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5 | The Treble Strings

Gentle Mr. Bee

Peter Kun Frary

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For today's lesson, we continue working on the first and second strings and introduce a new piece, Gentle Mr. Bee.

Bee on Hibiscus | ©Peter Kun Frary

Bee on hibiscus | ©Peter Kun Frary

Bee Musings

Gentle Mr. Bee (Včelka Mája), also known as The Honeybee, is a folk song from Bohemia. Bohemia is currently part of the Czech Republic and a former region of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Honeybee, don't you dare sting me!
Don't sting father, don't sting mother,
Don't sting sister, don't sting brother.
Honeybee, don't you dare sting me!

Gentle Mr. Bee is well known in Japan and the English-speaking world due to its use in Suzuki Method music textbooks.

Watch the Video

Gentle Mr. Bee | Frary Guitar Duo

Study Tips

Melody

There are no new notes in Gentle Mr. Bee, but the slow-moving melody combines the notes on the first and second strings. Alternate between the middle (m) and index (i) fingers to pluck the melody. Work towards a tempo goal of an easygoing andante.

Chords

The main challenge of Gentle Mr. Bee is the chord changes: mostly two chords per measure, so your left-hand will keep busy. For this piece, the down 2x strum is recommended, i.e., strum on beats 1 and 3.

strum example

Listen to the Track

Gentle Mr. Bee | Frary Guitar Duo (play along)

Play Now!

Play with the audio track to confirm your rhythm and pitch accuracy. Once the melody is smooth, take on the chords.