Unofficial Taylor Guitar Forum - UTGF
The Lounge => The Lounge => Topic started by: Marco Polo on May 02, 2019, 09:57:31 PM
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This should be a fun topic, and maybe we can get ideas from each other...
Using the GAce, I just started 'Hallowed By Thy Name' from Iron Maiden yesterday. Youtube makes it look so easy :P
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0q2Xho3C7kA
It is kicking my butt and I'm in way over my head/skill...but I've loved this song for years and I WILL eventually get 'close'. This one will take weeks/months for me, as it is my first 'lead' song.
What new song(s) have you recently started to learn or what are you working on perfecting?
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Been trying for months to get the 12-string acoustic guitar riff from ELO's "Fire On High" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22Ndi2HUheg) down; the barr chord changes coupled with the tempo makes it very challenging to do it just one time correctly -- and the riff gets repeated something like eight times in a row... :o
Also on the 12-string, I've been working on "Time" by the Alan Parsons Project (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhRzORqNa0E). It's still got some weird chord changes even though it's capoed to the third fret; at least the tempo on that one makes it easier for me...
Also started trying to learn "China Grove" by the Doobie Brothers. Can't seem to get the opening guitar riff to sound quite right, though...
Then there's the rest of "Stairway To Heaven" that I keep telling myself I'm going to learn -- but never seem to... ::)
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The Great Remember by Steve Martin. https://youtu.be/qfHfq70gs_w
Also being a banjo player, this is a multi-instrument quest. My sister loves the song, and requested that I right out the music for her to play on mountain dulcimer (we both play mountain dulcimer). So, as usual, when I write stuff out for other instruments, I also do a version for fingerpick guitar.
I also have a nice group of old songs (about 20) by the likes of Neil Diamond, etc, that I am working on. Then I have the new songs that our bluegrass group is doing, which I also have to figure out a nice fingerpicking guitar break for.
So, I'm keeping busy. :)
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For the past several years with work being so intense, I haven't had time to write any new music. However, I had been playing several new instrumental ideas. Once I get into full retirement mode, I plan to marry some lyrics to those ideas. Can't wait!
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This has been in my bucket list a while
They'll Be Some Changes Made
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cm-EJrqBPks (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cm-EJrqBPks)
If you're into that genre, the song is a hoot. I've a long way to go with it, not knowing any jazz chords at all, but it's been fun so far. "BoardWalk Empire" has quite a few cool vintage 1930's era songs. . .
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Been working on the Ventures "Walk Don't Run" for a little while now. Actually played around with it many years ago on electric 6, but found it again while fiddling on acoustic 12 string. It sounds great on a 12, so that's the ticket. Figured out a finish to mimic the whammy bar thing, but still need a few fills, and contemplating something to cover the short drum solo. The beat goes on.
With vocals, Byrds style "Bells of Rhymney" and Arlo's "City of New Orleans" are in the 12 string learning mix too. As usual, the hardest part is remembering the words.
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Davey Graham's "Anji" and "Tired Of Waiting" by the Kinks
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Three at the moment :
Layla (Unplugged Version) - Eric Clapton
Lay Down Sally - Eric Clapton
and Finally Home - Mercy Me.
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Been delighted with these weight loss shakes (https://www.timesunion.com/marketplace/article/best-weight-loss-shakes-18074475.php) and working on the Ventures "Walk Don't Run" for a little while now. Actually played around with it many years ago on electric 6, but found it again while fiddling on acoustic 12 string. It sounds great on a 12, so that's the ticket. Figured out a finish to mimic the whammy bar thing, but still need a few fills, and contemplating something to cover the short drum solo. The beat goes on.
With vocals, Byrds style "Bells of Rhymney" and Arlo's "City of New Orleans" are in the 12 string learning mix too. As usual, the hardest part is remembering the words.
Funny. I'm working on Layla as well right now. I really enjoy working on this song. My parents always had Clapton on while I was growing up.
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I’m working Tom Pettys “For Real”, great song.
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Some great songs and initiative in this thread...keep 'em coming.
I'm finally at the point where my hand starts cramping at the end of the song instead of the beginning ( :D), and I can 'somewhat' play along with the original recording, with the exception of the lead solo(s) that I have no intention of replicating. Practice...practice...practice.
To note - this is the first song I've played that doesn't sound better on a 12-string ;D
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I don't play much these days, but I decided I wanted to learn "Maybe It's Time" after watching the movie "A Star Is Born".
Great song...
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Trying to keep up with anything Billy Strings does is a fools errand even for experts, but...
I've been working on "Along the Road" and "Watch It Fall"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaLP4wk7S9M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUKkTAND6JA
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What New Song Are Your Currently Working On?
"Amazing Grace".
In DADGAD.
Here's the story about teaching this old dog a new trick.
Hopefully it will be amusing and/or insightful.
A while back on the "Acoustic Tuesday" show on YouTube, Tony Polecastro featured an artist named Tony McManus, a renowned Celtic Guitar player. Much of his material is in DADGAD. I liked what I heard, and bought some Tony McManus music on cd.
On a subsequent Acoustic Tuesday program, Tony Polecastro featured a quick DADGAD session, encouraging everyone to try it. He said that because DADGAD wasn't tuned to a specific chord and had no third, you could use it to play both major and minor key songs. This was a selling point for me, and so I tuned a 6 string guitar to DADGAD. After learning a 2+ octave D major scale built around the open positions, and playing around with it a bit, I felt it was time to explore.
