The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #82280   Message #1511597
Posted By: Nick
28-Jun-05 - 09:13 AM
Thread Name: Help with fingerpicking melodies
Subject: RE: Help with fingerpicking melodies
Of the songs you mention the one I know best or play is The Town I Loved So Well - the version I do is based on something like how Trevor Lucas plays it on a Sandy Denny album. Yours may be different as I have heard slightly different chords used in the third line from the end of each verse (eg "Past the jail and down behind the fountain") where he played C A/C# D. This is one I tend to strum rather than fingerpick but I had a go this morning pre-work to work out how I'd pick it in G (I play it in G no capo though Trevor Lucas did it in F - too bassy for me).

This was done at work from memory so might be a bit iffy on some of it but it's not a million miles away

I reckon that it's not that easy to pick out the tune in G, it's probably easier in C just because of how the notes fall. In G you need to shift positions to play the higher notes by my way of thinking. You also need to play an F# against a C chord a couple of times which I always reckon feels slightly odd.

Simplified I make the beginning bit something like (without any twiddly bits or extra bass notes):

             * *                           * *   
       G    D       C       G         C       G          D      
--------------5--3--2--3--3--0------------0--2--3-----------------
--0--1--3--3--3-----------------3--0--3------------0--0--1--0-----
--------------2------------------------------------------------2--
--------------0------------------------------------------------0--
-----------------------3------------------3-----------------------
--------3-----------------------3------------------3-----------2--

I reckon the asterisked bits are the trickier bits.

Later in the tune it goes something like:

       C       D       G       Em       C    A/C#       D                     
--------3--3--3--5--7--8--7--7--5--3--5--7--8--7--5--3--2--0----
--3--3--------------------------------------------------------3-
----------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------0--------------------------------------------0-
--------3-----------------10----9--7--------------4-------------
--------------------------------------------8-------------------

And I reckon some of that is not easy especially if you want to add some extra flesh to what is just bare bones above.

One of the better guitarists here will no doubt suggest a better way or different fingering!

In C you can pretty much play it all at the bottom of the guitar - though I doubt you'll sing it in the key as it will go up to an F! And capoing way up is not really an option.

Not bad to fingerpick in E with capo at 4