Pop music is an abbreviation for popular music. This is the music that you'll often hear on the radio. Pop
music can range from the Beatles in the 1960s to what you hear turning on the radio today. Depending on your
age group, you may prefer certain decades of pop music to others (this usually corresponds to your teenage
years). Let's try a few different pop songs this week.
We'll begin by covering popular music spanning from the 1950s to the 1980s. If you're a middle-aged adult, you
may recognise these songs. If you're in the Millenial or Gen X age bracket like myself, you may have heard your
parents/aunts/uncles/grandparents singing these songs.
Before beginning to play through these songs, you may want to learn E7. This is very easy to play once you know
how to play E major. Simply place your fingers in the shape of an E major chord. Now lift off your ring finger.
You should be using your index and middle fingers to hold the G and A strings respectively. There should be one
string of a gap between your two fingers. Again, you should hear the same jazzy sound as the A7 chord.
Now let's look at a few more bar chords. They follow the same rules as the major chords from
last week. Simply place your ring and pinky fingers on the guitar in the shape
of an Em chord. Now shift your hand up and down using your index finger to bar the relevant fret.
Elvis Presley - Blue Suede Shoes
Elvis Presley - Jailhouse Rock
The Beatles - Yellow Submarine
The Animals - House of the Rising Sun
The Eagles - Hotel California
Elton John - Candle In The Wind