What a good boy

Oh yeah, do can someone explain the finger picking (I assume) part for me? I'm not sure if it makes sense to switch to that if you're playing it by yourself, but it sure sounds great on the recording.

Can you e-mail me the MP3? I'll take a stab at it.

Sometimes if you're close but it just don't sound right, it could be either the original recording was done with the guitars tuned down a half a step or it's the other direction and there's a capo involved.

[email protected]

Or even less then half a step. Layla is tuned up but only by a touch. Very strange.

With your older recordings you have to remember that...

1. there were no electronic tuners in everybody's guitar case and you would tune your guitar to another instrument

2. recording was done on reel to reel tape - which ran slower at the beginning of the reel and faster at the end of the reel

3. sometimes in the editing process the music got sped up or slowed down just a little bit, be it intentional or not

All three of these can be a cause for an older recording to be slightly sharp or slightly flat... which is why sometimes in the guitar mags tab of an older song there will be a note about tuning slightly sharp or flat to play along with the record... which in those days meant "album" because there were no cassette tapes or CD's. Music was listened to on "AM Radio" and then 8 tracks came out sometime in the late 60's. I know 8 track was stock on a '69 Corvette, since I gave all my 8 tracks to a friend who has one.

As for Barenaked Ladies, obviously they are using all the modern technology so they are probably tuned down a half step (I doubt they would tune WAY DOWN like one of the newer heavy metal bands) or they are using a capo. I created a capo conversion chart in Excel to make it easier to instantly use one. Let me know if you'd like me to e-mail it to you.

Thanks jonnyt,
I've emailed the song to you.

WOW!

What an emotionally drivin song delivered with such passion. I have not heard the studio cut but this live cut you sent me just blew me away! Thanks for e-mailing that to me, I was very pleasantly surprised. If you can write something like that and deliver it like that... man you are a singer song writer for sure! Much different from your typical Barenaked Ladies tune.

I've been working on it and I think I will post it in the Easy Song Forum when completed.

But to answer some of your questions now...

1. Chords G D C? Well yes and no. The live version anyway is played with a capo on the fifth fret and then you play D for G, A for D, and G for C. Whether you use a capo or not, the G is played 3 2 0 0 3 3, and if you don't have a capo the C is really a Cadd9 = X 3 2 0 3 3.

2. Strumming Pattern? Well this song is not restricted by any one pattern. It changes often along with the quiet vs loud parts and is tied into to the melody. This one is by feel.

Struming by feel is the hardest thing to teach and even harder to describe. I know when I started playing I hated that answer but after a while I discovered it was true. Next time you try to play along with the recording, close your eyes and get lost in the music.

I'll "try" to give some guidance in my tab when I post the Easy Song Forum very soon.

3. Picking Notes? Didn't try to figure that part out yet. There are parts in the song where a solo player could get away with it, and other times when it appears that if you went from rhythm to that, it wouldn't work. I may or may not try to figure that out... but it would be cool to have that so you could play that part while your friend plays the other part.

Good luck and keep strumming!

Look for my posting sometime soon, as I largely done with tabbing it out correctly.

Jonny T.

Thanks man. I look forward to your posting. It is awesome that you put this sort of effort into this. That is what makes this board great.

I really like this song, so it is something that I look forward to working on.

Posted in the Easy Song Forum.