Here - finally - a video of a song I have been working on for the last three months. I didn’t think it would take me this long to learn it, but it turned out to be right on the frontier of my guitar playing skills - with a lot of concentration I can play through it, just. And at the same time learning this song has definitly helped me improve.
Probably the most famous version of the song was recorded by Janis Joplin, but her version is not really my style, so I never attempted to cover it, even though I’ve always loved the song. But then earlier this year I discovered the Gordon Lightfoot version: fingerstyle, melancholic and much more up my street. With no tutorials out there on his version I went and transcribed the picking patterns (with the help of a couple of videos of Gordon playing it live) and went about to learn it.
It seemed easy enough: starting in G with some embellishments. But then on the D-chord he plays this run on the A string open then C (5 to b7 of the D chord, so cool) which I found really hard to get down. Something about having the hand loose enough to move the middle finger out of the chord shape, finding the right fret and then returning to the chord shape. Took me ages. And then the key change to A for the second verse… Gordon has an easy way out because that’s when the rest of the band joins in. It’s hard to hear but it sounds like he plays fewer runs and embellishments in the second half of the song. But without a band I have to keep them up or else it sounds weird. Embellishment on different chords runs up to D and A are not necessarily harder - although good pinky workout - what tripped me up for a long time is that they are different to the runs in the first verse - played on fret 2 and 4 and not (as in G) open then 2. So extra concentration required just when it drains away after 1.5 minutes of playing …
There is still much left to improve further, for one my timing is still too loose. But I will give it a little rest now and work on something else for a while.
I think you should be really proud of this recording!!
The guitar sounds really good and your vocal is clear and the song is well sung. It’s quite the challenge to get the vocal down when you have a fingerpicking pattern to deal with. I had never heard GL’s version of this song and so it was a very fresh take (for me) on an oft repeated classic .
As you mentioned in your post there are some little timing issues but nothing that won’t fade away after having played and sung the song more.
Its sounds like getting to this point was a real learning journey and THAT is the best part about these little adventures in sound! We get to learn as we go and that brings us progress in our guitar playing.
Hoping you enjoy your break from the song and whatever you decide to move onto next!! Well done!! And keep on plucking away!!
Delightful. Such a great song. I do love the JJ version and enjoyed your rendition of GL’s just as much. Lots going on and I never noticed the small flaws you’ve mentioned. Challenging singin to go between chest and head voice, which I think you did really well. Now I am no expert at working with vocal range, but maybe it would be worth playing around with a capo and seeing if you find a place that accomodates your natural range more naturally?
Thank you @jgottwals Jeremy for listening and taking the time to write a comment!
Yes, getting the song this far was a bigger challenge than I thought it would be at the start, but then “no pain no gain” so it was also a learning curve for me. And now it is sent to cure in the cellar like a good wine I’ve already started to work on a couple of other songs that feature lots of runs - one picked one strummed - and I can already feel the benefits of the time I spent practising Bobby McGee. As Justin always says “songs help each other”.
Thank you @DavidP David for listening and taking the time to write a comment!
Yes, the vocal range is not ideal for me, but that will take some time to fix. As I have said in other places I have only started playing for other people (OpenMICs) this year and I am discovering that that’s actually quite different to playing just for myself. Songs that I like to play for myself might bore listeners (or worse). And another learning point for me on that journey, and one I had not reached yet when I started to learn this song, was to look at the vocal range of a song much earlier in the learning process and to transpose if necessary. So for Bobby McGee the conclusion is that I should sing it in D then up to E (and not G to A) - but that’s a capo at the 6th fret which would thin out the guitar sound more than I like. So I am thinking of transposing it to either D to E directly or C to D with capo on II - but that will also mean relearning the song with different embellishment on different chords and different runs (again). So I’ve left that for later
That’s quite a drop to the ideal to maintain the chord shapes. Maybe just de-tuning the guitar by a semi-tone or tone and playing it as you do what make some effective difference, if not the ideal.