I play "Rising of the Moon" in G major, and Donovan's "Three Kingfishers" in E minor, both as 12 string instrumentals. They are built around using the DGB and the EGB open strings, respectively, as drones, plus other frettings of course. I tried both pieces in 'D' (major and minor, respectively) on the 6 string with the DADGAD tuning, and both worked very well for a first try.
Here's where it got a bit strange. On YouTube I found :
"Celtic Fingerstyle Guitar
An Introduction by Tony McManus",
and featuring a piece titled "Si Bheag, Si Mhor"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DLJYk7LI0s
Looks simple and sounds great, right?
But it turns out that after playing the finished piece, he digresses into what he could have done for his arrangement and the choices he made. Actually very interesting, but somewhere along the line I realized I couldn't quite pick up the underlying melody, mostly because it's not a tune I'm familiar with. That is, which notes are part of the tune and which notes are part of the supporting arrangement.
So I started looking around for something more. Among other videos featuring McManus on YouTube, I found what I think works as a 'Rosetta Stone' for me :
"The Process of Arranging Celtic Melodies
by Tony McManus"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWfVznJpvIc
In this one he basically states that he starts with the melody, and finds a guitar tuning that works best for it. Then he works out what chords and notes support the melody, making his arrangement unique. Which is kind of what he did in the other video, but didn't start close enough to the beginning for this DADGAD novice. But the idea of 'melody first' was now imprinted on my brain. Then build your arrangement around it. I have always enjoyed doing my own arrangements, and knew that would be a fun part of the process.
I decided to work from the ground up, using songs with which I was familiar but didn't already play. That way I had no preconceptions about anything. I chose and worked out the melody to "Old Folks at Home" by Stephen Foster. (You may know it as "Suwannee River".) And then "Amazing Grace". I decided to use key of D for both as I was working out the melodies, mostly because that is the key which I would initially use with DADGAD. After learning the melodies and playing them many times each, I felt that "Amazing Grace" held the most promise. Even while learning the melody, I started using hammers, pulls, and slides to stretch the melody and really liked the result.
So right now I have a somewhat fluid first arrangement using drones and hinted chords to accompany my version of playing (with) the melody. Not a finished product yet, but the goal is to arrive at a piece interesting enough to play in mixed company. 'Mixed' in this case being loosely defined as a spectrum from non-musicians to guitarists.
Thanks for reading,
Don
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A little less than 2 years into this wonderful hobby as a middle aged guy who used to be a decent brass player, I made a decision early on to focus most of my time on classical music - on steel string - a very unique proposition, I know, but I prefer the greater sustain and resonance on steel string as opposed to nylon. Found out after I chose this path that Laurence Juber has a fairly new album doing the same thing so that’s pretty decent company to have.
When playing brass I studied the Bach cello suites extensively and grew to appreciate them as some of my favorite solo instrumental works. Being very familiar with them, it made sense to look for transcriptions. Being new to fingerstyle last fall, it took me 2 months to work up to work up one of the slowest movements. This spring I finally got one of the minuets sounding passably well, and a couple of months ago I started taking a crack at the Courante of the 1st suite. I certainly am trying to improve my speed but it helps that I found a direct transcription of the cello music which uses many less double stops - don’t think I will ever come close to playing like this in any case LOL
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7aM-Nhr9Tc
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God Bless The USA - Lee Greenwood
Where the Stars and Stripes and Eagle Flies -Aaron Tippen
For tomorrow's Independence Day Celebration in our small town
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I'm just bringing this topic back up.
Spent the last 3 weeks in Flagstaff AZ. Serious guitar withdrawal. Thankfully, my brother has an older Yamaha that only needed a string change. I never realized how much I missed my Taylors (a lot!). Visited Arizona Music Pro on rt66 for an hour of Taylor acoustic bliss one evening (no where near enough time).
So what's new? I'm worked on refining Zeppelin's Over The Hills And Far Away. Additionally, I'm currently dedicating a lot of time for Joe Satriani's Rubina's Blue Sky Happiness (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jdz4MTAo7j0). This tune sounds absolutely glorious on the PS56ce and will keep me busy for a while. :)
Keep the songs coming....
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Just finished working out "My Heart Will Go On" from Titanic. So beautiful on fingerpicking guitar and on mountain dulcimer.
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I've just joined a worship team in my new hometown, so I'm learning 4-6 songs per week! I'll be performing my own material a week from this Sunday. Busy, busy, busy!
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I've just joined a worship team in my new hometown, so I'm learning 4-6 songs per week! I'll be performing my own material a week from this Sunday. Busy, busy, busy!
That will be fun. Will there be more guitarist other than you?
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I've just joined a worship team in my new hometown, so I'm learning 4-6 songs per week! I'll be performing my own material a week from this Sunday. Busy, busy, busy!
That will be fun. Will there be more guitarist other than you?
Yes, there is another acoustic guitarist, a bass player, a percussionist and several singers. The other guitarist (worship leader) is a straight-ahead strummer, so it gives me the opportunity to capo, pick and counterpoint to his playing - so far, everyone thinks that the overall band sound has more energy and depth, so I'm encouraged!
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Cathy's Song by Paul Simon. Although it violates my official song structure requirements of not having a B section or chorus, it's just a beautiful song with some interesting chords. A really nice fingerpicker with an instrumental solo section.
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Cathy's Song by Paul Simon. Although it violates my official song structure requirements of not having a B section or chorus, it's just a beautiful song with some interesting chords. A really nice fingerpicker with an instrumental solo section.
Great song - I remember learning and playing it when I was 16 or so...I still play it once in a while these days.
