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While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Written by George Harrison of The Beatles for their double album The Beatles (also known as The White Album)

Category: Beatles Instrument: Any Subjects(s): Repertoire • Rock

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While My Guitar Gently Weeps

While My Guitar Gently Weeps is a song written by George Harrison of The Beatles for their double album The Beatles (also known as The White Album). The song was ranked #135 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time and #7 on their list of the 100 greatest guitar songs of all time.

The song was ranked #135 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time and #7 on their list of the 100 greatest guitar songs of all time.

Inspiration for the song came to Harrison when reading the I Ching, which, as he put it, "seemed to me to be based on the Eastern concept that everything is relative to everything else...opposed to the Western view that things are merely coincidental." Taking this idea of relativism to his parents’ home in northern England, Harrison committed to write a song based on the first words he saw upon opening a random book. Those words were “gently weeps”, and he immediately began the song. As he said:

"I wrote While My Guitar Gently Weeps at my mother's house in Warrington. I was thinking about the Chinese I Ching, the Book of Changes... The Eastern concept is that whatever happens is all meant to be, and that there's no such thing as coincidence - every little item that's going down has a purpose." — Groege Harrison

While My Guitar Gently Weeps…

While My Guitar Gently Weep was a simple study based on that theory. I decided to write a song based on the first thing I saw upon opening any book - as it would be a relative to that moment, at that time. I picked up a book at random, opened it, saw 'gently weeps', then laid the book down again and started the song.sGeorge Harrison

Common Keys: Am, First Melodic Interval: P5 ↑ M2

The Curt Sheller Jazz Trio

World One Recording at 2014 Philadelphia Folk Festival

Performance Notes

For the slash chords, the Am/G, Am/F# and Am/F. You can just stick with the basic Am chords. The note after the slash is a descending bass line that we can not get in a ukulele with a high fourth string.

Additional Resources & Links

Main Song Download(s)
The main downloads for this song.
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While My Guitar Gently Weeps - Melody and Chord Ukulele Arrangement, Key of Am

This is my take on the George Harrison classic. Suitable for low or high G, C tuning. Standard music notation and Ukulele TAB.

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While My Guitar Gently Weeps - Chord Lead Sheet, Key of Am
Videos
Related Videos for While My Guitar Gently Weeps.
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While My Guitar Gently Weeps

The George Harrison classic for solo ukulele.

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While My Guitar Gently Weeps

A Curt Sheller Trio performance for the Berks Jazz Fest. While My Guitar Gently Weeps is a song written by George Harrison.

Related Songs
Related Songs for While My Guitar Gently Weeps.
UL421
Stairway to Heaven

Stairway to Heaven is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released in late 1971. It was composed by guitarist Jimmy Page and vocalist Robert Plant for the band's untitled fourth studio album (usually referred to as Led Zeppelin IV). The song, running eight minutes and two seconds, is composed of several sections, which increase in tempo and volume as the song progresses. The song begins as a slow acoustic-based folk song accompanied by pan flutes (recorder per Jimmy Page), before electric instrumentation is introduced.

Related Song Files, Resources and Assets
Related Assets for While My Guitar Gently Weeps.
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QuickStart Progressions Blues Track 3 - Light Rock, Play-long Track

Light Rock play-along track for exploring the Blues scale from the QuickStart Scale and Arpeggio Series of books.

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A to Z Blues Progressions for Ukulele - Example P
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This sit has ben profesionaly red. awl tpyos aree free and no aditonal chrge • I'm blaming it on “jazz” fingers. “Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.
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