AgentClaret
Joined: Jan 30, 2024
Posts: 109
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Posted on Jul 19 2024 05:33 PM
I can't dig up any other renditions of it by The String A Longs, but their version is a cover of an old country/blues song as it is. I found a page that collects all the various versions.
Matilda Versions
I guess it usually has lyrics. It's hard to find much by this band at all, but they had a real cool style in between surf and western.
I'd say leave the "mistake" notes! I feel like there's several points where the lead guitarist works a mistake into the melody, it's almost even part of the charm of the song! I don't think they were very old or around all that long...
Thanks once again for taking it on!
Last edited: Jul 19, 2024 17:50:38
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BB_Bunny
Joined: Sep 13, 2020
Posts: 181
New York
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Posted on Jul 20 2024 12:04 PM
Matilda by The String-A-Longs
The recording I transcribed was approximately 1/4 tone sharp or flat of standard A=440 tuning which was kind of annoying. The piece is either in C or B...it’s almost definitely supposed to be C. Just be aware that there will be tuning issues if you try to play along to the recording. Either detune or mess with the pitch of the recording.
There are a handful of notes that I can't tell if they're intentional or not. While they do work in context, one could also understand how the guitarist might have accidentally strummed an open string here and there. Interpret it as you will.
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Last edited: Jul 20, 2024 18:52:43
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AgentClaret
Joined: Jan 30, 2024
Posts: 109
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Posted on Jul 20 2024 08:32 PM
Awesome once again! I think it was the strange out of key thing that was throwing me off. I find that happened with a lot of older music!
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betomunhoz
Joined: Dec 11, 2023
Posts: 7
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Posted on Jul 21 2024 08:26 AM
I would like to suggest the song "Nights in White Satin", in the Messer Chups version.
https://youtu.be/_HYEfCANU3c?si=9S4a6saivgfUQFAW
Tanks.
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BB_Bunny
Joined: Sep 13, 2020
Posts: 181
New York
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Posted on Jul 21 2024 11:28 AM
AgentClaret wrote:
I find that happened with a lot of older music!
I've noticed that too. I wonder if it either has something to do with the recording/transfer method, or perhaps the band didn't tune to a "standard" reference pitch. It's possible one guitarist got in tune with themselves and then everyone tuned off of that? I wish I had more historical insight.
betomunhoz wrote:
I would like to suggest the song "Nights in White Satin", in the Messer Chups version.
I'll stick it in the queue, but I still need to do your previous request for Das Model.
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AgentClaret
Joined: Jan 30, 2024
Posts: 109
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Posted on Jul 21 2024 01:04 PM
I think it's more that the engineers or execs would want a song speeded up or slowed down, which would ultimately change the pitch.
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BB_Bunny
Joined: Sep 13, 2020
Posts: 181
New York
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Posted on Jul 21 2024 10:24 PM
Das Model by Kraftwerk as played by Messer Chups on "New Wave or Surf Wave"
This one is pretty repetitive with little variation (at least on this recording), so I just transcribed the sections and included a "form" towards the end outlining when each section is played. I think it would be easier to follow than having to read the same parts over and over again. Hopefully it will be pretty easy to follow along with the recording. There's an overdubbed guitar in this recording playing chords. I've included the chord changes, but did not notate the exact guitar part for that bit.
Oleg seems to switch this up a bit in live scenarios. including some chords in the lead as well as a cool rising 5th motif seemingly influenced by Ennio Morricone's score for The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly. Hopefully well get an official recording of that version at some point in the future, but this is the only studio recorded version I have in my collection.
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betomunhoz
Joined: Dec 11, 2023
Posts: 7
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Posted on Jul 22 2024 05:36 AM
Once again an excellent transcription. Thank you very much my friend, it will be of great value in my study library of songs played by Messer Chups. Have a great week !
BB_Bunny wrote:
Das Model by Kraftwerk as played by Messer Chups on "New Wave or Surf Wave"
This one is pretty repetitive with little variation (at least on this recording), so I just transcribed the sections and included a "form" towards the end outlining when each section is played. I think it would be easier to follow than having to read the same parts over and over again. Hopefully it will be pretty easy to follow along with the recording. There's an overdubbed guitar in this recording playing chords. I've included the chord changes, but did not notate the exact guitar part for that bit.
