Favorite songs to strum and sing
Quote:
Originally Posted by jasbo49
Do you have favorite songs to just pick up an acoustic and sing and strum? Something simple where you can just think about clean chords instead of fancy finger work?
Jim
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Well Jim,
I fingerpick everything and very rarely just strum a song. Matter of fact the only thing I do close to full-on strumming right now is "Greenback Dollar" by Hoyt Axton. Even then, I fiddle with the bass strings a lot, especially some double hammering-on with some of the E minor parts. On many songs I add intros, hooks, and endings, none of which could be construed as strumming even if there is a lot of strumming type playing going on elsewhere in the piece. Most of the stuff I do is solo, and constant strumming can be boring to the ear of the listener. And the player.
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A note to PHJim,
When I use a name after a song, it is because that is the version that inspired me to learn the song. And my version will probably be closest to that one unless or until I make any changes. In "Greenback Dollar" for example, I never really liked the Kingston Trio version of the song. Recently heard Hoyt Axton, the song's writer, do it and it's a far more gritty performance than the Kingston Trio. I usually play it on 6 string, but Axton used a 12 string on the performance I heard.
Another example would be "Urge For Going" by Tom Rush. I know he didn't write it, but he is the first person I heard perform the song. It was an acoustic solo version which was an out-take from his "Take a LIttle Walk With Me" album back in the 60s. A great performance. I like his simple intro/outro arpeggios, so I use them too. I prefer on 6 string, but 12 string works too.
I am aware of (writer) Jimmy Smith's version of "Walk Don't Run", and also Chet Atkins' version. But I took my version from the Ventures and would mention them as the inspiration. And I fingerpick mine on solo 12 string, with no whammy bar of course, but using some substitute tricks.
Previously someone mentioned Lead Belly's "Midnight Special" as a strum and sing song. I use the Lead Belly style walking bass and sing over that with some extra filling notes and partial/full chords added in. In fact I use my backing arrangement (almost unchanged) as an instrumental break after 2 verses. On 12 string of course. So no strumming on that one.
Don
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