Hi Molly. This is a great performance to share and inspire the many of us here who picked up the guitar not to become professional musicians; not dreaming of becoming big stars; but mainly to learn, have fun and ultimately be able to share a few competently played songs with friends and family. You’ve made it! Keep spreading your joy.
Great job, Molly! I know how hard fingerpicking and singing at the same time is, much less fingerpicking alone. Speaking of the ‘frontier of your guitar-playing skills’, I’ve recently taken on Peter Gabriel’s "Games Without Frontiers’, and I feel like it’ll take a lifetime to be able to play and sing it. Videos like yours give me hope that with perseverance, it’ll happen someday. I hope to showcase it here if I don’t kick off first.
I look forward to hearing you next performance!
That was a lovely version Molly. Some clever finger style there and well sung too. I can understand your reluctance to change key and have to relearn the embellishments. I’d stick to capo on six.
Very nice playing and singing, Molly. I love the embellishments that you’ve done, they make the playing a lot more interesting. Such a great song, and I really like your cover.
That was great, Molly! Your finger style is lovely to watch, very impressive!
This song was an all time favourite of my parents, it was played on repeat at every party, it almost feels like a part of me. They always played the Charlie Pride version. Mum & dad were great dance-partners and they used to swing around dance floor to this like no one else! I haven’t listen to any version of the song for quite a while so the first few bars of hearing you play gave me goosebumps
Very nice Molly, your playing and singing skills are outstanding. I could tell you were not comfortable at the higher parts of your range, it might be a good idea to tune to D instead of E rather than cause problems with the chords used. It’s often easier to do this rather than have to look for chords that will sound right and learn them again from scratch.
Well done, waiting patiently for your next one!
that was a pleasure to listen to! You’ve come a long way with this song, the picking including all the embellishments and runs seems really hard. Kudos how you further managed to sing on top of all that. It sounded really sweet! It shows all the effort you put into. Thanks especially for sharing the journey and hardships until you came to that result, it was a most interesting read, too.
This tune was always one of my favs in several versions, but I never knew Gordon Lightfoot did it, too. Need to check this out as well.
Thank you all for taking the time to watch the video and leaving your kind and encouraging comments truely motivating to get another song in shape and share when ready!
Yes John @Willsie the song is a keeper, I’ll probably pack it out again early Dec to be sparkling for Xmas (when I might be asked to sing a song or two).
Gordon @sairfingers and Darrell @DarrellW I might combine your suggestions. I think I can just manage singing with capo on fret 5 on a good day but if I also tune down the guitar that could be capo fret 4 … food for experimentation…
Max @MaX1 and Jason @Ontime thank you! I almost didn’t post the video but now I am glad I did.
Michael @mfeeney0110 - I am so happy if you take inspiration from my video - it’s just what I get from watching everyone else’s videos. Sharing journeys with all the ups and downs is the best.
Same goes to you Kevin @wiredforsound - take it slow and with regular practise you’ll get there! I listened to A LOT of Peter Gabriel when growing up, so I am waiting for your video of “Games without Frontiers”. An no kicking off just yet please!
Lisa @Lisa_S thank you so much! There is no point pretending I woke up one morning and could play the song without practise. I don’t have a lerning log (yet?) that might be a better place to put spotlights on the journey. For now they come with the video. But you are no stranger to runs and embellishments either - there were a lot of really nice ones in your OM on Saturday!
Mari @Mari63 and Mark @TheCluelessLuthier thank you so much. And now I am over the bumps I find the fingerstyle version is not just more interesting but also more fun to play than a strummed version. (Nothing against strumming songs at all! I play them too. Comment just for this song.)
Well played Molly …
Like you, I had not heard the late GL’s cover of this song. Having now listened, his interpretation is not that far removed from Kris Kristofferson’s recorded versions.
Like you say, numerous covers exist of this Kristofferson/Foster song, and I find it interesting some were recorded over a short timeframe; during '69/'70.
I’ve already started to work on a couple of other songs that feature lots of runs - one picked one strummed - and I can already feel the benefits of the time I spent practising Bobby McGee. As Justin always says “songs help each other”.
