“Let It Be” . . . . . by Sir Paul McCartney . . . arranged in the Chord/Melody style . . . contained in the Chord/Melody eBook THREE by Ukulele Mike Lynch (now reduced to just $20.00)

https://youtu.be/u6T5C-jzSH0 

Let It Be” is a song by the Beatles, released in March 1970 as a single, and (in an alternate mix) as the title track of their album Let It Be. At the time, it had the highest debut on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching number 6. It was written and sung by Paul McCartney. It was their final single before McCartney announced his departure from the band. Both the Let It Be album and the US single “The Long and Winding Road” were released after McCartney’s announced departure from and subsequent break-up of the group.

The alternate mix on their album “Let It Be” features an additional guitar solo and some minor differences in the orchestral sections.

In 1987, the song was recorded by charity supergroup Ferry Aid (which included McCartney). It reached number 1 on the UK Singles Chart for three weeks and reached the top ten in many other European countries. McCartney said he had the idea of “Let It Be” after he had a dream about his mother during the tense period surrounding the sessions for The Beatles (“the White Album”) in 1968. According to McCartney, the song’s reference to “Mother Mary” was not a biblical reference.  The phrase has at times been used as a reference to the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ;  in fact, the words “let it be” are a direct quote from the Prayer of the Annunciation, Mary’s response to the Angel Gabriel in Luke 1.38. Nevertheless, McCartney explained that his mother – who died of cancer when he was fourteen – was the inspiration for the “Mother Mary” lyric. He later said: “It was great to visit with her again. I felt very blessed to have that dream. So that got me writing ‘Let It Be’.  He also said in a later interview about the dream that his mother had told him, “It will be all right, just let it be.  When asked if the song referred to the Virgin Mary, McCartney has typically answered the question by assuring his fans that they can interpret the song however they would like.

 As I approached the arranging process for this piece, it was early on very evident to me that the Chord/Melody style was the best.  This style of arrangement and performance is so cool because you have the mix of chordal harmony with melody but you only need to set the fingers on the correct frets and strings and merely brush the strings with the thumb.  The melody automatically presents itself as the highest note of the chord.  Since there are many times when the melody jumps from the First string to the Second or even in some cases, the Third that you need to be careful not to play the higher strings. . . You can only play the 2 or 3 strings necessary to play the chord with melody.  At first, this may seem strange to those who have for long only strummed rhythm to accompany songs. . . But in this case, the Ukulele does the singing for you.  This is truly SOLO playing. . . We are treating the ukulele as a full Chordal   / Melody instrument on its own.  Becoming skilled at this and at reading the tablature notation may take some time and lots of patience, but the payoff is worth it. . .

Below is a short excerpt from the opening measures of “Let It Be”

Notice how the melody rides on the 2nd string at the beginning . . . This is a prime example of how ou need to be careful so as to avoid hitting the 1st string. . . On the second halve of the second beat of the first full measure it finally jump up to the first string. . . . Often times in Chord/Melody playing you will only be playing a single note on a single string between the chordal moments. . . This is quite typical.

Here is yet another excerpt from later in the song

Notice at the 26th measure we have a G chord. . . looks quite different from a typical G chord on the Uke, doesn’t it?  We play it by barring the 7th fret with the index finger and placing the little finger up on the 12th Fret. At measure 27 we have an F chord. . . Looks quite unlike a typical F chord, but it is . . . These are examples of what are called upper register inversions of these chords.  The inversions are essential to Chord/Melody style as they allow us to play upper fingerboard melodies along with their appropriate chords. . . Again, that F chord is played by barring the 5th Fret and placing the little finger on the 7th Fret.

“Let It Be” is contained in the Chord/Melody eBook THREE and can be purchased by making a payment of just $20.00 through the paypal button on the Ukulele Mike website: http://www.ukulelemikelynch.com Once purchased, it will be personally emailed to you within the day. 

All THREE of the current Chord Melody eBooks can be purchased individually or all together at the new “TRILOGY” combined discount of just $50.00

Announcing the NEW Chord melody ebook FOUR  $25.95

All 4 of the Chord melody ebooks can be purchased at a combo discount of  $70

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