Slide songs to try on squareneck in low bass Open G

[Mycroft]

DGDGBD, that it, for playing on a Weissenborn. I've been working up a version of Little Feat's "Fat Man in The Bathtub" and am starting to look for the next thing. So kind of looking for bottleneck slide tunes that I might be able to adapt to squareneck. So lots of slide and any fingered chords that could be adapted to playing partials with a bar. Sort of like the version of "Salt of the Earth" that I worked up in Open D.

Anyone? Buhler?

[Wade Hampton]

Consider working up the Bob Dylan song “If Not For You.” I’m fairly certain George Harrison played slide guitar on his version of the song.


whm

[Robin, Wales]

Pick up an early Kelly Joe Phelps CD. You'll find a lifetimes worth of lapstyle low bass open D songs. It has a bit more potential than low bass G.

For open low bass G blues, listen to Muddy Waters. He played bottle neck, but his songs translate to lapstyle.

Rolling in my Sweet Baby's Arms, is a popular low bass G lapstyle song. Although I prefer using GBDgbd for anything bluegrass.

[Mycroft]

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

Consider working up the Bob Dylan song “If Not For You.” I’m fairly certain George Harrison played slide guitar on his version of the song.


whm

Interesting idea. The acoustic guitar looks to be in standard, but it sounds like the electric by Harrison on the "All Things Must Pass" version is in Open G. Also came across a vid of Harrison doing the song at Dylan's 40ths birthday concert, with G.E Smith doing the electric guitar. Sure looked open.

Of course, the first version I cam across was Lucky and Nelson Wilbury's all acoustic version at the "Concert for Bangladesh..."

[Mycroft]

Originally Posted by Robin, Wales

Pick up an early Kelly Joe Phelps CD. You'll find a lifetimes worth of lapstyle low bass open D songs. It has a bit more potential than low bass G.

For open low bass G blues, listen to Muddy Waters. He played bottle neck, but his songs translate to lapstyle.

Rolling in my Sweet Baby's Arms, is a popular low bass G lapstyle song. Although I prefer using GBDgbd for anything bluegrass.

Thank's Robin. Unfortunately GBDGBD is impractical for a lightly built hollowneck. I came up with two listing for "Sweet Baby's Arms," one attributed to Flatt and Scruggs, the other to Gene Clark. I'll have a look at it.

Good thought about Muddy.

Kelly Jo Phelps was raised in Sumner, Washington, about 40 miles from where I sit, outside Tacoma. Although he had moved down to the Portland area, he use to pop up in a club here regularly when he was still healthy enough to perform. I've got most of his CDs. I've tried working on a few tunes from his early CDs, which were much more lap steel heavy than the later ones were, but he is a daunting player to try and copy. As you say, a lifetime of cool Open D things. But I picked up the second Weissenborn just to keep in Open G, and one must justify the purchase. <G>

Merci.

[Mycroft]

FYI I had come up with David Bromberg's "Try Me One More Time" as something that might work too.

[Charlie Bernstein]

Keep in mind that squareneck and roundneck slide guitars are very different animals. With a roundneck, you can finger notes and chords. With a squareneck you can't.

Want song ideas? Any song you enjoy can sound like solid gold on your Weissenborn. It's easiest to pick something you already play on flattop because you already have the feel of the song. No need to play songs that other people have used slide on.

Here are some fun popular tunes to get you started in style. They're all easy to play slide on, square- or roundneck:

- After Midnight
- Angel From Montgomery
- Dust My Broom
- For What It's Worth
- Friend of the Devil
- Iko Iko
- Little Red Rooster
- Little Sister
- Me and Bobby McGee
- Mercury Blues
- My Girl
- People Get Ready
- Statesboro Blues
- Werewolves of London

Let us know how it goes!

[Mycroft]

Originally Posted by Charlie Bernstein

Keep in mind that squareneck and roundneck slide guitars are very different animals. With a roundneck, you can finger notes and chords. With a squareneck you can't.

Yes, I already futz around with hybrid slide (What I've heard playing with both fingers and a bottleneck called). What I was looking for are songs already performed in Open G with a lot of slide, so I am already in the correct key and that probably has less fingered stuff.

