I Choose Peace

Because "I Choose Peace" is a beginning guitar song, it might be easy to overlook the message. Peace is a high priority issue these days, and it doesn't come without effort on everyone's part. As the lyrics stress, peace is intentional, and the road to it is paved with sacrifice and compromise. This song can hopefully serve as a springboard for some meaningful discussion in your classroom. Since, however, it is music class, let's take a look at the song now from a musical perspective.

As stated, this is a beginning guitar piece. You will find chord symbols for fingerings on three strings. (Chord diagrams are included on the extracted guitar part on page 61.) We're in the key of C and the song uses only I, IV, and V (C, F, and G). Your students may strum four down stroke quarter notes per measure starting at measure 5. Try not to hit more than three strings as the fourth string (open D) will change the C and F to different chords.

The structure of the song has you basically playing through it twice. The first verse is sung and the second verse is instrumental (optional), featuring a guitar melody for eight measures. The bridge is sung and strummed both times.

The guitar solo/soli line is played entirely on the first two strings, E and B. All notes should be played with a down stroke. Assuming you will be using a pick, as you play the notes on the B string, allow your pick to stop itself by landing against the E string. This creates the nicest tone.

Dynamically, the solo should be played mezzo forte. Here's a little tip for your guitarists: The tighter you squeeze the pick, the louder you will play. The lighter you hold the pick, the quieter you will play. Mezzo forte is a comfortable grip, neither tight nor loose.