Chord Req: Boolavogue -- The High Kings

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Boolavogue -- The High Kings
From: GUEST,themongreldemonpooch
Date: 07 Jan 17 - 07:26 AM

Does anyone have the guitar tabs of Cavan Girl by the high kings

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Boolavogue -- The High Kings
From: EllenV
Date: 21 May 11 - 02:50 PM

Grishka -- I think I'll stick with my chords for ease of playing (I'm not quite an expert guitarist), but I do think that yours are more accurate to the recording. Ah, well.

Thanks to both of you for your tremendous help.

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Boolavogue -- The High Kings
From: GUEST,Grishka
Date: 20 May 11 - 01:17 PM

D6 is identical to Bm/D, notes D F# A B. One of many possible fingering is x04432.

Dsus24 is D E G A, fingering could be x00030.

With all the chords mentioned, a DADGBE tuning gives you a 0 instead of x, and thus a true-green drone.

The question of how to present such songs publicly, if at all, is more difficult to answer, frequently discussed at Mudcat.

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Boolavogue -- The High Kings
From: michaelr
Date: 20 May 11 - 12:23 PM

Grishka, would you please write out fingering for some of those chords?

We know that D is x00232 and Dmaj7 is x00222 (or 200222). How would you play D6 and Dsus24?

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Boolavogue -- The High Kings
From: GUEST,Grishka
Date: 20 May 11 - 04:33 AM

As Michael pointed out, it has a lot to do with DADGAD tuning. The High Kings play a more or less constant D-A drone on the guitar, to allude to Irish bagpipes (called "uilleann pipes"; DADGBE allows the same effect without too much relearning). If you choose to subtract that, Dmaj7 becomes F#m, and D6 becomes Bm, etc. Here is what I heard, formatted by my songbook software:

 
At 

D  
Boola

D^maj7 
vogue, as the 

D⁶ 
sun was setting

 
O'er the 

D^sus24 
bright May 

D  
meadows of 

D^sus24 
Shelma

D⁶ 
lier

 
A 

D  
rebel 

D^maj7 
hand set the 

D⁶ 
heather blazing

 
And 

D  
brought the 

D^maj7 
neighbors from 

D⁶ 
far and near

 
Then 

D  
Father 

D^maj7 
Murphy, from 

G/D  
old Kil

D⁶ 
cormack

 
Spurred 

D^sus24 
up the 

D  
rock with a 

D^sus24 
warning 

D⁶ 
cry

 
"Arm! 

D  
Arm!", he 

D^maj7 
cried, "for I've 

D⁶ 
come to lead you

 
For 

D^sus24 
Ireland's 

D  
freedom we'll 

D^sus24 
fight or 

D  
die"

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Boolavogue -- The High Kings
From: michaelr
Date: 19 May 11 - 10:17 PM

See this post on the Cavan Girl thread.

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Boolavogue -- The High Kings
From: EllenV
Date: 19 May 11 - 09:58 PM

I'd love to see your "Cavan Girl" chords, Michael.

Grishka, I don't think I can match them any better than that. Have you any tips as to what to change?

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Boolavogue -- The High Kings
From: GUEST,Grishka
Date: 19 May 11 - 05:12 PM

Not bad, your chords, but not the ones sounding in the YouTube.

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Boolavogue -- The High Kings
From: michaelr
Date: 19 May 11 - 02:49 PM

You're welcome, Ellen. I think you've got it! You'll have sussed that in the instrumental bit they stick in a C chord.

I have recently worked out chords for "Cavan Girl" (not the High Kings version) which I'd be glad to share.

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Boolavogue -- The High Kings
From: EllenV
Date: 19 May 11 - 01:25 PM

What do you think of these chords? (I know the line-up will change when I post, but the chord changes should match the stressed syllables.)

      D      Dmaj7             Bm          G
At Boolavogue, as the sun was setting
                Dmaj7       Bm                Em       G (or Gmaj7, depending on my mood)
O'er the bright May meadows of Shelmalier
    D      Dmaj7            Bm         Gmaj7
A rebel hand set the heather blazing
         Dmaj7          Bm                      A          Gmaj7
And brought the neighbors from far and near

          D         Dmaj7             Bm      G
Then Father Murphy, from old Kilcormack
               Dmaj7 Bm             Em          G (or Gmaj7)
Spurred up the rock with a warning cry
            D               Dmaj7             Bm          Gmaj7
"Arm! Arm!", he cried, "for I've come to lead you
       Dmaj7    Bm                   A             D
For Ireland's freedom we'll fight or die"

Leeneia, thanks for your help. I'm trying to match specifically The High King's chords -- which, as you can see, has been rather difficult. Compared to some of their other recordings, however (e.g. "Cavan Girl", which I'm currently pulling my hair out over), this one is a piece of cake...

