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  #1  
Old 07-24-2013, 07:25 AM
KarlK KarlK is offline
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Default "Black Sheets of Rain" -- what is this sequence?

OK, I have been trying to master this performance by Ryan Adams – a cover of Bob Mould’s Black Sheets of Rain.

I have most of the song down. But there’s a sequence for the life of me I can’t figure out.

You’ll find the performance here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAiUmfWUvUQ

Capo 1st Fret. Standard tuning.

The sequence is an instrumental run up the fret board that occurs right after the last line of the chorus

“Calling me back again…”

It occurs once at 1:54 to 1:58, once more at 2:52-2:56, and then at the end of the song 4 times from 4:24-4:41.

Any ideas out there. . . anybody?

I tried a first position E shape at various frets, but that’s not it. At the end you see his hand position for just an instant, and it looks like he’s using all four fingers.

In a subsequent post, I will lay out the rest of the song. Adams' approach to the guitar here is simple yet inventive in his typical style.
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  #2  
Old 07-24-2013, 08:32 PM
KarlK KarlK is offline
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Ok, here is how he does the song. Again, capo 1st fret, and all diagrams are relative to the capo.

I’ll number the basic chords for the main verse sequence, but then talk about variations. It goes…

(1) Amin, (2) C, (3) D (up the fret board), (2) C (4) Amin, (5) G, (6) D


(1-Amin) Check in (2-C ) every morning (3-D) (2-C) to the (4-Amin) sound of (5-G) steam and (7-D) caffeine

The variations….

The (1) Amin, often pulls off on the B to get a “clang” effect, striking/plucking the G-B-E high strings

-------|-----------|----------|-----E
-1(P)-|-----------|----------|-----B
-------|----3-----|----------|-----G
-------|----2-----|-----------|-----D
-------|-----------|----------|-----A
-------|-----------|----------|-----E

The (2) C is sometimes

-------|-----------|-----------|-----E
---1-- |-----------|-----------|-----B
-------|-----------|-----------|-----G
-------|---2---- --|-----------|-----D
-------|-----------|----3-----|-----A
-------|-----------|-----4----|-----E

And sometimes the (2) is just
-------|-----------|-----------|-----E
---- --|-----------|-----------|-----B
-------|-----------|-----------|-----G
-------|---2----- -|-----------|-----D
-------|-----------|----3--- --|-----A
-------|-----------|-----------|-----E

But the key is to hit the A string on the third fret.

The same goes for the D up the fret board…sometimes it’s
----------|------------|----------|-----------|-----------|-----E
----------|------------|-----1----|-----------|-----------|-----B
----------|------------|----------|-----------|-----------|-----G
----------|------------|----------|----2------|-----------|-----D
----------|------------|----------|-----------|-----3-----|-----A
----------|------------|----------|-----------|------4----|-----E

...and sometimes it’s just the A string on the 5th fret

----------|------------|----------|-----------|-----------|-----E
----------|------------|---------|------------|-----------|-----B
----------|------------|----------|-----------|-----------|-----G
----------|------------|----------|-----------|-----------|-----D
----------|------------|----------|-----------|----3-----|-----A
----------|------------|----------|-----------|-----------|-----E

The 4-Amin, and the 5-G are more or less standard, and then the 6-D is actually
----------|------------|----------|-----------|-----------|-----E
----------|------------|-----2----|-----------|-----------|-----B
----------|------1-----|----------|-----------|-----------|-----G
----------|------------|----------|-----------|-----------|-----D
----------|------------|----------|-----------|-----------|-----A
----------|------------|----------|-----------|-----------|-----E

Which is a Dsus??

This covers the verse.

Now the chorus leads into the sequence I can't figure out.

It’s basically

Fmaj7, C, Emin7, Cmaj7, Dsus, G

Black (Fmaj7) sheets ( C) of rain (Emin7) are (Cmaj7) calling me (Dsus) again (G)

Every (Dsus) where I (Emin7) go every (Dsus) where I turn (Cmaj7) calling me back (Dsus) again (Emin7???)

And then we run up the fretboard.