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Breaking Us In Two - Joe Jackson
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Song, song(s). I’m kinda like Scrat from Ice Age. Jump around, easily distracted. Mostly right now, Rush’s, Closer to the Heart, Who’s, Behind Blue Eyes. Cleaning up Black Crowes, She Talks to Angels.
M
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Currently working on "I walk the line" by Johnny Cash. Yeah, I know it's been out there quite a while, but no time like the present.
Coming along quite well so far. Hard part is to memorize all the lyrics, and working on the pace of the song. You know, 'get rhythm".
If you are attempting this piece, note that I found 4 key changes, one before each additional verse. Not overly complex, but just there. There is also a bass walk intro and a bass walk to introduce each new key.
Don
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Away in the Manger and It Came Upon a Midnight Clear. Tis the season you know.
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Working on my own Christmas song that I performed at Church today - it went quite well!
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Working on my own Christmas song that I performed at Church today - it went quite well!
WhooHoo!
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Never My Love by the Association
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What New Song Are Your Currently Working On?
"Save the Last Dance For Me" by the Drifters.
For me, and probably like a lot of players, no piece is ever truly finished. Many times the initial completed run-through is really only the start. And with no particular plan, sometimes I'll play (or think of) a song, and realize it's time for something else to be added in. Or subtracted out, as sometimes both may happen. So it's not a 'new' song to me, but it is a new arrangement to an old favorite. And the one that's gotten a lot of recent attention from me. Been into the Drifters for a long, long time.
As you can tell, I've been playing "Save the Last Dance For Me" for quite a while. In 'E'. While playing it recently, I just started to play around with it. Somehow the rhythm suggested a Spanish influence, so I added a nice little Spanish style fill to end each verse. Some days later I decided to add an instrumental solo, right after the ". . . . I will never ever let you go, I love you oh so much" part. Yes, the addition is before the last verse and the recorded version violin solo. After I tried a few different things, I ended up with a fifties rock and roll style semi-solo thing comprised around the song chords with arpeggio based notes and harmonies, reminding me of something from a 'back in the day' R&R song. This played out over a whole verse and chorus iteration during the song.
And added an ending using the fill, in ritard(ando), for good measure.
To be clear, I love puns.
After I let this ruminate, I will re-examine the changes, and go from there. To my mind, this is a 'new' project. And the current omens are auspicious.
Don
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...For me, and probably like a lot of players, no piece is ever truly finished...
Amen Don! Always works-in-progress. That's what makes it fun!
I've been spending the past several weeks with Randy Rhoads. What a talented player and his music is both challenging and so rewarding to recreate. I could only image the music he would have written if he was still with us.
With the exception of the solos (way beyond my skill set), I've been fiddling with Revelation (Mother Earth) and Diary of a Madman. My fingers hurt.
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Marco,
Thanks for the reply. I like to put a little meat on the bones, so I mention a few extra things. Maybe giving hints will help people if they want to follow my trail.
By the way, there is no right or wrong result. Only Try or Do Not.
Don
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I am working on a drop D version of Here comes the Sun, as well as Let it Be. Plus standard tunings of Photograph, as well as revisiting some old favorites. As Don said, no version is ever finished, always time for some tweaks...
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Hey Dave,
So you got me curious now. If you do drop D tuning, do you (and/or are you still doing) the capo thing? What key are you using?
I ask mostly because I do it capo 7 in a D formation making the key 'A'. Not that you have to do it note for note or original key (I don't always; it's like horse-shoes), but while the drop D sounds interesting, it may force fingering or note changes when you want to play the 'E' string in whatever position.
I used to play it sometimes in open 'A' on my 12 string so I could use the 2 note octave-apart sound on all those neat note runs, starting with "Sun, . . " on the 'C' chord. Maybe I'll resurrect that one, just for kicks.
Don
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Hi Don,
I am using a version by Mark Hanson for both of those Beatles songs, with no capo and ranging thru 1st and 2nd position on Sun and through 12 frets on Let it Be. Been away for a while so not making as much progress as I like but they are coming and I have added too many new songs to the currently learning list,
Demons, Imagine Dragon’s
Let Her Go-Passenger
I’m Yours-Jason Mraz
All are fingerstyle solo arrangements with no singing.
I don’t have the musical vocabulary to explain everything, or really understand it, but it is slowly coming along. Feel free to PM me if you like.
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Hey Dave,
Will do a pm thing soon.
Sometimes my stream of consciousness thing gets things wrong. When I mentioned 'open A' for my 12 string, it was incorrect. Meant using open strings in key of A. So same key, but no way I am going to open tune a 12 string, at least at the moment. I have been thinking of DADGADing one of them, but not yet. Maybe after I learn 'Black Mountain Side' I'll try that on 12er. Not holding my breath though.
Update from last post on this thread. Really liking where 'Save the Last Dance' is right now, so that's the way I'll be playing it for a while.
Currently playing around with "Ain't Misbehavin' ". Don't know where this will end up, but I have the lyrics and figured out some chords. Now for some melody and fills.
Don
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OK, time for some current updates on things I've mentioned so far in this thread.
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Post #5 "Walk Don't Run".
Kind of stalled out with not having something I like for the drum solo. Tried a few finger tapping things, but didn't like any of them. Thinking of something along the lines of slapping the strings over chord(s) and capping it off with a descending note thing, maybe the same one used a few times already from the Ventures version. Maybe just slap descending chords instead of notes (E,D,C,B,A) for that part?