Michael, thank you so much for all your help. Now I really must learn to use DADGAD.

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Boolavogue -- The High Kings
From: GUEST,Grishka
Date: 19 May 11 - 10:46 AM

My vote goes to D6.

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Boolavogue -- The High Kings
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 19 May 11 - 10:40 AM

They didn't stay lined up. Write the scale out, with the notes carefully one under another.

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Boolavogue -- The High Kings
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 19 May 11 - 10:17 AM

I've never heard the High Kings version.

The chords you need depend on the which key you sing it in. And which key you sing it in depends on your voice - how high or low can you go.

In the video, threelegoman is singing it in the key of C. Write his chords down. Then figure out what key you are playing in. Say it's D. Write the notes of the scale out, and change the chords for C to the chord below. (I hope they stay put when I press Submit.)

C D E F G A B C
D E F# G A B C#D

C's change to D's, Am changes to Bm, etc.

Keep in mind that the High Kings could be playing in an unusual key like B flat to accommodate their voices. The song has a big range - an octave plus 3 notes down. Not everybody can sing it.

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Boolavogue -- The High Kings
From: michaelr
Date: 18 May 11 - 06:35 PM

I think the guitarist is using DADGAD tuning, which can be confusing because you rarely hear "clean" major chords - they're all full of "jazzy" notes that sound like major sevenths, suspensions, and the like.

But in regular tuning, that second line can be played D - Dmaj7 - Em - G.

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Boolavogue -- The High Kings
From: EllenV
Date: 18 May 11 - 06:28 PM

Thanks, leeneia. I was asking about The High Kings' version, found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnJp5Aw65fE

Michael, I was thinking that it was A-something, following G, but now I'm not sure. I'm pretty sure, though, that I'm hearing an F# in whatever chord it is... maybe it's Gmaj7?

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Boolavogue -- The High Kings
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 18 May 11 - 04:03 PM

Ellen, are you following the version sung by threelegsofman, the version that shows the words and chords?

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Boolavogue -- The High Kings
From: michaelr
Date: 18 May 11 - 04:00 PM

It's a G, following Em.

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Boolavogue -- The High Kings
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 18 May 11 - 03:54 PM

Try playing Am when you sing "-lier."

It's very handy seeing the chords noted by 3-legs, but sometimes you have to move the chord a bit to the right. Listen for the syllables which are loudest (are stressed), because that's probably the right time to change chords.

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Boolavogue -- The High Kings
From: EllenV
Date: 18 May 11 - 02:33 PM

@michaelr: Thanks. :D

@threelegsoman: your version, while not exactly what I was looking for, is quite lovely. I'm enjoying watching/listening to your other videos.

Alright then, I've been working on the chords myself and have figured them all out except one: the switch that happens on the last syllable of "Shelmalier" (in the second line of the first verse).

It's some form of an A chord, I think. A plain old A sounds alright, but that's not what the fellows are playing on the recording, and I'd really like to know just what it is that they're using.

Could any of you all give me a bit of help on this?

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Boolavogue -- The High Kings
From: threelegsoman
Date: 04 May 11 - 08:09 AM

Check out my own version on YouTube. As with all my songs I include the lyrics and chord I am using:

http://youtu.be/zNUqjPxPOlU

Subject: RE: Chord Req: Boolavogue -- The High Kings
From: michaelr
Date: 04 May 11 - 01:21 AM

I could figure them out myself given an hour or two, but really have no spare minutes right now... thanks, everyone.

Good luck to you, madam.

Subject: Chord Req: Boolavogue -- The High Kings
From: EllenV
Date: 03 May 11 - 04:07 PM

I could figure them out myself given an hour or two, but really have no spare minutes right now... thanks, everyone.

YouTube -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnJp5Aw65fE

Grooveshark -- http://grooveshark.com/s/Boolavogue/3BUnAz?src=5

(The two links contain the same version of the song -- I just gave both in case someone prefers using one site over the other.)