“Auld Lang Syne”
Arranged By Dan Thorpe
“Auld Lang Syne” is a timeless melody and a great tune for celebrating the passage of time and honouring cherished memories. Written by Robert Burns in 1788, its message of reflection and friendship has made it a New Year’s classic.
This No Chord Fingerstyle arrangement is simple and fun to play, perfect for the season. The song’s universal appeal is beautifully captured in the iconic ending of It’s a Wonderful Life, where it becomes a powerful anthem of love, community, and new beginnings. I love this piece! Enjoy this arrangement as you celebrate the season and the year ahead!
Get the TAB/Notation for this lesson
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Tips to Simplify
- Only play the melody. To learn it faster and in an easier way, you can ignore the bass/root notes and only play the melody if you like. This is often a good way to learn a piece in the beginning. You can always add the bass/root notes in later. See HERE for an example where I’ve crossed out the bass/root notes.
- Simplify the ending. I created a few nice things in the ending, which features slides and a type of “dyad”. To keep it simple, you can ignore those for now, and just play what I have circled as seen HERE.
Don’t forget to take it steady when learning this, have fun with the process, and have a wonderful Christmas. If you want more joy in your playing for the upcoming year and to make 2026 very special, I’d love to help. The best place I can help? The Six String Life Academy. You can check that out at the link below: