[mikezzp]

i need some songs like Don Maclean's "vincent" to play by ONLY
one Acoustic guitar
they must be:
1. melodic soft strains some thing like folks
2.sounds great when accompanied by only one guitar
Don Maclean's "vincent" is the best example to show what i need
any suggestion will be appreciated~~~

[Bigfurrywhale]

My teacher gave me a beautiful arrangement of vincent by Chet Atkins. It's a bit challenging but if you can find it I'm sure you'll like it alot.

[stuartmerenbloom]

Anything by James Taylor.

Look at John Denver's stuff...Anne's Song is great. So is My Sweet Lady.

[dadfad]

I do (or have done) Van Morrison's "Tupelo Honey," the Stones' "No Expectations," Curtis Mayfield's "People Get Ready," the Beatles' "Norwegian Wood,".... lots of others, often re-arranged for solo acoustic. Hendrix's (actually Billie Roberts') "Hey Joe" is a great solo-acoustic tune (I'll post my arrangement below). There are TONS. Especially if you consider re-working for solo-acoustic. Here's a quoted post from a previous topic.

i'm stealing this one from dadfad..........

try sweet home chicago by robert johnson, only switch the words up:

three and two is five
five and four is nine
i just had another shot of wiskey
baby you're looking mighty fine

sometimes all you've gotta do is switch the lyrics around.

p.s. dadfad, they love that version, so thank you.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes, number-rhyme lyrics can get pretty..... er...... "colorful" when you start spontaneously doing them on stage. (And don't forget about subtractions too....)

Yeah, ten an' ten make twenty
An' four from five leaves one
You ain't so fine now, Baby
But I'm sure you're lots of fun

Six and one make seven
An' one an' two make three
Well six and twelve makes eighteen
An' that's old enough for me

Two an' two make four now, Baby
Four an' two make six
Your number's on the bathroom wall
You've had your share of............experience!

So, c'mon....... Baby, don'cha wanna go.........

Thats a great idea Dadfad. We're hoping to try that with a big gig this summer.


*(Finally, 1000 posts...Quality over quantity)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

(Really. I look at some guys with a post-count of like 13,276,948 and 99% of it is in the Discussion Forum. Guys with smaller counts, the majority or plurality of which are in the technical forums, are the ones that get my respect.)


Covers I used to do of "And The Wind Cries Mary" and (surprisingly) "Turn The Page" used to get me that compliment most often before I got into (for the most part) straight country-blues and trad stuff. When covering a tune, you have the benefit of both hind-sight and fore-sight, both of which the original artist never had. He had to, at some point, say "That's it. It's finished" and have it recorded. And now we have the ability to take that tune and work with it, personalize it, even improve it. Like adding an improvement to and already-existing invention. It doesn't belittle the original in any way, without which you wouldn't have the re-arrangement obviously!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I couldn't agree with you more!

Anyway, back to the topic: If you have a song with a simple chord structure, how do you start to embellish (Damn big English words!) it? Appregiating the chords? Maybe adding or a emitting a few notes?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Slowly arpeggiating through a tune can start the ideas coming. Little fingering technique changes can make a tune sound more special, like hammering into chords (the chords G, C and D are especially good for that). Changing a voicing of a chord can change the feel (in the Key of C instead of going to a straight F major 133211 go to an Fsus2 (122011) for example (and that third string can be itself hammered back into the major form). Using substitution chords can change the feel alot. Some chords are perfect for subs. Like in a G tune (G, C, D prog) an Em often works in place of a G in some areas, or Am for C, etc. Or simply making slight re-arrangements of the chords on a simple progression. Take.... Morrison's "Tupelo Honey"......
As a "straight" progression it's (probably).....


[G]She's as [C]sweet [D]as Tupelo [G]honey
[G]She's an [D]angel of the [C]first [D]degree
[G]She's as [C]sweet [D]as Tupelo [G]honey
[G]Just like [C]honey, baby, [D]from the [G]bees

Now with a few simple re-arrangements and substitutions of chords, it changes it considerably.....

[G]She's as [D]sweet as [Cadd9]Tupelo [D]honey
[G]She's an [C]angel of the [Am]first de[D]gree
[G]She's as [Em]sweet as [Am]Tupelo [G]honey
[C]Just like [E]honey, baby....[D] from the [Cadd9]bees......[G]...

Now I probably over-did it above a bit as an example, but simple re-arranged chords, substitutions, slight voicing changes (a Cadd9 X32030 is easier to change to than a regular C) can change the texture greatly. Throw in a couple of hammer-ons on the second fret notes as you go into holding the G or C chords and it changes the "feel" from a pretty country-ish folk tune into more of a traditional Appalachian-sounding old-time ballad. Simply slowing down, or re-phrasing the way you sing the lines... the breaks between words. Holding onto a word or a chord... They can make a big change in the way a tune is percieved.

Anyway, there are lots of ways. Playing a tune slowly and experimenting is the way to start, whether its just minor changes or drastic ones altering the style completely.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

CODE

#----------------------------------PLEASE NOTE--------------------------------#
# This file is the author's own work and represents his interpretation of the #
# song. It is intended for private study, scholarship or research only.       #
#-----------------------------------------------------------------------------#

Author/Artist: Traditional/Billy Roberts
Title: Hey Joe Acoustic Arrangement
Arranged and Transcribed by: John M. (Dadfad)
Email: duolian@msn.com or Dadfad@dadfad.com


HEY JOE (Traditional Western Folk -Billy Roberts credited with modern version
        as recorded by The Byrds, The Leaves, Music Machine and Jimi Hendrix)
        Arranged and Tabbed by Dadfad (John M) 06/13/02

This arrangement is slow to moderate, an old-time hammer-to-3rds-and-5ths style
of the old Appalachian blue-ballad form. Though the rhythm's a very simple 1-2
3-4, it's not easy to show in tablature because at times there may be several
open-to-hammer movements within a space of one actual beat. It's probably best
to approach this arrangement played very slowly to develop a feel of how to put
them together within the beats. This is a very improvisational style and these
hammer-flourishes should be played as felt, adding, ommitting or changing their
use at will. This tab is meant to be more of a suggestion toward the style than
a carved-in-stone note-for-note text.

The symbols used in the tab notation are as follows:
* XhX =hammer from a note (held or open) to the next as one tone, ex. 0h2 is
 hammer from open to second fret quickly. A note played with a space before a
 hammer will be shown as 0---h3, meaning play 0 distinctly then hammer a 3.
* (up) and ^ show direction of the strum. ^ is normal and (up) of course, is
 up! Where not shown, like on partial-chord strums,etc it can be assumed to be
 the normal down-strum (or as felt appropriate).
* The \ means slide down to (toward the nut), for example \2 means slide down
 to 2. A suggested slide-from note is in (), like (4)\2 meaning slide to the
 2 coming down from the 4 with the 4 being sounded slightly in the process.
* The ~~ means to use an obvious vibrato, maybe a little more than what might
 normally be used on a single note.
* An XbXbX means bend from one note up to the next and relax the bend back to
 the start-from note, like 2b3b2 is play 2 and bend to the tone of the 3 and
 then let it relax back to the 2 note.
* These hammers are easiest played while holding a certain position, usually a
 chord. This position will be shown at the beginning of a series of licks with
 the notes in (), like this for example (a G-chord):

-(3)---
-(3)---
-(0)---
-(0)---
-(2)---
-(3)---

 It doen't mean to play that chord or figure, just to start that sequence in  
 that position so as to be able to play the following series of licks easily.
* a few other simple notes - an (X) or X doesn't mean to mute that string, just
 it is not played or held. I like the G chord 320033 with the added 5th, but
 this is just my preference and of course is optional. To me, not only does it
 sound better, it starts the fingers in a position that's easier to work the
 hammering, etc from. A slow arpeggiated strum is shown across the tab-staff
 with the notes slightly staggered diagonally toward the right.
* On the instrumental closing, the chords are extended. For example a G to C
 extension will take up approximately the same space and beats as the normal
 full progession to allow for more expression within the extension.

These hammers work well within this tune because of the dual relationships of
of the notes. Notes hammered into the C pentatonic is also the blues pent scale
of the A, the G pent notes are the blues pent notes of the E, which is the key
of the tune. These relationships add the blues-feel to a typically country and
western progression, which gives the traditional blue-ballad style its feeling.

(Instrumental Lead-In)
1)-(0)---------------------------(3)---------3---3(up)--(2)--2----------------
2)-(1)---------------------------(3)---------3---3------(3)--3---3----3----3--
3)-(0)----------0--0h2--0--------(0)------0--0---0------(2)--2--2h4---2----0--
4)-(2)------0h2------------0h2-0-(0)---0--0--0---0------(0)--0----------------
5)-(3)----3----------------------(2)--0h2---------------(0)--0----------------
6)-(X)---------------------------(3)--------------------(X)-------------------


1)-(0)---------------------(0)--------0--0--0--0--0--0---0---0---0--0--0--0--|
2)-(2)----------2---2------(0)--------0--3--0--2--0--0--0h2-----0h2----2--0--|
3)-(2)--2---2---2--2h4--2--(1)--1--1-----------------------------------------|
4)-(2)--2--2h4----------2--(2)--2--2-----------------------------------------|
5)-(0)--0---------------0--(2)--2--2-----------------------------------------|
6)-------------------------(0)--0--0-----------------------------------------|

(First Vocal-Line)
1)-(0)-----------------------(3)--3-----------(2)---------------(0)-----------
2)-(1)-----------------------(3)--------------(3)---------------(2)-----------
3)-(0)-----------0-----0--0--(0)--0-------0---(2)--2--2h4--2--2-(2)--2--2--2-0
4)-(2)------2---0h2----2--0--(0)--0---0---0---(0)--0---0---0--0-(2)--2--2--2-0
5)-(3)--3---3----------3-----(2)--2--0h2------(0)--0------------(0)--0--0--0-0
6)-(X)-----------------------(3)--3-----------(X)---------------(X)-----------
......................Hey........ Joe,..........................where ya goin'