"Bells of Rhymney" and Arlo's "City of New Orleans" are in the 12 string learning mix too. As usual, the hardest part is remembering the words. And still is.
Still. Close with both. Also playing "City of New Orleans" on 5 string ukulele. Also started fiddling with "Coming into Los Angeles" by Arlo. He plays it on a 12 string.
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Post #13 "Amazing Grace".
In DADGAD.
Got a working version that can still use a few harmony fills.
If you are at all interested in this DADGAD tuning fling, it is probably worthwhile to (re)read Post #13 to this thread. A few good hints on where I went while researching this topic.
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Post #25 "I Walk The Line" by Johnny Cash.
Got a decent working version with some walking bass lines and alternating bass in a bass-note / strum kind of thing, topped off with a working hook for an ending.
I wrote, "Hard part is to memorize all the lyrics, and working on the pace of the song. You know, 'get rhythm"."
Well turns out the hardest part is to get and maintain a good rhythm for the song from start to finish.
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Post #30 "Save the Last Dance For Me" by the Drifters.
Really very pleased where this is right now. See previous post on this. 'Nuff said.
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Post #36 "Black Mountain Side".
Started, but tough sledding so far. Real life intrudes. Will probably tune my 355 12 string jumbo to DADGAD in the near future. May help inspire me on this one.
"Ain't Misbehavin' ". Don't know where this will end up, but I have the lyrics and figured out some chords. Now for some melody and fills.
No change. Haven't advanced this idea much at all, and still haven't learned the lyrics, so it's kind of stalled. Will be that way until I learn the lyrics and put together a basic working version of the song.
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OK, some background notes are in order.
First is a reminder that I fingerpick all my instruments using my fingernails. Many of my 'strums' include 3-finger down-strokes which are split-second sequential the way I play it. While the pieces should prove easily recognizable to the listener, I am not using a regular pick nor a thumbpick, which means I have to make some musical compromises at times. Most of my multi-note harmonies are not accidental, but are backfilled as I work on and re-play a given piece.
I also play solo (as in only one guitar), so my pattern of learning includes getting some basics like melody and chords down and filling in any quiet spots where wanted/needed with whatever is wanted/needed. Thus my playing versions are an attempt to put as much into the piece as I can without making it too fat or leaving it too lean.
I also have no real time pressure learning new pieces, so they are presentable when I feel they are but they are also never truly finished.
So what I end up with is pretty much my own take on a piece and not a slavish imitation. But I like to think that anyone familiar with the piece will easily recognize it.
Don
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"Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out"
Don
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Two originals - one with no melody or lyrics- just an instrumental for now. The other has both music and lyrics, but it's not soup yet!
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So a while ago, I found a wonderful ensemble of people called “40 fingers” on YouTube.
They did a Disney medley (here’s the link: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=D6hYcSvYQkA ) and I instantly fell in love with the “you’ll be in my heart” part by Phil Collins, so last night, I started fooling around the song and I hope to arrange an easy fingerstyle version of it sometime in the future.
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Currently working on "The Girl From Ipanema"
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Over the last couple of weeks since the holidays, I have resurrected a Beatles tune, "It's Only Love", which I used to do many years ago. Instrumental only at the moment, but I may add the lyrics and re-arrange the song again. Lovely tune.
Not sure yet about "Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out". Seems most modern versions only do a couple of the 4 ? verses, and I've been changing keys a bit to find one I like. So now on YouTube I'm listening to Bessie Smith sing it, and it sounds real good. Just found a version by a lady named Dixie Michell(e) who does it with her own solo guitar backing, in key of 'C'. Kind of nice uncomplicated accompaniment, so I'll try that next. Sounds very nice on her 6 string, but I'll probably muck around a bit on a 12 string with it. Then start over with the lyrics. This one may be a while unless I do a deep dive.
Most times the journey is more than half the fun, even if it's just around the block.
Don
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> Not sure yet about "Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out".
Well I'm sure. Took a deep dive. Marianas Trench deep dive.
After listening to a half dozen versions of this song, I love it. Except none of the versions are the same. I love it. Everybody uses different lyrics, number of verses, and other variations within the song. I love it. As far as I can tell, song was written sometime in the 1920s, possibly by someone named Jimmy Cox, and became famous in the 30s when Bessie Smith sang it. The song seems to have followed a route akin to a folk song where everyone ends up with a different lyric version except for the title, the first line, and the multiple refrain(s) of the title. I love it. All this research shows it's kind of fair game for anyone, and probably public domain at that.
I'm looking to start with 2 verses, much like people from Scrapper Blackwell to Eric Clapton have done. Add a ragtime intro and song feel and maybe a rock and roll break, repeat second verse, and add a ragtime outro. I have chosen Key of 'C', mostly because I like how the chords fit in naturally with the song. Speaking of chords, everyone seems to have their own, of course, but I have made some notes on different versions and think I have my first foray in place.
On the third line, I did end up using an F major chord followed by a diminished F#, followed by a quick semi-tone walk-up to the semi arpeggio of C, ending with an A7. And on the back end of the 4th line, Dixie used a well placed D7, done with a C7 shape leading on the 5th fret. I liked this because if I play the open high 'e' string with it, it becomes something like a D9 and sounds great. Especially followed by a cowboy 'G' with some notes added/subtracted and walking around to make it a G6 (open lower e) and then the D on the B string and back up again to G while harmonizing with the lower notes of the G chord.
So now I have a plan all ready, and the next step is to make sure it's proficient, this of course is the hard work portion. And then stir in some lyrics. The first verse is very similar for most versions, but after that it's Dodge City. Rollin', rollin', rollin'. Keep them doggies rollin'.
