Hi,

I started playing guitar 7 mos. ago and just discovered the beauty of Lightfoot songs. I can't stop listening to them. I'm really glad that I found this side.
Together with my teacher, I tried to figure out how to play sundown, but the pattern she wrote down, seem wrong to me but I can't figure out how to do it right. Is the capo on the 2.Fret?
The Chords are not the problem but the Rhythm. Could anybody please help me here - it already takes my good night sleep away...

Hi,

I started playing guitar 7 mos. ago and just discovered the beauty of Lightfoot songs. I can't stop listening to them. I'm really glad that I found this side.
Together with my teacher, I tried to figure out how to play sundown, but the pattern she wrote down, seem wrong to me but I can't figure out how to do it right. Is the capo on the 2.Fret?
The Chords are not the problem but the Rhythm. Could anybody please help me here - it already takes my good night sleep away...

Yes, Sundown is played with the capo on the second fret. It's basic 4/4 time, meaning four beats to the measure. I don't think any guitar player plays it exactly the same way twice, or plays it exactly the same as the next person. Some people play two down strums, one on the first beat, one on the second beat, then a down/up strum on both the third and fourth beats. I'll write out a verse and indicate the down strum with a d and the up strum with a u. All of the downstrums are on the beat. Up strums are on the off beat (If you said "one and two and" the off beat would be on the and). So basically, the rhythm is "1 2 3 and 4 and" all the way through the song.

I hope this holds it's format when I post it! If not, I'll save it in a text file and e-mail an attachment to you.

Cathy




[This message has been edited by Cathy (edited May 13, 2002).]

Germangodfan,
Groos Gott or Guten Tag

Gordon plays Sundown on the 12 string, but it sounds good on a 6 string too.

Be sure that you are using the correct chords. Some of the transcriptions I see are wrong. Gordon uses an "E Drone" chord which is an E5 chord and a B7sus4, alternating back and forth.
Both chords below are played with the index finger on the 2nd fret on the GDA strings and the pinky (little finger) moving back and forth on the 4th fret between the G and D strings. They are fingered as follow:

xxxE5xB7sus4
Exx0xx0
Bxx0xx0
Gxx3xx2
Dxx2xx3
Axx2xx2
Exx0xx0

Good Luck

Germangodfan,
Groos Gott or Guten Tag

Gordon plays Sundown on the 12 string, but it sounds good on a 6 string too.

Be sure that you are using the correct chords. Some of the transcriptions I see are wrong. Gordon uses an "E Drone" chord which is an E5 chord and a B7sus4, alternating back and forth.
Both chords below are played with the index finger on the 2nd fret on the GDA strings and the pinky (little finger) moving back and forth on the 4th fret between the G and D strings. They are fingered as follow:

xxxE5xB7sus4
Exx0xx0
Bxx0xx0
Gxx3xx2
Dxx2xx3
Axx2xx2
Exx0xx0

Good Luck