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Best 12-string Song?


Alarung

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I'm sitting here with my beloved Norman acoustic on my lap, wondering, "what's an awesome song to play on a twelver...?"

What songs do you guys like that sound better/best with 12 strings?

If anyone says Stairway they're dead. I'm not kiddin. :D

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Joy of Man's Desire  Leo Kotke

Isn't that a Beethoven cut? :D

Suggestions:

"Der Kommisar"- After The Fire (the 'extended' version has some fun 12 in it)

"She Sells Sanctuary"- The Cult (either the 4 strums during the choruses, or...the whole song. LOL)

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I saw Dan Fogelberg play an instrumental version of "Eleanor Rigby", I think on a 12 string, that was just awesome.

Both Fogelberg and the Beatles have alot of songs that work well with 12 strings. Good chord progressions that hold their own without vocals, etc.

Rush, Xanadu, is another good one.

Michael Hedges, America, and Yes have alot of good 12 string stuff, too.

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Yep, it be ONE of the old masters but Leo does it quite well. GregP beat me to SRV doing Life by The Drop but that was by a master, also. Zack with The Lovin' Spoonful did a couple of 12-string tunes but I will be darned if the names come to me. Try Driving of the Year Nail by Leo Kotke. That may be more your style. Fairly easy to play, also.

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Redemption Song by Bob Marley, my personal 12-er favorite.

Almost anything out of the Neil Young 'Harvest' period is fun 12-in' too, as it's usually slow to medium tempos so you get to hear all those sympathetic vibes flowin' out.

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The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald-Gordon Lightfoot

I was born a few years after that whole tragedy happened. Gives me chills every time I hear that song, though. Great lyrics, tune, whole song is a masterpiece. Only thing missing was a guest vocal with Bob Seger.

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Love the Lightfoot version, but I'm a bigger fan of the Rheostatics cover (bonus track on their album Melville). If anyone feels like being a buck poorer, you can buy the track at maplemusic.ca. The lead guitars are by my favourite guitarist, Martin Tielli.

Regarding "Life By the Drop" -- SRV was indeed a master, but this is one heckuva easy song to learn. There are only 2 semi-tricky parts that might throw beginners off (fills), but you can always skip those and just play the base chords.

Now SINGING it is trickier... it's higher-pitched than you would first think!

Greg

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Also regarding Life by the Drop, I found two different ways to play it on a 12-string. One was regular tuning, the other was with a capo on the third fret. I kinda think that is the way he played it on the albums I have.

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Don't fall out of your chair laughing at this.........

I was watching and old John Denver concert on PBS the other night......yes, I am going to suggest some old Denver tunes. He had his 12 out for several songs and sounded great.....really. Problem is (for me anyway) I could never sing that high so I'd have to drop the music about 2 octaves to sing any of his stuff. I never realized how high his voice was before watching that show. Yikes!!

crafty Posted May 2 2005, 11:03 AM

  Anything by Tom Petty playing the 12...

Don't duck! I completely agree with that. I consider TP and John Mellencamp some of the best folk style guys since the 60's and 70's. Also try some Pink Floyd (most anything form The Wall) on a 12. Sounds great!

Edited by bluespresence
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A capo on the third fret? Can't be. One of the chords is an open position E5. With a capo, the lowest you could go is G5.

Greg

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That is a problem I have with a lot of CDs that I get. I have to make a choice between a half-step up or down. Stevie is one of the recurring problems. My nephew says I should just use the TAB for it but there is a lot of crap TAB out there. Another good name for a punk band!!! Crap Tab! Love it! :D

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That is a problem I have with a lot of CDs that I get. I have to make a choice between a half-step up or down. Stevie is one of the recurring problems. My nephew says I should just use the TAB for it but there is a lot of crap TAB out there. Another good name for a punk band!!! Crap Tab! Love it! :D

Stevie almost always tuned half a step down. Virtually invariably. But for this one, he's in standard tuning. I can send you the tab if you're particularly keen on it. :D

Greg

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Greg, I would LOVE correct TAB for that! I know it is a very simple piece but the knowledge that I am playing it at least half-right would make me very happy. I guess someone should start a topic concerning the quality of TAB sources. TAB didn't really exist when I started playing and I kind of shied away from it because it took away the requirement to LEARN music and a lot of it was shoddy. THEN I down-loaded what must have been a pretty good TAB intro to (Lord forgive me) Stairway to Heaven and absolutely laughed my butt off while I was playing it right, for the first time! I had a riot! TAB RULES!! :D:D

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No one mentioned the Byrds!!??

"8 miles high" is one of the few songs to feature an electric 12 string solo.

I'd vote for Tom Petty too. Definite Byrd's influence there but a bit more rock and roll.

Pink Floyd's "wish you were here" is a classic 12 string.

The slide solo part of Hendrix "all along the watchtower" main solo is also 12 string.

Leadbelly is a good acoustic blues 12 string stylist.

Something to check out.

Also, tune it open and get some cool drone sounds...just about everything sounds neat done like this on a twelve. :D

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