After being reminded of this recently, here is a lesson on Early Morning Rain as done by Peter, Paul & Mary. This is really more of a condensed lesson on fingerpicking patterns and changing the song every time you play it.
Early Morning Rain was a hit for Peter, Paul & Mary in 1965, which put Gordon Lightfoot on the map at the beginning of his songwriting career. It had been released before but PPM had a much bigger audience than Canadian artists Ian & Sylvia, at least in the US. Typical of their arrangements, they expanded the chord progression and added great harmony and answering vocals.
This song is best done with what I call 'generic' fingerpicking, meaning there is no one correct way to do it, it can be changed and improvised every time. This lesson is really a comprehensive introduction to this style of fingerpicking, showing some core patterns and variations, and then examples of embellishments and fills. Once the student understands and can execute these techniques, the door is open to thousands of songs that can be played in this style.
Peter, Paul & Mary - Early Morning Rain
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Neil - Great job on this arrangement. PP&M were big when I was in Jr High and later, listening to them a lot on 45's and the AM radio. After the first time through all the lesson clips, I listened to them over and over on Youtube with a new appreciation for their picking, tight harmonies, the echoes and the fact that Paul is in my range.
The variations on picking patterns and the fills are excellent additions, neither of which came easily on the 2nd, 3rd or 4th tries. Thanks, again, for printing titles on all pages. For me, an overview section on matching lyrics to beats in a measure would be helpful (verse starts on beat 3 of measure 9 nd "with" on beat 3 of 13 . I'm afraid to ask for lyrics for verse 1 and chorus, bridge etc. on the tablature or even chords placed above the lyrics on the chart. ????
The variations on picking patterns and the fills are excellent additions, neither of which came easily on the 2nd, 3rd or 4th tries. Thanks, again, for printing titles on all pages. For me, an overview section on matching lyrics to beats in a measure would be helpful (verse starts on beat 3 of measure 9 nd "with" on beat 3 of 13 . I'm afraid to ask for lyrics for verse 1 and chorus, bridge etc. on the tablature or even chords placed above the lyrics on the chart. ????
I agree Billy Gilbert!
This lesson is perfect for learning Travis picking and variations. It fits so many songs.
Using the Nashville chord shortcuts is also ALWAYS helpful. I’ll check to see if Neil has added a lesson on Nashville chords, if not, that might be a good add!
Best,
RevKate
This lesson is perfect for learning Travis picking and variations. It fits so many songs.
Using the Nashville chord shortcuts is also ALWAYS helpful. I’ll check to see if Neil has added a lesson on Nashville chords, if not, that might be a good add!
Best,
RevKate
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- Location: Prior Lake, MN
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Kate - I am visiting kids & grands in Plano and just seeing your response. You don't have to agree, but it's good to see a response. I sounds like we are similar in our youth.