And this one's now rolling along like an out of control freight train. Hmm. Freight Train.
Don
PS > I've had a wicked lot of fun with this so far.
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One more note on this. Because it's been the dry indoor season (winter radiators) in New England for a week (15% indoor RH as I write this), I have done all my prep work for this on my laminate B&S EJ-200, and I have a new appreciation of this guitar after playing only this one for 5 days straight. (Maybe a record with me for playing only one guitar since I only had one guitar.) Considering the upcoming weekend forecast (single digits with huge negative wind chill factors), I'll be using it for a while longer.
Have some experience dealing with humidity effects, and my bigger solids seem to sound a bit off right now, but the laminate sounds fine. Go figure.
Or maybe it's just my ears, poppin' to the pressure drop. Snows a'falling
Don
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I've been working on Eric Claptons unplugged version of Layla. I first learned to play the 'TAB' notes of the two lead solo's, now I'm working on putting those notes in rhythm. It's tough. But I'm getting it. It's fun !
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New update, or rather not so new at times.
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"I Walk the Line" by Johnny Cash
Getting a good rhythm is still the hardest part. I actually now do it slightly slower and it seems a whole lot better for me. I think I was rushing it.
"Save the Last Dance For Me" the Drifters.
Still very pleased where this is right now.
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"Black Mountain Side" by Jimmy Page
From last time,"Started, but tough sledding so far. Real life intrudes. Will probably tune my 355 12 string jumbo to DADGAD in the near future. May help inspire me on this one."
Well I dropped the ball on this, but started it up again last week, so still under construction. Not as easy as I thought (hoped?) it might be.
On the other hand, a couple of weeks ago I did tune my 355 to DADGAD, but since I started tuned at D# standard, I ended up tuned down two semitones to C# Keltic for lack of a better term. Sounds great though, maybe because I'm used to my 12 strings being tuned down a notch. Real life is unavoidable, but finding a bit of time here and there.
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"Ain't MIsbehavin"
. . . kind of petered out. I guess I misbehaved. Couldn't come up with an arrangement that I liked, so it's on the shelf for a while. Oddly enough, I do go back to earlier stuff, just not always sooner than later.
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"Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out"
Got a more than working version going, but ran out of gas deciding which lyrics to use. Ended up using a lot of arpeggios as I thought, and swapped out that D7th in the E shape for a cowboy D7th to make the fingering easier, and also to use my little finger to hint a 'D' note/shape during the measure. That 'D' note also serves as a passing note to the next 'E' note on the treble string which is also becomes the passing 6th for the G6th Chord which ends the measure and verse. Using arpeggios, the F major followed by the F# dim still sounds delicious.
I think I'm talking myself back into getting back into this song again.
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Random recent thoughts and things:
"Somethin' Else" by Eddie Cochran has been running round my brain. Thinking of using a Mr Bassman kind of thing to fill in the drum/bass parts in between the words. Just a catchy thing is this song. Might lead to a rejuvenation of "Summertime Blues" for me too.
Playing as instrumentals, the Irish song, "Rising of the Moon", and Donovan's "Three Kingfishers" raga style on the now C# Keltic-tuned 12 String was a epiphany for me. Wow. The drone effect was amazing, which closely mimics a Uilleann pipes role for the "Rising of the Moon". And the drones played a big part in filling in for a multi string raga instrument like a sarod or a sitar.
And because I renewed my acquaintance in the Music Association Game thread with the Johnny Cash versions of If "I were a Carpenter" (duet with June) and "You Are My Sunshine", I kind of put those songs into my sights (and ears and brain). Already picked out the chords and notes for "You are my Sunshine", along with the lyrics. Actually a sadder song than I remember.
Due to too many barre chords, I now play "My Back Pages" in C instead of E on my 458e-R 12 string (tuned standard to D#). Good news is the solo can still be played in the octave courses.
Always loved the Byrds version. And speaking of which, "The Bells of Rhymney" is still in my mix, mostly using a Thumb and two-finger picking with occasional lapses back to thumb and three.
About "Walk Don't Run", I wrote,
"Kind of stalled out with not having something I like for the drum solo. Tried a few finger tapping things, but didn't like any of them. Thinking of something along the lines of slapping the strings over chord(s) and capping it off with a descending note thing, maybe the same one used a few times already from the Ventures version. Maybe just slap descending chords instead of notes (E,D,C,B,A) for that part?"
Haven't come up with anything I like yet, so I guess I'm waiting for inspiration, but that's not something you can conjure up. Might even come from something totally unassociated with music. Just have to be open to receive it.
Enough for now, Hopefully not too wordy, but I get a kick out of learning and researching new things. Which is why I will eventually get back "with Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out". With which I have already had a great deal of fun. Gonna try it on 12 string tomorrow with my 458, which is tuned standard, down to D#. Just got that idea while writing this. Might spark up "Ain't Misbehaving" too.
Edit> So I took my own advice, tried 'Down and out' on both 12 and 6 strings. Especially after playing it twice on the 12 string, this song is a lot more fun again now on both 12 and 6 strings. Renewed my interest in an interesting song. Hit me with your best shot. Bam!
Be well all, and be safe,
Don
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I've added one of my originals back into the mix, and it's taken on a whole new life. I'm using banjo tuning in the key of G. Nice harmonics, great imagery in the lyrics, fun to sing - and best of all, it's a love song to my precious wife!
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I think Beatle Paul
said it all
about this.
What's wrong with that? 8)
Don
.