Originally Posted by Charlie Bernstein

Want song ideas? Any song you enjoy can sound like solid gold on your Weissenborn. It's easiest to pick something you already play on flattop because you already have the feel of the song. No need to play songs that other people have used slide on.

Yes, any song that you can play sing a I-IV-V is easy to play on a Open G-tuned squareneck, so long as it is in can be transposed to the keys of G, A or B. (Maybe C, but that capo position eliminates a lot of neck) It is picking up the fancier chords -or minors -that becomes interesting.

Originally Posted by Charlie Bernstein

Here are some fun popular tunes to get you started in style. They're all easy to play slide on, square- or roundneck:

- After Midnight
- Angel From Montgomery
- Dust My Broom
- For What It's Worth
- Friend of the Devil
- Iko Iko
- Little Red Rooster
- Little Sister
- Me and Bobby McGee
- Mercury Blues
- My Girl
- People Get Ready
- Statesboro Blues
- Werewolves of London

Let us know how it goes!

Some interesting suggestions. Although it is hard to do "Mercury Blues" or "Werewolves of London" without thinking of David Lindley, and then burning my guitar because I am not worthy.

"I saw Jack Nicholson drinking a piña colada at Trader Vic's
And his hair was perfect
Now I was sitting in the booth right across from him
Dressed in my finest polyester
I had just ordered some natto maki
Any my hair was, well
Very very greasy"

[Charlie Bernstein]

Originally Posted by Mycroft

Yes, I already futz around with hybrid slide (What I've heard playing with both fingers and a bottleneck called).

Aha! I think I'll try some klezmer tunes that way and call it ryebread slide!

Originally Posted by Mycroft

What I was looking for are songs already performed in Open G with a lot of slide, so I am already in the correct key and that probably has less fingered stuff.

"No Expectations" has no fingering. And speaking of the Stones, if you play "Little Red Rooster" their way you won't have to finger. Two slow, lazy, laid-back tunes.

Originally Posted by Mycroft

Yes, any song that you can play sing a I-IV-V is easy to play on a Open G-tuned squareneck, so long as it is in can be transposed to the keys of G, A or B.

They all can. Don't think letters. Think Nashville numbers

(Maybe C, but that capo position eliminates a lot of neck)

1: Au contraire! You can play songs in C without a capo. Your fifth fret is your I chord. I play "After Midnight in D without a capo. I play "For What It's Worth" in E with a capo at the second fret.

2: Watch Albert Collins sometime. He always capoed, sometimes at the seventh fret. Never held him back.

3: And here's a neat trick. James McMurtry calls it McMurtry tuning. Take the open G tuning you're using and turn the low D string (a.k.a. the sixth or E string) down another step to C.

Then at the fifth fret put a capo on the first five strings but don't cover that low C with it. You get an open C tuning with a low-C drone string. McMurtry's songs are easy. (A friend I play with uses it for McMurtry's "Peter Pan.)

Originally Posted by Mycroft

It is picking up the fancier chords -or minors -that becomes interesting.

Yup. The trick with minors isn't in the notes you play. It's in the notes you avoid. Try "Move It On Over." It'll take you to some cool swing sounds.

Originally Posted by Mycroft

Some interesting suggestions. Although it is hard to do "Mercury Blues" or "Werewolves of London" without thinking of David Lindley, and then burning my guitar because I am not worthy.

Eh. Who is? I just don't try to imitate him. (Or anyone.) There are plenty of notes on that fretboard for everyone. (Guitar is such a democratic instrument.)

Originally Posted by Mycroft

"I saw Jack Nicholson drinking a piña colada at Trader Vic's
And his hair was perfect
Now I was sitting in the booth right across from him
Dressed in my finest polyester
I had just ordered some natto maki
Any my hair was, well
Very very greasy"

Yup. The man is hilarious. If you listen to some of Warren Zevon's live versions, you'll discover that he changes the lyrics all the time. Another hilarious human.[/QUOTE]

[Charlie Bernstein]

Hey, Mycroft —

Any progress? How's it coming?

[Mycroft]

Originally Posted by Charlie Bernstein

Hey, Mycroft —

Any progress? How's it coming?

Set aside for the holidays. Just picked back up.

[darrylvlesh]

Greg Booth does a number of tunes in this tuning. Great player. Good luck

[Mycroft]

GBDGBD OR DGDGBD? I am looking for the latter. Most dobro players use the former.