This sequence is based on a snippet from You’ll Be Back, sung by King George in Lin-Manuel Miranda‘s musical Hamilton.
Origin
The seventh song sung in Hamilton is a “musical breakup letter” from King George III to the colonies.
In the book “Hamilton: The Revolution”, Miranda says that he went for a drink with Hugh Laurie after filming their 2009 episodes of Laurie’s series House, in which Miranda guest-starred. “I told him I wanted to write a breakup letter from King George to the colonies,” Miranda writes. “Without blinking, he improv’d at me, ‘Awwww, you’ll be back,’ wagging his finger. I laughed and filed it away. Thanks, Hugh Laurie.”
I love that story. So many of my best ideas are a result of a casual conversation with a creative an inspiring friend.
Song Style
This song is written in a British Pop style that is a hat tip to the British invasion of the 1960’s. Like lots of Beatles songs, this tune uses strings in addition to the common pop band instrumentation of piano, guitars, and drums. It opens with a Jon Lennon esque vocal over some piano chords before opening up into a fun bouncy pop tune.
Sequence
The snippet I chose for the sequence is at little melismatic moment that pops up between verses. It sounds to me like King George III is proud of himself for his first few verses and he sings this lick in the same way a little kid would put their fingers to their nose and say “na-na-na-na, you can’t get me!” or something equally childish.
Even though this has a snarky context, strive for your most beautiful sounds. The chord progression goes I-I7-IV-ii7-V7-I. See if you can figure out where the chords change by listening to the song and/or looking at the accidentals.
Have any questions? Comment below, or leave a comment on Youtube, Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.
Happy Practicing!
If you full access to my sequences or want to SUPPORT the creation of these materials, check out my Patreon.
For as little as $1 per sequence, you can become a FluentFriend today.
FluentFriends gain access to a private patreon/facebook group where I share more resources (sequences/practice materials), behind the scenes videos, live streams, and rewards.
Learn more by clicking the giant orange button below =)
