The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #85137   Message #4013675
Posted By: Nick
14-Oct-19 - 06:09 PM
Thread Name: Chord Req: Talking with My Father (Dougie MacLean)
Subject: RE: Chord Req: Talking with My Father (Dougie MacLean)
You can play it standard if you are not concerned about the twiddly bits (though you can play them in standard

It’s basically capo 4th or 5th fret

C G/B Fmaj7/A G x3
C C/E Fmaj7 G

Chorus
C C/E Fmaj7 G
C CE Fmaj7 G C
Am Am/G Fmaj7 G
C C/E Fmaj7 G

You could also do the following. Tune the B string UP a semitone to C. Partially capo the guitar at the fourth fret across the top five strings. You then have the low open E when you need it and just play the same chords as before just slightly modified. It enables you to ape the original twiddles without radically retuning the guitar

C 03200
G/B X20023
Fmaj7/A X03200
G 72002X
Am X02200
Etc

One of the twiddly bit can be aped after the G chord by pulling off the fourth fret of the second string to open then pull off from second fret of same string to open; then pull off from second fret of third string to open. Easier to play than describe!

Not exact but gives an easy way to play it without faffing about.

Many of his songs are capoed at 4th or 5th fret and I often use the tuning to play his songs. Works for Caledonia and many others. Much of his distinctive sound is playing alternative root chords. Or to my ears anyway.

There is an example of the tuning on another Dougie song here as an example
Here