Chris Cornell - Seasons - Guitar Lesson

About Seasons

Fingerpicking is the core demand of "Seasons," and if you normally play with a pick, the shift to bare fingers will need real attention. Chris Cornell performed this solo acoustic piece with a gentle, arpeggiated approach that keeps the melody ringing out above a steady, flowing bass. At 92 BPM in E Standard tuning, the tempo is relaxed enough to feel approachable, but clean execution of each note in the arpeggio pattern is what separates a polished run from a muddy one. The left hand needs to hold chord shapes firmly while the right hand moves independently, which trips up a lot of players early on. Pick any four-bar passage where your fingers are colliding and loop it slowed down using the Practice Toolbar until the movement becomes automatic. This is a great piece for developing right-hand finger independence in a Alternative Rock context without the distraction of heavy production.

• The entire piece is played fingerstyle on acoustic guitar, so right-hand finger independence is the central technique to develop.
• Running at 92 BPM in E Standard tuning, the tempo is moderate but the arpeggiated pattern must stay even throughout.
• Keeping fretting-hand chord shapes clean while the picking hand moves freely is the main coordination challenge in this song.