Greensleeves was a popular broadside ballad and jam tune during the Renaissance, and there are literally hundreds of versions of this piece. The Greensleeves in this lesson was taken from William Ballet's Lute Book (c. 1590-1610).
Greensleeves is an sixteenth century English folk song. It was initially published under the title "A Newe Northern Dittye of ye Ladye Greene Sleeves" in 1580. However, it is likely older than 1580 and exists in numerous arrangements and title variants from the late Renaissance onwards. It is best known today under two titles: Greensleeves and What Child is This?
Legend has it that Greensleeves was composed by Henry VIII for his future queen, Anne Boleyn. Boleyn initially rejected King Henry's amorous attempts, possibly evidenced by the "cast me off discourteously" lyric, the sixteenth century equivalent of a breakup text. Nobody knows for sure if Henry composed Greensleeves, hence the anonymous moniker, but it makes for a good story.
Here is the first verse of Greensleeves (there are eleven more!)
Alas my love, ye do me wrong,
to cast me off discourteously:
And I have loved you so long,
Delighting in your company.
Greensleeves was all my joy,
Greensleeves was my delight:
Greensleeves was my heart of gold,
And who but Lady Greensleeves
Study Tips
Greensleeves is a straightforward chord-melody arrangement; that is, a melody supported with strummed chords on most downbeats.
Greensleeves | Anonymous | Peter Kun Frary
Begin by focusing on the first phrase—measures 1 through 8. The next three phrases are similar, sharing much of the same material, so you should make short work of them.
Mute with Strum
Measure 17 (second page) has a big G chord strum. The original version lacks a note on the fifth string. I can strum all six strings because I mute the fifth string: third finger frets the low G on the sixth string and I simply lean the finger over slightly, just enough to deaden the fifth string while strumming. Watch the video at .30 to see my third finger mute the fifth string. The second finger may be substituted for the low G/mute if the third finger isn't cooperating.
Greensleeves Measure 17 | Mute the 5th string as you strum the G chord.
Fermata
Finally, the last chord of Greensleeves has a fermata, a symbol often referred to as a bird's eye due to its resemblance to an avian orb. A fermata indicates the note should be sustained beyond its normal duration. There isn't an exact value, you simply hold the note or chord until it dies away or feels right.
Fermata | Indicates the sustain of a note beyond its normal duration.
Tempo
Greensleeves sounds best around 120 BPM, albeit you can play it slower if you desire a more melancholy feeling.
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Greensleeves Musings
Study Tips
Mute with Strum
Fermata
Tempo
