Updated: Jul 31, 2021
A bite-sized masterpiece!
Here's a fingerstyle piece suitable for guitarists of all levels which always delights anyone hearing it for the first time! Check out the original here, first released in 1965 on Donovan's 19th birthday:
Tangerine Puppet - Donovan
There's nothing too demanding physically that's involved here but mastering the mental side of things can remain a barrier for many meaning they never get pieces like this up to performance quality. With a few simple pointers however I can usually get even relatively new players making a decent fist of this folk guitar classic.
Breaking it down!
In the video below I take you through the mechanics of getting the essentials of this one properly nailed down, using Taplature as the framework.
Free tabs to download!
The video runs for 23 minutes and covers the first of the three sections that make up this tune. I've added the tabs for this and for the other two sections to the free download "Discover Taplature" sent to all subscribers.
I've also added benchmarking sheets for a few representative loops and coaching for one of the tougher challenges this piece contains. You'll find these in the appendix (from pages 49-54) along with all other sheets for Taplature blog articles.
That's a long video for 4 bars of music!
Yes, when we get into the hidden details of things there's a lot to cover however these are the important details that make all the difference in the quality of your end product and are also what most will miss unless alerted to them! Here's an index of some of the usually overlooked finer points of this piece and of guitar practice in general.
Select a heading to jump to the relevant point in the video:
- Basic fingerpicking pattern (alternating thumb style, Travis picking)
- A fantastic free to download practice partner!
- Mastering the first bar before moving on
- What to do if you're struggling
- Chord change mechanics ... smoothing things out
- Hiding chord changes behind mutes
- Breaking big problems down into small easy-to-master loops
Add this one to your repertoire today!
I maintain that anyone can learn to play this piece well and that it doesn't have to take long! If you like the sound of it, give it a shot and if you have any questions or problems, see me in the Taplature forum!
Enjoy!
Old Swanner.