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Thread: Galway Girl (Steve Earle) Questions

  1. #26

    Default Re: Galway Girl (Steve Earle) Questions

    Quote Originally Posted by barrangatan View Post
    I played the song with a band before and we tried about A -> D and G -> D (as you did) and we eventually settled on G->D since it sounds better.
    But if that's Clement (if so, hey man), then apparently I'm supposed to be playing G to D!

  2. #27

    Default Re: Galway Girl (Steve Earle) Questions

    I know it's an old thread, but some more details based on the original recording:

    Quote Originally Posted by Greg Wilson View Post
    Working on this talk now and almost have it licked but having problems on the line "On a fine soft day ay ay".
    On the same parts of the verse later in the song, it's
    D A | D. That's D on "fine", A on "day", and D on "ay".
    On the intro, he's a bit loose with the chords there. 2002 for the D... The 'chord' on "day" is pretty much just the E on the second fret D string, though he's holding down the 2nd fret E cause that's still ringing throughout. Then a quick 0002 on the "I" syllable, and back to 2002 for D on "ay".

    The opening D chord is 7000.

    The Bm always walks down to the G, going through a D chord with A in the bass: Bm D/A | G D
    On the mando he's playing things like: 4000 , 2000 , 0023 , 2002 for that part.

    Sometimes during the song he's strumming D chords over some of the other chords. Sometimes he's letting that top E string act as a drone.

    Always been one of my favorite songs to play. If you play it with straight chords it can sound a little too clean, so think of simpler shapes using 1 and 2 fingers, even if it leaves some drones in there that aren't part of the strict chord.

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    Default Re: Galway Girl (Steve Earle) Questions

    Quote Originally Posted by Eddie Sheehy View Post
    Not to shabby! That's Donal Lunney on the bouzouki...
    And Arty McGlynn on acoustic guitar and Nollaig Casey on fiddle. A backup crew like that would make Foster and Allen sound good:o).

    Paul

  4. #29
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    Default Re: Galway Girl (Steve Earle) Questions

    Quote Originally Posted by Alex Orr View Post
    Anyone got the sheet music or tabs? I've figured a version out by ear (in D), but it would be nice to compare it with something more "official". Also, is he lifting a traditional Irish tune for the lead melody lines on this song or is it original?
    Alex, try this tab -- its a .tef file that I used when I was first working out the basic melody. It is not how I play it now as I've added a lot of pickup and grace notes since. Also you might not like all the drones I put in there and actually I don't use all of them anymore myself. Just another viewpoint. I think I got the shell of this tab from someplace but it was a few years ago...........
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Galway Girl_D.pdf  
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    Mandol'Aisne Daniel Nestlerode's Avatar
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    Default Re: Galway Girl (Steve Earle) Questions

    I have a student learning this tune. It's a great one, and I have been told that I will need to know it when my Bluegrass band does its stint hosting a Bluegrass festival outside of Dublin in August.

    Here's what I told my student about the first half of the verse...

    This is a really loose song. After watching Steve Earle play various versions of it on YouTube I have decided, like a few of you, that the first half of the verse is nearly ad-libbed. Lots of D and G. Start on the D and then just end the first line with the G and the second line with the D. Anything you do in between that's in the D scale and rhythmically appropriate will work.

    In the second half of the verse there is a descending bit you can play either straight as Bm(Hair), A(Black), G(Eyes), D(Blue) or you can play the Bm as 400x the A as 200x (I guess that might be considered an A5) and hit the G nd the d as normal for 2 fingered chords. Others have also noted this.

    The point is...Whether you play it straight or as Earle does it, doesn't really matter. What matters is enjoying the song! If you can play it more smoothly and convincingly using full chords, do it. If you can play it better with Earle's loose-y goose-y style, do that. Whatever works for you and makes the song fun to play is the right way. Earle changes it up a lot from performance to performance, there's no reason for anyone else to focus on one version as the right way to do it.

    Hope this helps!
    Daniel

  6. #31
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    Default Re: Galway Girl (Steve Earle) Questions

    Quote Originally Posted by Daniel Nestlerode View Post

    The point is...Whether you play it straight or as Earle does it, doesn't really matter. What matters is enjoying the song! If you can play it more smoothly and convincingly using full chords, do it. If you can play it better with Earle's loose-y goose-y style, do that. Whatever works for you and makes the song fun to play is the right way. Earle changes it up a lot from performance to performance, there's no reason for anyone else to focus on one version as the right way to do it.
    Great comment. I think I have spent a lot of hours chasing down some little bit of technique as if it were Holy Writ when in actuality the artist may have tossed it off without thinking, and do it differently next time. Getting it right is a lot of judgement, I find. Its hard sometimes to suss out exactly what is a necessary part of the tune, what is the artists deliberate ornamentation of the tune, and then, what is the artists just random stuff that he/she is worrying about a lot less than me and can actually go any of many different ways. As Daniel says, play the tune, play the song.
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  7. #32
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    Default Re: Galway Girl (Steve Earle) Questions

    When Steve played in Leeds ( UK) last year, he had the name on the headstock obliterated and the word F*** on the headstock . I have a picture of it but didn't think it right to post it. I don't know his reason behind it.
    I know lot's of things about nothing and nothing about lot's of things.

