[Laughingboy68]

Romeo and Juliet by Dire Straits.

I'd played it years ago in standard tuning. Finally learned the song in open G and it sounds so much better and it's easier to play to boot. I've loved it since I first heard it way back in the 80s.

While I was in open G, I decided to write something in that tuning (it's coming along nicely, I think it's going to be called The Truth of the Matter - a phrase that comes out of my mouth much too much). My son often writes and plays in CGDGBD, so I've got the genesis of the new tune in that variation of open G. The only song I play in that particular tuning is Running on Empty by Jackson Browne; it gives me one more excuse to go there (and play an Am7 shape open position chord with that glorious low C ringing out). Plus, it seems that every time I pick up my guitar, he's left it in that tuning. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

I also was working on Overseas, Dreamsicle and Tupelo. These three Jason Isbell songs were added to my long list of his tunes. The latest album has some really good stuff on it. I like Overseas much better with a stripped back arrangement on just acoustic guitar.

I was recently in Covid-19 quarantine. I used the time to work up arrangements of Breakfast in America by Supertramp (what a blast to play and sing), The old Marty Robbins song Big Iron, and When You're My Age by Lori McKenna. That last one I heard on Broken Record, the Rick Rubin podcast, and it stopped me in my tracks.