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3 AM by Matchbox 20.
I’ve been struggling with the rhythm for years , but now finally getting it .
By the way, check my post time
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I've got a name, Jim Croce
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Three songs that I wrote in the last few months. One about a hike in New Hampshire with a surprising discovery("Mountain Bird"), one about my first car ("White Wonder '62"), one about the enduring winters in the Northeast ("Winter Solstice", aka "April, Will She Come?").
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Update: three new original songs written: "Thanks To Grace" and "Ears To Hear" along with what may be permanently an instrumental appropriately titled "Wordless Meditation"!
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Two songs by the Zombies -- She's Not There and Tell Her No
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Two songs by the Zombies -- She's Not There and Tell Her No
Good choices. Couple of my favorites.
Don
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Q3
Sometimes I fiddle with songs and ideas and they only get so far and then kind of wait in guitar limbo when something else catches my ear. One song which I've been fiddling with for 55 years is "It's Only Love" by the Beatles. Resurrected it yet again and worked out a new arrangement as an instrumental and I like it a lot (again). On 6 string for now, but only a matter of time before I see if it works on a 12. Not quite ready to try that yet and not all songs sound good making the transition. Play it in 'C' and mostly worried about some crazy transposing 'G' chord variant at the end of the verses. Can barely do it on a 6, but for a 12, who knows? That's why it's still being worked on.
Gave up on a drum solo substitute for now for "Walk Don't Run" and simply integrated it 'as is' into both 6 and 12 playlists. Enough that I have a whammy bar substitute for the ending.
Currently learning "Massachusetts" by the BeeGees. Inspired by a video done acoustically from a Mike Douglas TV show. 3 brothers, 2 guitars, and that vocal by Robin. Wow. Playing it in 'G'. As a bonus, as I was working out the melody, I played this variant intro on the basic melody and bent the note over 'back' (lyric) in the first line at the 'A' on the 'e' string. I was playing my new Epiphone spruce over solid maple J-200 at the time, and during the (not excessive) bend, the A note was still echoing from the body as I raised the note slightly for emphasis, maybe to A# and it just hung there. Amazing sounds including the overtones. I'm keeping that bit in there. Think I've got a working melody so far, and maybe just need some chordal hints to make it into an outro, or a full outro and/or break. Plan a vocal over arpeggio chords for the most part.
Got working lyrics and guitar chords so far for "S.O.S.", but don't know how that will turn out. Never tried an ABBA song before. Thinking 'country' style for some reason. Playing it in 'G', and there's a neat Gsus4 in the chorus to play with.
Don
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Q4 '21
Not as much song progress per se, since I've spent a lot of time acclimating myself to my new Epiphone Inspired By Gibson J-200. Actually been using it for some new-to me stuff as part of my learning process-
Beatles "It's Only Love" coming along nicely. Beatles intro is also their outro, so now using arppegiated chords for background for lyrics, and one verse and chorus of my instumental arrangement for the the outro. Coming together nicely, but still needs some more work.
"S.O.S." has been a bit ignored by me, but I still like the idea even without the piano and THOSE singers. (sigh)
"Massachusetts" is working out much better than expected. Using my melodic variant as an intro, and also a full melody variant for an outro, ending on a variant arpeggio and a quick lick.
Now about trying new stuff on the Epi J-200, I actually went back to old stuff. That is, old stuff for me. One of the first songs I ever learned was "Big Rock Candy Mountain", but not the somewhat sanitized version by Burl Ives. It was on a record by a country singer who used a shadier version of the depression era song. The record was one I had 'inherited' from a grand uncle who had passed. The record also included a version of "Rye Whiskey", which was one of the first two songs I learned. Maybe/probably both about the same time. Which was kind of fun for a 7 or 8 year old. Anyway, it was a good thing for me to re-visit, and a good simple initiation for my J-200, even if I only remember the first verse of that version of "Big Rock Candy Mountain".
The first two records I bought (on '45 rpm) were "Caribbean" by Mitchell Torok and "Red River Rock", an instrumental by Johnny and the Hurricanes featuring a cheap organ sound and a smoking hot sax solo, presumably by Johnny. So "Red River Valley" and Caribbean were then on my radar. Caribbean is kind of a fun country style song with easy chords to figure out. Frankly that applies to Red River Valley too.
Burl Ives makes an appearance here, as "A Little Bitty Tear" was one of my grandfather's favorite singers and songs, and I played the '45 record whenever he wanted to hear it. He also hid it, but he had a wonderful singing voice. Add in "San Francisco Bay Blues" by one man band Jessie Fuller, and this was a lot of what I was playing for new (to me) playing material for quite a while, plus a lot of other stuff I usually play.
As a reminder to myself, I was playing around with the intro and chords for "Here Comes The Night" by Them. Love the intro (E => A ) notes, so this is a self-challenge to figure out something to play using that song.
Been listening to some Marty Robbins lately, and figured out "Big Iron", but there are a lot of lyrics as it is a 'story song', along the lines of "El Paso". So with "Ghost Riders in the Sky", I guess I got a lot of lyrics for my aging mind to wrap around those three.
Stones "Country Honk", aka "Honky Tonk Women", sounds real good on my new guitar, as does Johnny Horton's Honky Tonk Man, and Lead Belly's "Midnight Special".
Kind of all over the place with all of this, but sometimes that just happens. As an aside to this, I have been known to spend a lot of time with some unfinished or unsatisfying arrangments. Took me years to arrive at an arrangement of "Spanish Harlem" that I liked.