Anybody, what is he doing there in those run up the fret board sequences? \

Can anybody help?
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  #3  
Old 07-25-2013, 02:52 AM
stanron stanron is offline
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You link seems to be blocked in the UK.
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  #4  
Old 07-25-2013, 07:32 AM
KarlK KarlK is offline
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Try this link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAiUmfWUvUQ
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Old 07-25-2013, 07:40 AM
JonPR JonPR is offline
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This one works for me:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtcrMwkyzY0

No time to work it out right now, but I may be back.
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Old 07-25-2013, 08:10 AM
stanron stanron is offline
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Treating capo as 0 fret, this is a kind of cleaned up version of the lick at the end of the track JonPR posted, if this is the bit you mean.

Play 6th string open
Play fourth and fifth strings open and hammer on fret five on fifth string and fret on fourth string.
Open fourth and fifth strings again and hammer fret 7 on fifth string and fret five on fourth string
Open fourth and fifth again and hammer to fifth string ninth fret and fourth string seventh fret.
Slide last shape down two frets.

Code:
0 X X X X X

X 0 0 X X X
  H H
X 5 4 X X X

X 0 0 X X X
  H H
X 7 5 X X X

X 0 0 X X X
  H H
X 9 7 X X X

X 7 5 X X X
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  #7  
Old 07-25-2013, 09:39 AM
KarlK KarlK is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JonPR View Post
This one works for me:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtcrMwkyzY0

No time to work it out right now, but I may be back.
Great - for that link song starts around 2:25 up till then it's banter.
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  #8  
Old 07-25-2013, 09:40 AM
KarlK KarlK is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stanron View Post
Treating capo as 0 fret, this is a kind of cleaned up version of the lick at the end of the track JonPR posted, if this is the bit you mean.

Play 6th string open
Play fourth and fifth strings open and hammer on fret five on fifth string and fret on fourth string.
Open fourth and fifth strings again and hammer fret 7 on fifth string and fret five on fourth string
Open fourth and fifth again and hammer to fifth string ninth fret and fourth string seventh fret.
Slide last shape down two frets.

Code:
0 X X X X X

X 0 0 X X X
  H H
X 5 4 X X X

X 0 0 X X X
  H H
X 7 5 X X X

X 0 0 X X X
  H H
X 9 7 X X X

X 7 5 X X X
Thanks. Away from my guitar at the moment but will try this. This looks like a quasi E minor shape up the fretboard.

Last edited by KarlK; 07-25-2013 at 10:29 AM.
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  #9  
Old 07-28-2013, 01:33 PM
KarlK KarlK is offline
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OK, finally figured it out – I think.

Fretboard below. D string uses index finger. A string uses middle finger for side by side frets, or ring finger when skipping a fret.
Numbers here refer to the position -- 1 is the 1st position in the sequence, 2 is in the second position and so on.


---------|---------|---------|---------|--------|---------|------------|--------|-----------|-----------|-----E
---------|---------|---------|---------|--------|---------|------------|--------|-----------|-----------|-----B
---------|---------|---------|---------|--------|---------|------------|--------|---------- |-----------|-----G
---------|---------|---------|----1----|---2----|---------|-----3-----|------- |-----4---- -|-----------|-----D
---------|---------|---------|---------|---1----|---------|-----2------|--------|----3-----|- ----4----|-----A
---------|---------|---------|---------|--------|---------|------------|--------|-------- --|-----------|-----E


So it is by fret
4 & 5 -- 5 & 7 -- 7 & 9 -- 9 & 10 -- again relative to the capo on the first fret.

Adams is hitting the open low E throughout, and it appears from time to time he hits the open G and B strings, too.

As Stanron points out, he is hammering all the way the fretboard. Finally he creates a bit of vibrato on the final fourth position up the keyboard, which comes through powerfully when amped, but can still be delivered un-amped.

For me, to move from the final E minor 7th at the end of the chorus up to the first position -- as well as hammering up the fretboard smoothly -- is quite challenging.

Another Adams example where the fingering seems simple, but is still quite demanding to get a polished controlled effect.
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