Oleg seems to switch this up a bit in live scenarios. including some chords in the lead as well as a cool rising 5th motif seemingly influenced by Ennio Morricone's score for The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly. Hopefully well get an official recording of that version at some point in the future, but this is the only studio recorded version I have in my collection.
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BB_Bunny
Joined: Sep 13, 2020
Posts: 181
New York
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Posted on Jul 22 2024 11:33 AM
Twin Peaks Twist by Angelo Badalamenti as arranged by Messer Chups from "Mondo Harp"
This one had a lot of multi-tracking. The guitar doubles the bass in a few parts (most notably that motif you hear in the intro...hard to say if it's guitar or short scale bass and later in the recording it's both. Svetlana plays it on bass when they do it live) and there are a lot of chords against the single note lines. There are a few album recordings of this one and it changes quite a bit in each one (plus the live performances where Oleg tends to bounce between playing the chord parts and the single note lines). This is, more or less, how the "lead guitar" part is played on Mondo Harp. There were a few parts that I did a hybrid lead/rhythm guitar just because the lead part seems to take a back seat in those places. I would normally tab out all the parts, but there were several in this recording and while the parts themselves are pretty simple, they would have been really tedious to do. I personally probably wouldn't play this as written specifically in this transcription, but would do a hybrid between lead and rhyhtm parts like Oleg does live. Hopefully this gives you enough info to help you make your own decisions.
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weird_oh84
Joined: May 24, 2023
Posts: 156
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Posted on Jul 24 2024 11:15 PM
I’d like to suggest “Lone Surfer” by Johnny Fortune if you’re up for it!
https://youtu.be/LAxGBFSXLgk?si=Ttq-HBnWL14w3eEv
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synchro
Joined: Feb 02, 2008
Posts: 4329
Not One-Sawn, but Two-Sawn . . . AZ.
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Posted on Jul 25 2024 12:03 AM
weird_oh84 wrote:
I’d like to suggest “Lone Surfer” by Johnny Fortune if you’re up for it!
https://youtu.be/LAxGBFSXLgk?si=Ttq-HBnWL14w3eEv
That’s a great tune.
— The artist formerly known as: Synchro
When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.
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weird_oh84
Joined: May 24, 2023
Posts: 156
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Posted on Jul 25 2024 12:10 AM
Right?!
It’s so beautiful
synchro wrote:
weird_oh84 wrote:
I’d like to suggest “Lone Surfer” by Johnny Fortune if you’re up for it!
https://youtu.be/LAxGBFSXLgk?si=Ttq-HBnWL14w3eEv
That’s a great tune.
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BB_Bunny
Joined: Sep 13, 2020
Posts: 181
New York
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Posted on Jul 25 2024 07:03 AM
weird_oh84 wrote:
I’d like to suggest “Lone Surfer” by Johnny Fortune if you’re up for it!
https://youtu.be/LAxGBFSXLgk?si=Ttq-HBnWL14w3eEv
Good suggestion! All those grace notes are going to be a bit fiddley so it may take a little longer, but I’m looking forward to figuring out how he’s doing some of those cross-string arpeggios. Sounds like he has some classical chops in his arsenal.
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betomunhoz
Joined: Dec 11, 2023
Posts: 7
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Posted on Jul 29 2024 05:35 AM
Hi, first of all I want to thank you for your transcriptions of Messer Chups songs. Now I would like to suggest the song "Charade", available at
https://youtu.be/Xf-f_UOjOvw?si=6N67W2PXgIfdqBev.
Thanks !
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synchro
Joined: Feb 02, 2008
Posts: 4329
Not One-Sawn, but Two-Sawn . . . AZ.
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Posted on Jul 29 2024 11:54 AM
betomunhoz wrote:
Hi, first of all I want to thank you for your transcriptions of Messer Chups songs. Now I would like to suggest the song "Charade", available at
https://youtu.be/Xf-f_UOjOvw?si=6N67W2PXgIfdqBev.
