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‘American Pie’ by Don McLean is a unique, classic country rock song, well known for its cryptic lyrics and distinctive, catchy melody. It is a great song to learn on piano because of its relative ease and enduring popularity. The melody and baselines closely follow the main vocal melody which makes it very distinctive. The ‘American Pie’ full video lesson brings all of the songs elements (introduction, verse, chorus and outro) together and breaks them into manageable, easily learned chunks. |
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Contents:
Learn the Chords to American Pie
Why we think American Pie by Don McLean is a great song
Why we think American Pie by Don McLean is a great song to learn
Why we classed American Pie by Don McLean as ‘Easy’ on Piano
Visit the American Pie Video Lesson
Learn about Don McLean and American Pie
Some history about American Pie by Don McLean
What Album American Pie came from
YouTube User plays American Pie by Don McLean
Can you Play American Pie by Don McLean?
Learn the Chords to American Pie
Here are main chords that are used in the song:
Chords:
A Minor | A Minor 7 | C Major 7 | D Dominant 7 | D Major | D6 | E Minor | G Major | G Major 1st Inv
Select the links above to view each chord diagram in a new tab or window. These chords can also be found in the chord viewer on the ‘American Pie’ video lesson page.
In this lesson you learn how to play American pie by Don McLean on the piano in step-by-step chunks.
Why we think American Pie by Don McLean is a great song
- Intriguing lyrics that capture the sentiment felt by many after Buddy Hollie’s death in 1959, without actually mentioning his name once in the song.
- Super catchy melody full of hooks and beautiful expression.
- When a song can invoke as much thought, emotion and debate as this one, its done its job.
Why we think American Pie by Don McLean is a great song to learn
The opening introduction in American pie is a beautiful mix of chords, expression and dynamic performance. The changes between the main sections demonstrate how dynamic range, slow, soft and gentle intimate playing through to upbeat and loud folk rock verses can really work well.
Each section has its own skills and techniques to learn and is a good challenge for any pianist. As a beginner pianist it will bring new chords and variations to your playing but as a whole this song will take you on an emotional roller coaster ride which is what makes music so special.
Why we Classed American Pie by Don McLean as Easy on Piano
SongPond tutor, Tim Driver delivers a cut down version of the full song, which makes learning the song as a whole a lot easier.
The main sections are broken down and prepare you for playing the song as a whole. Each video section is about 8-10 minutes long. We recommend you listen to the original piece and really get a feel for the song.
Check out the preview and introduction on the ‘American Pie’ lesson page.
Visit the American Pie Video Lesson
Click to visit the lesson page
Learn about Don McLean and American Pie
Donald McLean, Jr. (born October 2, 1945, New Rochelle, New York) is an American singer-songwriter. He is most famous for the 1971 album American Pie, containing the renowned songs “American Pie” and “Vincent“.
Both McLean’s grandfather and father were also named Donald McLean. The Buccis, the family of McLean’s mother, Elizabeth, came from Abruzzo in central Italy. They left Italy and settled in Port Chester, New York at the end of the 19th century. He has other extended family in Los Angeles and Boston.
Courtesy of wikipedia.com
Some history about American Pie by Don McLean
The song was recorded and released in 1971 and hit the charts the following year. Don McLean managed to construct cryptic lyrics which leave you wondering what this song is really about. The day the music died, is often speculated to coincide with the plain crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper.
American Pie was recorded May 26, 1971 and then released on the album American Pie on vinyl in October 1971. A re-release in 1991 didn’t hit the US charts but did land 12th in the UK Charts.
The songs popularity forced radio stations to play the full piece which is just over 8 minutes long. American pie was recognized as the number five song of the twentieth century by an education project called songs of the century.
The song American Pie has been covered by some amazing artists and the original still remains in rotation on radio throughout the world.
What Album American Pie came from
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Self titled album American pie has some amazing songs. American Pie is track 1 on the album and there were many people who put hard work into the album. Don McLean lead the vocals, guitar, banjo while Paul Griffin played the piano on the song American Pie. There are quite a few albums available of Don Mclean’s work, check out amazon for more information. |
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YouTube User plays American Pie by Don McLean
Here’s a clip of YouTube artist luke55698 playing American Pie by Don McLean. This version captures that nice performance and dynamic nature of the song. The recording quality is a bit low but that’s normal for youtube. He makes a couple small mistakes during the performance, but his chords variations are really nice.
Can you Play American Pie by Don McLean?
If you have a video of yourself playing the song and want to share the youtube link with us please do so below!
We would love to hear your comments and thoughts on this blog post, the song in general, the lessons and anything about American Pie.
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