Old Joe Clark
Beginner Guitar Tabs

Old Joe Clark beginner guitar tabs is a great kids guitar piece. It doesn't move too fast, and the notes don't jump around.

There are lots of open strings- hooray!

It does straddle three strings, however, so I probably wouldn't give it to a child who is a brand-new beginner, the first few weeks.

The melody is not familiar enough to motivate them to keep working if they get frustrated with the string-crossing... they'll just become baffled.  

So make your first practice session heavy on the chords, while you play & sing the melody.  Get them familiar with that melody.

Please scroll down the page for the download links.

Get those beginners counting at once - Kids like the funny Old Joe Clark lyrics, and they are easy to sing!  So get them singing along with you, and when you get to the long notes, say the song words plus the counting, like this:

"Old Joe Clark, he had a house-2, eighteen stories high-2-3-4..."  They will start to feel counting before they can duplicate it verbally.

This song has easy chords, too; play it as a duet with them, or talk their friend, brother or sister into doing chords or melody on another guitar, or on the piano while the other one plays guitar. 

Start with just guitar tabs - Your beginner guitar student will find a single staff of tablature much easier to follow, initially, than the first arrangement, above. 

Down strokes only...

As shown in the beginning guitar method books, your student should be using down strokes only at first, until they have a good grip on their pick.  

One  image I use to reinforce correct pick hold is "A round donut, not a squashed maple bar!"  That is a description of the way index finger and thumb look together; rounded, not flat and pinched.

Overlapping thumb and index finger will take time to make a habit.  But the "donut circle" must not hold the pick at the tips of the fingers, but firmly gripped between the overlapped final joints of thumb and index finger.  

Well, I know some guitarists do, but not in my studio. This grip shape will need much reinforcing from you.

Here is THE EASIEST WAY to read the tabs of Old Joe Clark, with no confusion from a second staff:

The links for Old Joe Clark pdfs:

Download Old Joe Clark guitar tabs for beginners. with treble staff above

Download Old Joe Clark beginner guitar tabs

Dianna:
Your website is a light in the darkness. THANK YOU for all you do in helping to spread the love of music. It matters!

Recent Articles

• 
• 
• 

1. Angels We Have Heard on High - Free Christmas Songs Arrangements

   
   Angels We Have Heard on High: children love the fancy "Gloria" chorus, and you can download multiple arrangements for piano, violin, & guitar!

   Read More

2. Gospel Song Jesus Loves Me: Beginner & Easy Piano, Plus Lead Sheets!

   
   Gospel song "Jesus Loves Me" is well-known to many children. Here are easy arrangements to learn the music & each word to Jesus Loves Me, for early piano.

   Read More

3. Easy Piano Sheet Music Swan Lake -Beginners & Intermediate Pianists!

   
   Easy piano sheet music Swan Lake, lovely solos & duets, with lyrics in the beginner arrangements for dreamy students who love imagining. New arrangements!

   Read More

4. The Wellerman Sheet Music: Easy Piano & Lead Sheets!

   
   The Wellerman: Tabs, sheet music & lyrics for piano, guitar, & more! Such a fun, high-energy song to sing & play - learn it fast with letters in the notes!

   Read More

5. Christmas Carol Lyrics Song from the Bible: Free SATB and Guitar Tab

   
   Christmas carol lyrics from the Bible and an old-fashioned carol-like tune combine in this free Christmas song for SATB choir or a solo vocalist with guitar.

   Read More

Interested in songs from the Bible for your students or church?  Check out my other website, SingTheBibleStory.com!

Songs Old & Songs New

All the first-year material I give my beginner students. 

Piano keyboard sheets, scales, chords, note-reading exercises, and over 256 pages of music!

Queen Esther in the Bible

This beautiful song book for piano & voice "Esther, For Such a Time as This",  available as a digital download, tells the riveting story of the time when  Jews in ancient Persia faced a foe named Haman, and how a  brave young queen risked her life to save her people.

A good choice for a singing story-teller, an operatic group, a short theater production, or a class of children!

This book is also available from Amazon as a paperback.

Just the Black Keys

This book is available as a digital download  from this site.  Visit this page to see some free examples from the book.

It is also available from Amazon as a paperback!

This is the perfect easy start for little pianists.

And when they start reading white-key notes on the staff, this is a fun easy resource to say each week, "Choose a new black-key song at home this week and figure it out to show me next lesson!"  They will be spending more time at the piano.

The Adventures of Tonsta

A perfect read aloud storybook
for little boys or girls. 

The Adventures of Tonsta highlight the travels of a very young boy with a good heart, who goes about helping folk in trouble.  

With a red cap on his head and a sack of tools slung over his shoulder, Tonsta seems to meet people in distress wherever he goes.

Lots of trolls in this book - including one who gives him a Christmas gift!

Available at Amazon

About the Author

Dana Thynes

Hi, I'm Dana!  (Say that like "Anna".)  I'm the owner of Music-for-Music-Teachers.com, and a newer site, SingTheBibleStory.com.

Like some of you, I've been playing the piano since early childhood, and have added a few other instruments along the way, plus an interest in arranging and composing music.

You can find out more about me and the reason for this website at my About Me page.