Wooden Norwegian

November 27, 2009

Yannis writes:

Hello Pats, warm Thanksgiving wishes to you and yours for the holiday weekend coming at you from Crete. Here’s an offering of Scandinavian timber from Liverpool’s fab Four for use in the fireplace area with friends and family. If little Pat needs more time digesting that doorstop of a sandwich, he can post this Tangier Soundbite and take some time off while our cyberspace mates get their chops round this one…..

Be well and happy, my friends. And keep spreading the joy.

ps. might be a good one for Marissa and her guitarist
friend if they haven’t thought of it already. This sounds really good with a guitar leading on the lower end range

Posted by Patrick Costello
Filed in Banjo, Music, people
6 Comments »

6 Responses to “Wooden Norwegian”

  1. Cedric Down Under Says:

    November 27, 2009 at 5:17 pm

    Thanks for the very clear run-through, Yannis.

    I would have loved you to sing it all the way through.

  2. Dick Says:

    November 27, 2009 at 7:16 pm

    Yannis,

    I loved your tutorial. I have one question – do you leave your fifth string tuned to G? Or tune it up to A? Or something else?

    Thanks

    Dick

    • Yannis Says:

      November 29, 2009 at 5:45 am

      Hi Dick, glad you liked it. Short answer to your question; yes, I use standard open-G tuning with the fifth string left alone.
      You could tune 5th to ‘A’. Wolfgang recorded a version on his blog (http://banjo-kiel.blogspot.com/)with the 5th up to ‘A’ and it sounds fine.
      (Long answer for you if you want)
      The ‘G’ works for all the chords in the first bit. That run down at the end of the first bit is part of a 1st string position ‘C’ chord (do an ‘F’ shape at the 10th fret and find the run down and you’ll see what I mean). ‘A’ is a bit dodgy for a ‘C’ chord but it’s not a world-ender if you don’t play it hard. You don’t want to be hammerring on the 5th too much anyway–especially if someone is singing. This is nice as a back-up or maybe part of a solo.
      When you get to the other bit which is made up of Dm G Em A and A7, I’m afraid ‘G’ just nips it again 3-2. G is in the Em, G (duh) and A7 (it’s what makes an A an A7)
      It also depends on the inversions one uses. The 7th fred barred ‘D’ chord already has that high-ish A sounding on the 1st string. You can accent it if you want by barring the fith string as well (same note). You can drop back down to G on the fifth for some variation but if you’re capoed of tuned to A on the fifth you don’t have that option. Same with the Dm if you play it on the 6th and 7th frets–grab the 5th string at the 7th fret as well and Voila!, high A on the fifth.
      So you can use either, really, just don’t accent the ‘G’ with Dm and A major and don’t lean on the ‘A’ with the C, G, or Em. You’ll be fine. Hope that was helpful and and accurate and not too boring.

  3. John Says:

    November 28, 2009 at 2:46 pm

    Yannis, very well done thank you!

  4. Steve Harrison Says:

    November 28, 2009 at 10:19 pm

    Wonderful timing, I just picked up Rubber Soul a couple weeks back and had been tempted to learn this. Now you’ve made it mandatory!

  5. Logan Says:

    November 30, 2009 at 11:38 am

    I been playing it in the key of G using G, C, and D7, and then Em, C, and D7. Melody is right there on each cord.


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