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    Default Re: Galway Girl (Steve Earle) Questions

    I have the chord progression down but I have not figured out the strumming pattern. Is he doing a DDDUD or DDUD DDUD?

  9. #34
    jbmando RIP HK Jim Broyles's Avatar
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    Default Re: Galway Girl (Steve Earle) Questions

    Sounds like D/D/DU/DU/ within the bar, to me. It varies according to the players feeling at the time, but I am pretty sure the "intro" goes like that.
    "I thought I knew a lot about music. Then you start digging and the deeper you go, the more there is."~John Mellencamp

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    Registered User Paul Brett's Avatar
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    Default Re: Galway Girl (Steve Earle) Questions

    We often play this at gigs and if I have to do the solo bit I always end up playing the solo from Steve's Dixieland. I can't get the 2 straight in my head when i need to...it could be the beer!

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  12. #36
    Registered User neil argonaut's Avatar
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    Default Re: Galway Girl (Steve Earle) Questions

    Quote Originally Posted by pgb View Post
    We often play this at gigs and if I have to do the solo bit I always end up playing the solo from Steve's Dixieland. I can't get the 2 straight in my head when i need to...it could be the beer!
    Same here, and I don't even drink! I've always thought of dixieland musically as being a bit of an update on Galway Girl, and much as I like Galway girl, Dixieland's probably my favourite Steve Earle song.

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    Default Re: Galway Girl (Steve Earle) Questions

    All, I just discovered this song by accident. What a treat! Like finding money in the sofa! I'm amazed I've gone this long without heraring it. This thread answers almost all the questions I had. Thanks! Here's the video where I first caught it. It's in an airport terminal during a delayed flight to Ireland. What do the Irish do to pass the time?.............. And I love how all the young kids know the words...

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  15. #38

    Default Re: Galway Girl (Steve Earle) Questions

    If I’m not mistaken there is a YouTube tutorial for this song. Also for Copperhead Road.
    Quote Originally Posted by Alex Orr View Post
    Anyone got the sheet music or tabs? I've figured a version out by ear (in D), but it would be nice to compare it with something more "official". Also, is he lifting a traditional Irish tune for the lead melody lines on this song or is it original?

  16. #39

    Default Re: Galway Girl (Steve Earle) Questions

    There’s a few I found this one good

  17. #40

    Default Re: Galway Girl (Steve Earle) Questions

    the best version is daori farrel playing it in an airport

  18. #41
    Registered User Dean Campbell's Avatar
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    Default Re: Galway Girl (Steve Earle) Questions

    Guys, i have found this tab what i have been practising, its sounds pretty good when i play it, but i need a little help here guys, although i can just about play this tab, i am really struggling to get the pattern of the strum when i try to play some chords with it, anyone know what strum i should be doing....i am only three months into my playing, thanks in advance..
    https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4L...N3Mkx6N1E/view

  19. #42
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    Default Re: Galway Girl (Steve Earle) Questions

    Quote Originally Posted by Dean Campbell View Post
    ... really struggling to get the pattern of the strum ... anyone know what strum i should be doing
    "Strums" can be so much of a feel thing that describing them often misses the point or, more literally, the feel. Plus, there's often left-hand muting besides whatever up & down the right hand is doing so, again, it can be tough for the outside observer to describe correctly. That said, it's hard to do better than the source - strumming starts around 0:35. Just go for the feel and... enjoy!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMUBCeAK7Cg
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  21. #43
    Registered User Dean Campbell's Avatar
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    Default Re: Galway Girl (Steve Earle) Questions

    Quote Originally Posted by EdHanrahan View Post
    "Strums" can be so much of a feel thing that describing them often misses the point or, more literally, the feel. Plus, there's often left-hand muting besides whatever up & down the right hand is doing so, again, it can be tough for the outside observer to describe correctly. That said, it's hard to do better than the source - strumming starts around 0:35. Just go for the feel and... enjoy!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMUBCeAK7Cg
    Thanks Ed...yeah, i guess your right, i need to some hours playing under my belt, get a feel for it and not just doing it by numbers so to speak..thanks for the link, i will have a good look at that over the next few days
    Cheers Dean

  22. #44

    Default Re: Galway Girl (Steve Earle) Questions

    This is a nice version for getting a feel for the rhythm, even has a lefty bouzouki in it...

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_7-PM_4aeE4
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  24. #45
    Registered User Dean Campbell's Avatar
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    Default Re: Galway Girl (Steve Earle) Questions

    Quote Originally Posted by bigskygirl View Post
    This is a nice version for getting a feel for the rhythm, even has a lefty bouzouki in it...

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_7-PM_4aeE4
    thanks, great link

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