1)-----(0)------------------------0--0--0--0--0--0-|(0)--0---0----------------|
2)-----(0)------------------------0--3--0--2--0--0-|(3)-3h5--3----------------|
3)-----(1)-------------1---------------------------|(4)--------(4)\2--0-------|
4)-----(2)--2----------2-------2-------------------|---------------------2--0-|
5)-----(2)--2----------2-------2-------------------|--------------------------|
6)-----(0)--0------------------0-------------------|--------------------------|
.with  that gun in your hand?                        (turnaround back to the C)


(repeat the vocal-line licks, starting from the C chord thru E chord positions
for each vocal-line, using that C-G-D-A-E progression like this, with or with-
out the added hammers and other embellishments..............

  [C]Hey, [G]Joe. [D]Where you [A]goin' with that [E]gun in your hand.)



-HEY JOE-
-by Billie Roberts

Hey, Joe. Where you goin' with that gun in your hand.

Goin' down an' shoot my ol' lady. Caught her messin' round with another man.


Hey Joe, can you tell me where you gonna go?

Hey Joe, won't ya tell me where you gonna go?

I'm runnin' down to Mexico, find a place where I can be free.

Find a place where there ain't no hangman tryin' to put his noose around me.


1)-(0)------------------------------------------3--3---3(up)--3---------3---|
2)-(1)---------1-----1-----1----1--1------------3--3---3------3---------3---|
3)-(0)---------0----0h2---2h3---2--0--0---0--0--0--0---0------0---------0---|
4)-(2)----0h2------------------------0h2--2--0--0--0---0------0---------0---|
5)-(3)--3---------------------------------------2--2---2------2---------2---|
6)-(X)------------------------------------------3^-3-^-3------3^--------3^--|
(Play this C through G formation as a two chord extension)


1)-(0)-0-----------------------0--0---------------------------------|
2)-(3)-3--------3------3---3---3--3--3------------------------------|
3)-(2)-2-------2h4-----2---0---2--2--0---2---2---2--0--2---2----0---|
4)-(0)-0-----------------------0--0--0---2--2h4--2--0--2---2----0---|
5)-(0)-0---------------------------------0-------------0---0----3---|
6)-(X)--------------------------------------------------------------|
    (let ring)(Play this extended D through A formation two chord extension


1)--0-------0--------------------------------------------
2)--0-------0----(repeat---------------------------------
3)--1-------1----------chord-----------------------------
4)--2-------2--------------fading..)---------------------
5)--2-------2--------------------------------------------
6)--0-------0--------------------------------------------
...into a repeated E chord that fades out. Pause. And then play this...


1)--------------------3--5--5b6b5--p3-----------------------------------------
2)--------0---h3---5--------------------5--3----------------------------------
3)---------------------------------------------4---\2--0--2b3b2---0-----------
4)-------------------------------------------------------------------2--0-----
5)-------------------------------------------------------------------------2--
6)----------------------------------------------------------------------------
...single-string closing figure.


1)--------------------0--------------------0--0---||
2)-------------------0---------------------0--3---||
3)------------------1-----------------------------||
4)-----------------2------------------------------||
5)---0------------2-------------------------------||
6)-------3~~~----0--------------------------------||
into a slowly strummed full E chord....then....  End.

[grzegorz_panek]

Try some John Martyn, May you never or some more bossa oriented things.

He's a great folk artist, Solid Air is my favourit record of his.

[BaasLian]

What can one say after a post like that from Dadfad?

But try Leonard Cohen - Suzanne

[dadfad]

But try Leonard Cohen - Suzanne

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Good one, Liam. (my wife's a real Cohen-head from waaaaaay back!) (I like him too, but a little Cohen goes a long way for me!)

[BaasLian]

But try Leonard Cohen - Suzanne

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Good one, Liam. (my wife's a real Cohen-head from waaaaaay back!) (I like him too, but a little Cohen goes a long way for me!)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Didn't you once tell me that you played that song to impress your 'wife to be'?

Don't worry, John, your Cohen-fetish is safe with me

[dadfad]

But try Leonard Cohen - Suzanne

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Good one, Liam. (my wife's a real Cohen-head from waaaaaay back!) (I like him too, but a little Cohen goes a long way for me!)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Didn't you once tell me that you played that song to impress your 'wife to be'?

Don't worry, John, your Cohen-fetish is safe with me

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yes, it was one of a couple that made her see that beneath the commonly percieved rude, crude, partying, drunken, slut-mongering guitarist facade was the sensitive, tender, caring person I really am (who likes to cuddle and take long walks on the beach, etc, etc...). That tune was one, the other (the "clincher") was the Beatles tune "Here There and Everywhere."


"Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice..... " and all that.

[BaasLian]

OK, now you are scaring me...

[dadfad]

OK, now you are scaring me...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I even scared myself!