What can you do with a two chord song? As Elizabeth Barrett Browning famously wrote, “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.” We demonstrated a few ways at 3 Chord Thursday which provided food for thought, just in time for Thanksgiving.
Here are the different ways we use the Shaker tune “Simple Gifts” in the music classes I’m teaching this Autumn 2022 season. To start with, download the song sheet in the keys of C, F, G, and A (3-page PDF) from 3 Chord Thursday Spicing Up Songs (that have a few chords).
A parody just started in my head:
‘Tis the gift to be simple, ’tis the gift to be kind
We can play our ukuleles, and nobody will mind
And when we get together (in-person) we shall find
‘Twill be so more possibilities than we had in Zoom.
The dance song “Simple Gifts”communicates the Shaker beliefs of simplicity. It’s my goal to simplify my life, reduce video footage to its essence, and keep it simple. That’s why I’ve been so taken by the ukulele. It’s a shortcut to music with just four strings, light weight, easy to carry and pack to travel.
Here is how we can use it in class in the Autumn 2022 Season. Choose the class and follow the text below it like a homework assignment or cookbook recipe.
About the Song
In 1848, Elder Joseph Bracket wrote “Simple Gifts” as a dance song in his Shaker community in Alfred, Maine. The tune was completely unknown until American composer Aaron Copland used it in his ballet “Appalachian Springs” in 1944. The British poet, folk singer and songwriter Sydney Carter who shared the same birthday of 6th May with Bracket wrote “Lord of the Dance” – a religious song using the tune in 1963.
Lyrics in Chinese
Table of chords for transposition and modulation
When I googled “Simple Gifts” the following video showed up. It poignant and beautiful. If you can figure out which key it’s in, then you can probably play along and sing along to it.