Please help me perform a song for my bride to be!

[Gsouth]

Hi guys.

As I am getting married next year, I would love to learn a song to play my new bride on the day.
A song which is very close to our hearts is “Gone Gone Gone” by Phillip Phillips.
I am aware that it is a guitar song, but I’m sure with all the creativity and experience here, someone will be able to help me create an excellent mandolin version.

I have attached an acoustic video clip as well as chords from Mandotabs, but I really can’t wrap my head around them.

What I really like about the song is the picking moments, along with the powerful strumming moments with the chorus. (and obviously the lyrics)
I am planning on a solo performance with me on the mandolin and vocals and maybe have the crowd join in on the chorus.
Any help in the form of advice, chords, tabs, picking&strumming patterns, videos, absolutely anything will be greatly appreciated.

Thanx in advanced
Hope everyone has a great week!
And keep up the good work in our Café, it really is awesome!

MandoTabs
http://mandotabs.com/p/phillip-phillips/gone-gone-gone/

Acoustic Version


Full Version



I hope the videos work.

[Ky Slim]

I'm not familiar with this tune but best of luck with this project and with your wedding!

I happened to notice that the chord shape suggested on the mandotabs for the Cadd9 is for the ukulele. That shape played on the mando will not sound right. .

Best wishes!!

[Gsouth]

Sorry guys, I have to bump this.
Im really struggling with it.

Thanx again.

[bigskygirl]

Heres a simple mando version. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0vOtOgv43rU

I do this quite frequently when I want to learn a song I hear on the radio that's not really arranged for the mandolin. I've been dabbling with a James Gang and a Stones tune. I could have looked up sheet music but I wanted to figure it out.

This is what works for me....since guitar is my first instrument I find or figure out the guitar chords and learn it on the guitar then I listen to it about 4050 times (not really but I listen to the song every chance I get) - when I'm humming it throughout the day I know I've got the tune in my head.

After I know it well I try it on the mandolin, it's not always pretty but it usually comes along if I work on it. Then just play it a lot. I have been doing a bit more chord melody on the mandolin lately - I used to do a lot on the ukulele.

Grab some staff/tab paper and plot out the melody notes. Then you can add the harmony notes and chords and just work on it until you like it.

So, start by listening and learning the guitar part(assuming you know how to play the guitar) then give it a go on the mandolin and make it yours. It will most likely be different than Phillip, Phillips version but that's the point, you are doing it for your bride and she will love it cause it yours.....awwww

You have time to work on it, if you just can't get it go take a lesson or two from a teacher that plays the mandolin. He/she will be able to help you out. Maybe even contact Phillip Phillips and see if he would help, many times the artists are happy to help.....might cost you a few bucks but hey, it's worth it right.

I find I am learning so much more by doing these chord melodies and taking something I know on the guitar to the mandolin.

Sorry for the long post...have fun trying.

[stevedenver]

im kinda like bigskygirl in my approach, but
I usually work things on the instrument im going to actually play-(guitar is easiest, but, I find that sometimes its better not to be transposing in your head, or trying to use guitar devices that don't work as well on mando)

I would figure out the chords first and of course thorougly memorize the lyrics and phrasing you like -cold. Do this and everything else will follow. The vocal is the focal. period.

and from watching the first clip above, I notice he has a couple of variations to make the song interesting, the single string bass line, the pauses, muting the strings and strumming for percussive effect, things to make it less monotonous in tempo and strumming.

if I were to perform this solo, on a very hectic day, possibly under a good deal of emotional stress and surrounding chaos,

I would start today. first the lyrics and chords. and simply play it. I find that once I really know a song, cold, then I am able to work the song for variations and interesting devices. You can also play with tempo.

I would play the song a lot and let some clever variations come to you.
and
depending on your thought, and the situation, I might shorten the song a bit as well.

I would think that open ringing chords on the mando would do well, and, I might be inclined to try it perhaps with an open D on the top, if that key is suited to your voice-my point is to have the mando really sing and ring as accompaniment and some open tunings can really make the mando sound full and decent as a vocal accompaniment.

[Gsouth]

Thanx for the help guys.

Unfortunately the mandolin is the only instrument I can 'sortof' play, and I also havn't been played long enough to have gained the experience to learn to play songs by ear yet.

What makes it especially difficult is that on the guitar he plays it with half step down tuning and then uses chords that Im not at all familiar with, such as Dsus and Cadd9, also trying to transpose the picking part in the beginning is rather difficult as on some of the notes that follow each other rather quickly have to be on different frets on the same string.

Thanx for the tip of making it shorter, I think that will be very helpful as I do get stage freight and it might be a little emotional.

I would really really really like to be able to play it on the mandolin, but at the moment, because of how difficult its proving to be, mainly because of my lack of skill, I am sortof considering just getting a guitar and learning it from there, as there are many many tutorials and how to's for this specific song on guitar, but nothing on mandolin.

Thanx again of the help!!!

[bigskygirl]

If you don't already have it get the Amazing Slow Downer app. I use my iPhone to record the tune off YouTube or other media. Email the file to myself and open in ASD. Then I can slow it down to learn the parts I'm having trouble with.

In this case I still think you may need to learn it on guitar and then transfer to mandolin when you know the tune. Or find someone who can play it and you just sing it.

[Darobu]

Hi Gsouth, the trick I found with playing this song so it sounded like Mr Phillips on the guitar was a roving bass line. G (open fourth string) D (open 3rd string) E( 2nd fret third string) C (fifth fret fourth string). Once you have your head around this, play the bass note, then strum the chord, once you can do this start mimicking his rhythm from the live version you posted. I used different chord inversions from the sheet music to make the change from Em7 to Cadd9 easier, my chord theory may not be 100%, but this sounds pretty anyway. The Em7 chord, open G (4th string), E(second fret of 3rd string, with your 1st finger), D (second string, 5th fret, third finger), B (1st string 7th fret, 4th finger). To change to the Cadd9 take your 1st and 4th fingers off the fret board and put your 2nd finger on the 5th fret of 4th string (the C in the roving bass line). The chords change order a few times, but practice is the answer. I hope this helps.