Don
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Just started working on Jason Isball's 'Cover Me Up'. Saw a YouTube vid of him performing it in Nashville with the 400 Unit and his wife Amanda Shires. I was knocked out by the song and the arrangement. The arrangement part gives me a lot of work to do on Pro Tools to get an approximate backing track but I've managed to tie down Jason's guitar riffs (again, approximately!)
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I actually bought the Taylor that i have now specifically to (hopefully) go out and start playing live again
This is what Im currently working on;
- Ryan Adams: Sweet Caroline
- Dylan: Wagon Wheel
- Floyd: Wish You Were Here
- RHCP: Under the Bridge
- Jackie Green: Write a Letter Home
- Social Distortion: Ball and Chain
- Dixie Chicks: Easy Silence
- Jet: Shine on
I have a few more but this is my active list.....there's just not enough time to practice! If only I didn't have a busy job, wife, two kids, and a garage full of motorcycles and some cars to maintain
:o
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I spent the last quarter arranging, polishing, and working up a bunch of Christmas carols, songs, and hymns. It's funny because these tend to be "comfort music," pieces that I remember from my childhood and have loved to revisit. Though I play sessions, I have no live gig right now, so this music is just for me. The pieces included:
Christmas...
New arrangements
Angels We Have Heard on High
It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
Joy to the World
Old and being polished
Tennessee Christmas
Greensleeves (What Child is This)
Silent Night
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (electric guitar) - I just wanted one "smoky bar" jazzy piece.
Hymns
Great is Thy Faithfulness (new)
My Faith Looks Up to Thee
We Gather Together
Our God Our Help In Ages Past
Bob
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Succession Season 1 has some really nice underscore music that I've been trying to work out on guitar. There are some YouTube videos of the composer that are quite useful. Two basic themes that have been a challenge to work out because 1) I have to figure out what key to play them in (Bm? Am? ) and exactly where on the neck it can be played (capo on 4?). What makes this really hard is that where the composer plays it is far too high on the neck for me to pull it off, so lots of Key change attempts using an audio editor so I can practice playing along with it. Whew, anybody else trying this? I could use the help . . .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0WzqanwlG0 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0WzqanwlG0)
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I spent the last quarter arranging, polishing, and working up a bunch of Christmas carols, songs, and hymns. It's funny because these tend to be "comfort music," pieces that I remember from my childhood and have loved to revisit. Though I play sessions, I have no live gig right now, so this music is just for me.
* *
Bob
Welcome to this forum, Bob.
Don
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Thank you kindly!
Bob
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I’m working on Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out. I’m Using Paul Davids Youtube tutorial.
My daily player is a 110e. It gets played daily for at least two hours. It’s 2 years old now and it sounds great!
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Panis Angelicus... heard a lot around Christmas time....
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I’m working on Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out. I’m Using Paul Davids Youtube tutorial.
My daily player is a 110e. It gets played daily for at least two hours. It’s 2 years old now and it sounds great!
Hey UncleJeff,
Welcome to the forum. A certain not-so-little-person-anymore has been known to call me
'Grampa Don'. She's the only one who can get away with that.
Back to music. What key are you using for 'Down and Out'?
I'm using 'C'. Probably have to check out Paul Davids' vids at some point.
I've been kicking that dog around for a couple of years, but it's not where I want it to be. Yet.
Apologies since I don't mean to butt in, but you might find this interesting, and maybe even of some use to you. From my ramblings on this thread over this song for the last year or so, here's a collection of my notes and snippets for this one.
Please note that I wax and wane on a lot of things, often wherever my nose leads. And then I come back for another look when the spirit moves me. I also fingerpick everything using my nails as picks and usually work up my own arrangements.
* * * *
Not sure yet about "Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out". Seems most modern versions only do a couple of the 4 ? verses, and I've been changing keys a bit to find one I like. So now on YouTube I'm listening to Bessie Smith sing it, and it sounds real good. Just found a version by a lady named Dixie Michell(e) who does it with her own solo guitar backing, in key of 'C'. Kind of nice uncomplicated accompaniment, so I'll try that next. Sounds very nice on her 6 string, but I'll probably muck around a bit on a 12 string with it. Then start over with the lyrics. This one may be a while unless I do a deep dive.
Most times the journey is more than half the fun, even if it's just around the block.
* *
January 26, 2021, 11:39:30 PM »
One more note on this. Because it's been the dry indoor season (winter radiators) in New England for a week (15% indoor RH as I write this), I have done all my prep work for this on my laminate B&S EJ-200, and I have a new appreciation of this guitar after playing only this one for 5 days straight. (Maybe a record with me for playing only one guitar since I only had one guitar.) Considering the upcoming weekend forecast (single digits with huge negative wind chill factors), I'll be using it for a while longer.
Have some experience dealing with humidity effects, and my bigger solids seem to sound a bit off right now, but the laminate sounds fine. Go figure.
Or maybe it's just my ears, poppin' to the pressure drop. Snows a'falling
Don
* *
> Not sure yet about "Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out".
Well I'm sure. Took a deep dive. Marianas Trench deep dive.
After listening to a half dozen versions of this song, I love it. Except none of the versions are the same. I love it. Everybody uses different lyrics, number of verses, and other variations within the song. I love it. As far as I can tell, song was written sometime in the 1920s, possibly by someone named Jimmy Cox, and became famous in the 30s when Bessie Smith sang it. The song seems to have followed a route akin to a folk song where everyone ends up with a different lyric version except for the title, the first line, and the multiple refrain(s) of the title. I love it. All this research shows it's kind of fair game for anyone, and probably public domain at that.
