“If” by David Gates, performed by Bread, is a soft rock ballad released in 1971. It went to #4 on the US Billboards Hot 100 and to #1 on the US Easy Listening chart. The song is a heartfelt declaration of love, using poetic and metaphorical lyrics to express deep affection and devotion. The verses describe how words alone cannot convey love’s depth, using imagery like painting a thousand pictures or stretching time infinitely. The song’s gentle melody and sincere and romantic lyrics have made it a timeless classic, often associated with weddings and sentimental moments.

I used Pattern #10 (forward-reverse) from my Fingerstyle tutorial, which is the same one I’ve used recently for a couple of other recent recordings (“For the Good Times” and “Near to the Heart of God”). I’ll be using it in other upcoming songs as well. It’s a pattern that works well for slow songs in 4/4 time.

Here’s a link to the “Fingerstyle Patterns” tutorial:

Fingerstyle Patterns