Forum - Banjo Ben Clark

Reuben's Train - guitar (need some tab help)

#1

Here is the video:
youtube.com/watch?v=msxOYHx … 1&index=80

Anyone with a good ear and able to write tab? I have a video that I am trying to learn the guitar part. It is pretty simple except there is a little riff that I can not figure out. The guitar break starts at 0:45 and ends at 0:52. It is in Drop-D allowing the run to walk all the way down to that really low D. The part that I can not figure out is the quick riff that he does about three times throughout the break, it seems to be a quick pull-off/hammer-on run.

Another part I can not figure out is at 1:24. When strumming through the D chord, he will go to a quick C or F. It seems that he might just be accenting the C note on the B string, but I am not sure.

He also does a strum on a chord at 3:15, but it almost looks like an Em … but this can’t be right. He is only using his Middle and Ring fingers, but I can not get it to sound right when I start hunting for the chord he is strumming.

Any help would be appreciated, Thanks!

#2

This is what I figured out from the opening riff on the guitar:

https://od.lk/s/MF85NjA1MjM0MF8/riff.tef

At 1:24, the guitar player is playing a simple A major chord with his first finger barring over the three middle strings. If we were to keep in the model feel of the tune, that chord would more likely be A minor, but he is playing A major.

At 3:15. he is again playing a simple A major chord.

#3

Tab attached for my best guess…
[attachment=0]reubens train.tef[/attachment]

1:24- I don’t hear what he is doing, but it looks like he is playing C (on “Lord”) then Am7 (on “knows”). Playing along, it sounds like it would work. Not sure on that one, but it might be it.

Chord at 3:15, sounds like an A2 (X 0 2 2 0 0)

My thoughts on it are worth what you paid :smiley:

And as I get ready to post it, I see there is already another post made by Doc while I was tabbing. Figures :unamused: :laughing: I’ll post mine anyway.

#4

I looked at Doc’s and it’s pretty different than what I came up with, but either way gives the same basic feel. It’s interesting how two people can listen to the same thing and come up with different ways to try to emulate it.

#5

Thanks fellers! The tabs are much appreciated, I’ll give them a run tonight. I think I tried an A chord last night, but it sounded weird, even though I think you are correct. I need to give it another try. maybe he is accenting only certain strings while I was strumming through the whole chord. I think my ear was a little off because I was also listening to other artist versions which went to F, accenting the C note on the B string.

#6

I slowed down the audio to work it out note for note. Honestly, he does a triplet pick half way through a few of the measures, but that did not seem important. The notes there are the ones he played, however I would not have done it that way and rhythmically it feels clumsy to me.

#7

sounds a lot like “Fire Ball Mail” of course they all use notes there by the similarity begins LOL .

I had a time with something very much the same and could not get it to sound right and finally gave up and did a double back slide instead and it was very close , no cigar mind you but it fit . The guitar player was into doing his thing .

#8

— Begin quote from "drguitar"

however I would not have done it that way and rhythmically it feels clumsy to me.

— End quote

I agree on the feel. I think it is a big part of why the timing of the bass and banjo take a while to settle “into the pocket” when they come in.

#9

— Begin quote from "AlexNC"

Thanks fellers! The tabs are much appreciated, I’ll give them a run tonight. I think I tried an A chord last night, but it sounded weird, even though I think you are correct. I need to give it another try. maybe he is accenting only certain strings while I was strumming through the whole chord. I think my ear was a little off because I was also listening to other artist versions which went to F, accenting the C note on the B string.

— End quote

Yep, your ear is right. He is playing the chord A major, however he is playing mostly the 5th, 4th, and 3rd strings when he strums which leaves the sound of the major 3rd in the chord obscured. This leaves the chord sounds neither major nor minor (although in D minor, the chord A minor would be more common if using the natural ‘Aeolian’ minor scale to define the key). So although an Am chord would work well there, he is actually playing A major. that is why neither sounds correct to your ear.

#10

— Begin quote from "mreisz"

— Begin quote from "drguitar"

however I would not have done it that way and rhythmically it feels clumsy to me.

— End quote

I agree on the feel. I think it is a big part of why the timing of the bass and banjo take a while to settle “into the pocket” when they come in.

— End quote

Really? I like the un-natural, loose form he is using. In my opinion the guitar is too formal in most bluegrass jams. I like hearing a guitarist break the bluegrass mold every so often and not just be another perfect timed mid range bass filler. I feel his loose style works well with the simple banjo and bass playing.

I tried the tab last night but couldn’t quite get it to sound right. It sounds like he may be doing a slightly different pull-off/hamer-on sequence than in the TEF file, or maybe I need to practice it a bit more. The ending sounded right though… I still need to practice that part a bit more to make it roll right into the 1 again.

Thanks again guys

#11

Hi.

I oversimplified the second beat of the 2nd and 4th measure. This is the corrected tab that is much more accurate in those areas. https://od.lk/s/MF85NjA1MjM0MF8/riff.tef Keep in mind that on the 3rd beat of the 2nd and 4th measure, he lightly hits the B and D strings while focusing on the G string. If you watch his right hand in those moments, you will see that his picking hand strum a little wide (thus hitting the B and D string along with the G).

When I said it felt clumsy to me, I did not mean that I didn’t like it, just that I found it clumsy to play (my own short comings with this genre of music).

Many years ago, I mentioned to a guitar student of mine that the reason any great guitarist makes playing guitar look easy, is because it is… to them. To Eric Clapton, what he plays looks easy, while to John Williams, what he plays on the guitar looks easy. The reason it looks that way is because it is easy FOR THEM. But if you were to ask John Williams to play Eric’s stuff and visa versa, they would both have a difficult time (certainly at first). The reason is that each of us has our own technical strengths and weaknesses. We generally play to our strengths; those things that we find easy.

So although I find that certain riff clumsy, it does not diminish his ability or technique, it says more about my weaknesses on the instrument. That is why I would have played it differently.

Take care,

Mike

#12

— Begin quote from "drguitar"

Hi.

I oversimplified the second beat of the 2nd and 4th measure.

— End quote

I was able to get it to sound good after working on it for a bit last night. I will give the new TEF a try tonight.
I’ve got so used to faking it with my interpretation that is is tough to make my brain hit your notes. It’s weird how our brains like to hard wire a path after first learning a melody. Though, they say it is good to break that plasticity for these old brains of ours =)

It’s such a great tune to play once you get the melody down and start ripping into it fast, then bringing it back down for the singing part. Such a intoxicating minor vibe in the song that you can disappear into once you get the muscle memory and lyrics down.