I'm looking to start with 2 verses, much like people from Scrapper Blackwell to Eric Clapton have done. Add a ragtime intro and song feel and maybe a rock and roll break, repeat second verse, and add a ragtime outro. I have chosen Key of 'C', mostly because I like how the chords fit in naturally with the song. Speaking of chords, everyone seems to have their own, of course, but I have made some notes on different versions and think I have my first foray in place.
On the third line, I did end up using an F major chord followed by a diminished F#, followed by a quick semi-tone walk-up to the semi arpeggio of C, ending with an A7. And on the back end of the 4th line, Dixie used a well placed D7, done with a C7 shape leading on the 5th fret. I liked this because if I play the open high 'e' string with it, it becomes something like a D9 and sounds great. Especially followed by a cowboy 'G' with some notes added/subtracted and walking around to make it a G6 (open treble e) and then the D on the B string and back up again to G while harmonizing with the notes of the G chord
* *
"Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out"
Got a more than working version going, but ran out of gas deciding which lyrics to use. Ended up using a lot of arpeggios as I thought, and swapped out that D7th in the E shape for a cowboy D7th to make the fingering easier, and also to use my little finger to hint a 'D' note/shape during the measure. That 'D' note also serves as a passing note to the next 'E' note on the treble string which is also becomes the passing 6th for the G6th Chord which ends the measure and verse. Using arpeggios, the F major followed by the F# dim still sounds delicious.
I think I'm talking myself back into getting back into this song again.
* *
Enough for now, Hopefully not too wordy, but I get a kick out of learning and researching new things. Which is why I will eventually get back "with Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out". With which I have already had a great deal of fun. Gonna try it on 12 string tomorrow with my 458, which is tuned standard, down to D#. Just got that idea while writing this. Might spark up "Ain't Misbehaving" too.
Edit> So I took my own advice, tried 'Down and out' on both 12 and 6 strings. Especially after playing it twice on the 12 string, this song is a lot more fun again now on both 12 and 6 strings. Renewed my interest in an interesting song. Hit me with your best shot. Bam!
* * * *
Heck at this pace I might be happy with a version in a year of so.
Be well,
Don
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Q1 '22, part two (counting the previous bit about "Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out" as part one), a little late.
Nasty fall on the ice mostly effected my fretting hand, missed some time, but now back to 95+%, so that's life.
Some of this is repititious due to lost time and little progress, but there it is. Bringing myself up to speed too.
Beatles "It's Only Love" coming along nicely. Beatles intro is also their outro, so now using arppegiated chords for background for lyrics, and one verse and chorus of my instumental arrangement for the the outro. Coming together nicely, but still needs some more work.
Doesn't help that I keep changing the arrangement here and there.
"Massachusetts" is working out very well. Nearly have a"finished" arrangement. Quotes are for needling myself. Nothing is ever finished, just "improved".
*
On "Big Rock Candy Mountain", I don't think the kids' version referred to "a burly bum come a-hiking" or to a "cigarette tree". Going to go look for a similar version to the one I know and maybe add a few verses to complete the song. I only remember the first verse and chorus of that version of "Big Rock Candy Mountain"
There's a few versions of "Rye Whiskey" out there sometimes combining with a song called "Jack o' Diamonds", so I'll be working on an arrangement I like.
I got the words and figured out chords to "Caribbean" by Mitchell Torok. Hard part will be memorizing the lyrics, putting it together, and seeing if I like it. It is an amusing song though.
Really liking "Red River Valley" and just deciding on whether or not including the last verse, and how to include it if I do. Somehow I don't remember the song the same way as the verses go.
"A Little Bitty Tear" is almost mine, about 80% on the lyrics. Going to be a 'no frills' song. It was one of my grandfather's favorite songs. While he did try to hide it, he had a wonderful singing voice.
To "San Francisco Bay Blues" by one man band Jessie Fuller, I found a version by Tom Rush, which performance I like, and will have some further study on it
About the intro and chords for "Here Comes The Night" by Them. I like that great intro (E => A ) notes, but not the song so much. Current thinking is to use that intro and some quick guitar fiddling to elide into "Moondance", taking that A into a minor key.
Love "Big Iron" by Marty Robbins; works great for me. Still, the lyrics to a long story are a bit much, but making progress.
Now with guitar notes intro, then into vocal chorus, "Ghost Riders in the Sky" works for me.
Stones "Country Honk", aka "Honky Tonk Women", Johnny Horton's "Honky Tonk Man", and Lead Belly's "MIdnight Special" all got a revival. Combined verses and styles from Country Honk with Honky Tonk Women along with country style fills and rock and roll bridge and solo, and loving it.
One last (?!) revisit with "Walk Don't Run". Changed the timing to a more laid back shuffle style and now using that. Some notes get stretched out a bit, but it works for me. Almost makes it a new song.
Did I mention that nothing is ever finished?
Be well all,
Don
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"The Last Thing On My Mind" by Tom Paxton
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08lVuhv_Va8
I heard this song on the radio the other day. Can't get it out of my head, so I wrote down the lyrics and am in the process of working out the chords to play it. I'm using key of G. Doesn't sound overly complicated. I actually used this song in the Music Association Game right after I heard it.
Saw Tom many years ago at the Club 47 in Cambridge Massachusetts.
Don
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Since Today's Ash Wednesday, I'll be switching my playlist to Lenten and Easter - themed songs, mostly originals....
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I know "The Vatican Rag" by Tom Lehrer, but I guess that wouldn't qualify.
::)
Don