First of July

First of July by Foy Vance is played in the key of D. Originally recorded in the sounding key of D, 'First of July' by Foy Vance is best approached with a Capo placed on Fret 2, enabling guitarists to execute friendly C shapes while fully preserving the studio pitch. The tricky Bm barre can be effortlessly simplified using an open Bm7 (x20202) shape, removing the need for five-string index finger pressure across the second fret while maintaining clean note clarity. Moving smoothly between G and Bm demands finger discipline: lead with your ring finger toward the target fret as an anchor before locking down the remaining fingers firmly on the strings. Set your metronome at an initial practice tempo of 79 BPM in 4/4 time to master the '↓ - ↓ ↑ - ↑ ↓ ↑' strumming groove, emphasizing steady downstrokes on beats one and three before accelerating toward the studio speed of 110 BPM.