Aubrey” by Bread, thank you. 

At this point there doesn’t seem to be enough interest for me to put the time in to teach it.

That’s cool and all, but if I’m wrong, let me know.