Waltz for Rebecca by Al Petteway (cover)

Glennwillow · #1 07-21-2017, 01:24 PM

This is my cover of Al Petteway's "A Waltz for Rebecca" from his Caledon Wood CD. I bought the CD because I wanted to learn "Sligo Creek," but I also found myself drawn to "Waltz for Rebecca" on the first listen. I ended up buying the Mel Bay book of the transcriptions from this album, which is a good thing because in trying to draw this song out of my memory recently I found that I had forgotten how to play it. I pulled out the music last week and once I opened a few mental doors, it all came back to me.

I went back just now to listen to Al play this song on his CD and find that, sure enough, over the years since I learned this piece I have taken more than a few liberties with feel and even notes here and there. For those who know this song, I feel pretty sure that it's still recognizable, but it's most definitely not a carbon copy of Al Petteway's version.

I thought it was time to do an instrumental piece for Show & Tell since there are so many players here who are not into singing. The guitar is my Santa Cruz model FS, capo 5 in DADGAD, and the strings are John Pearse PB light.

I hope you like this -- thanks so much for listening!

- Glenn

Cim Frode · #2 07-21-2017, 01:55 PM

Nice, well done! Lovely guitar as well

Glennwillow · #3 07-21-2017, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cim Frode

Nice, well done! Lovely guitar as well

Thank you Cim! I appreciate your listening and your comments! The FS does have a wonderful sound for sure!

- Glenn

rick-slo · #4 07-21-2017, 02:17 PM

Nice job. Pleasant Petteway tune. Showcase for a guitar's sustain and overtones.

TBman · #5 07-21-2017, 03:11 PM

Nice job Glenn, that's one of my favorites.

#6 07-21-2017, 03:18 PM

Awesom Glenn! You make that SC sound great.

Kerbie · #7 07-21-2017, 03:22 PM

Absolutely gorgeous, Glenn! I like any of Al's numbers. Is "Sligo Creek" next for you?

Beautiful job... I really enjoyed it! I can listen to that more several times.

islandguitar · #8 07-21-2017, 03:26 PM

Hi Glenn, super job on one of my all time favorites and one of the few cover songs I learned in recent years. Interesting way you play the opening riff as I do a partial bar chord on the second fret to make it work....I think yours looks more workable! LOL!
the chords in this beautiful song have followed with me to some of my own compositions and has a distinctive place in my lineup.
Thanks for sharing this.....really well done!

Fred
ps. If you listen to the refrain in my Winter's Light at 1:30 you'll hear the way in which that original riff from Rebecca adapted it's way into that song for a few bars. .

Glennwillow · #9 07-21-2017, 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rick-slo

Nice job. Pleasant Petteway tune. Showcase for a guitar's sustain and overtones.

Hi Derek,

Thanks for your thoughts!

And I very much agree that this song is a showcase for a guitar's sustain and overtones. The Kevin Ryan Nightingale that Al Pettaway used to record this sounded just wonderful on this song. And the Santa Cruz FS that I used in the video has excellent sustain, so it also works very well, I think.

Thank you!
- Glenn

Glennwillow · #10 07-21-2017, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TBman

Nice job Glenn, that's one of my favorites.

Hi Barry,

Thanks for your comments! I remember when you had your rendition of this song embedded in your Soundcloud link. You also did a nice job on this song!

- Glenn

Glennwillow · #11 07-21-2017, 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by J-Doug

Awesom Glenn! You make that SC sound great.

Hi Doug,

Thank you for commenting! The Santa Cruz FS in DADGAD really does sound good. Seems to me that I read that this guitar was designed to sound good in alternative tunings like DADGAD. It does!

- Glenn

Glennwillow · #12 07-21-2017, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kerbie

Absolutely gorgeous, Glenn! I like any of Al's numbers. Is "Sligo Creek" next for you?

Beautiful job... I really enjoyed it! I can listen to that more several times.

Hi Kerbie,

Thanks for the kind words!

Al Petteway does so many wonderful pieces!

I play "Sligo Creek" but I know that it deviates too much from the Petteway version and I need to study Al's version and adjust what I am doing. Truth is, I very much like his version better than what I am doing. I don't know what road I turned down to change things, but I need to go back and ask directions.

I do need to work on that, so thank you for the inspiration.

You'd think in retirement I'd have more time, but this time of year when I am trying to keep up with the garden and the grass cutting and cutting loads of firewood for the winter, I just run out of time every day. But then that's good. I'm not bored for sure!!

Thanks so much for listening and commenting!

- Glenn

Nailpicker · #13 07-21-2017, 04:39 PM

Very nice. You've posted so many with singing recently that it's good to hear you just play.

Glennwillow · #14 07-21-2017, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by islandguitar

Hi Glenn, super job on one of my all time favorites and one of the few cover songs I learned in recent years. Interesting way you play the opening riff as I do a partial bar chord on the second fret to make it work....I think yours looks more workable! LOL!
the chords in this beautiful song have followed with me to some of my own compositions and has a distinctive place in my lineup.
Thanks for sharing this.....really well done!

Fred
ps. If you listen to the refrain in my Winter's Light at 1:30 you'll hear the way in which that original riff from Rebecca adapted it's way into that song for a few bars. .

Hi Fred,

Thank you for listening and commenting!

How interesting that this song of Al Petteway's is so well known! And while I don't remember the song of yours -- maybe it was "Winter's Light" -- I do seem to remember hearing something in your music that seemed Petteway inspired. I will go check out "Winter's Light" at 1:30 and see if that is what I am remembering. Or, maybe you are going to take me into some new reverie, which would be alright by me!!

Regarding the opening riff on "Waltz for Rebecca," I have no idea how Al Petteway plays this. Maybe my method is really weird, who knows??!! I remember looking at the music and at the tablature and the approach I took to play those notes is what you see on my video. It makes me wonder now how I figured this out.

Thank you Fred!

- Glenn

Glennwillow · #15 07-21-2017, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nailpicker

Very nice. You've posted so many with singing recently that it's good to hear you just play.

Hi Nailpicker,

Thank you for listening and commenting!

And you know, I had a similar feeling while I was recording this! It's really less stressful to do just one thing at a time. I can get the guitar part just right but then listen to the playback of a recording with singing and think, "Man, your voice sounds so strained (or ragged) or whatever! You just need to rest up overnight and do that again tomorrow!!!"

Thanks for listening Nailpicker!

- Glenn