Thanks !
Whether Messer Chups version or not, this is a great song to play Surf style. I have played it for years as a Standard, basically treating is as a Jazz Waltz, but when I finally saw the movie, I realized that this was Mancini displaying his love of twangy guitars and and reverb, once again.
I tried it with my Jaguar, using Surf reverb and loved what I heard.
— The artist formerly known as: Synchro
When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.
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BB_Bunny
Joined: Sep 13, 2020
Posts: 181
New York
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Posted on Jul 29 2024 01:30 PM
synchro wrote:
I tried it with my Jaguar, using Surf reverb and loved what I heard.
I'd love to hear a recording/see a video if you ever felt like making one. Sounds awesome!
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synchro
Joined: Feb 02, 2008
Posts: 4329
Not One-Sawn, but Two-Sawn . . . AZ.
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Posted on Jul 29 2024 01:49 PM
BB_Bunny wrote:
synchro wrote:
I tried it with my Jaguar, using Surf reverb and loved what I heard.
I'd love to hear a recording/see a video if you ever felt like making one. Sounds awesome!
No recording, but you’re giving me ideas. This would be a great tune with lead guitar, Bass VI, Bass, etc. There’s a lot to work with in that tune.
— The artist formerly known as: Synchro
When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.
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BB_Bunny
Joined: Sep 13, 2020
Posts: 181
New York
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Posted on Jul 29 2024 07:16 PM
Lone Surfer by Johnny Fortune from "Soul Surfer"
(not to be confused with "Lonely Surfer")
This one was pretty fun to work on! I don't know much about Johnny Fortune, but while I was working on this I got the sneaking suspicion the guy has at least a little bit of a background in classical guitar. A lot of the ways things are played across strings and controlling when voices ring as opposed to when they're stopped by either using open strings or closed (especially when it came to open B vs 4th fret g string B) is how classical guitarists would think about playing stuff. His album cover also features him holding his right hand against the strings as if he was going to play it with his fingers and if you zoom in, you can see he grew his nails out. To me, this is the smoking gun.
My suspicions were confirmed in the section starting at mm. 43 where he plays arpeggios with his thumb and uses his index, middle, and ring finger (annex to you classical nerds out there) to tremolo a top note at the same time. It's quiet, but it's definitely there! Again, that finger independence required to control different volume levels of each distinct 'voice' is definitely a classical thing. To my ears, it sounds like he switches between fingerstyle and plectrum use depending on the section. It's a little hard to see in the picture, but it looks like he's got a thumb pick on, so I'd guess that's what he's using for the 'picked' sections. Really interesting approach!!! I'm not a fan of thumb picks, so I'd probably keep my pick wedged in the 2nd segment of my index or middle finger sort of pinched between the 1st and 2nd knuckle. It takes a little practice, but like anything else, after awhile making that switch becomes second nature.
Anyway, this was a cool project with some surprises that I never would have noticed if not transcribing.
Transcription note: There are a few pitches that I wasn't sure were intentional in the guitar. It sounds like he's holding down chord forms for some of these passages and may have accidentally struck and adjacent string. Those parts are marked with combined () and ?. The notes work harmonically, but it always feels a little strange to add notes above what feels like the main melody since it tends to obscure the movement of the line. I'll let you decide how to play it at home, but I'd personally probably mute those or avoid picking them. Also, the trumpet player definitely biffs a note on measure 79, but I wrote what I'm nearly 100% positive it was supposed to be.
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Last edited: Jul 29, 2024 19:40:37
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synchro
Joined: Feb 02, 2008
Posts: 4329
Not One-Sawn, but Two-Sawn . . . AZ.
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Posted on Jul 29 2024 11:00 PM
BB Bunny, that is some exceptional transcribing. I rearely use charts, because so many of them are poorly written, and contain inaccuracies, but this is a pleasure to read.
— The artist formerly known as: Synchro
When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.
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BB_Bunny
Joined: Sep 13, 2020
Posts: 181
New York
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Posted on Jul 29 2024 11:14 PM
synchro wrote:
BB Bunny, that is some exceptional transcribing. I rearely use charts, because so many of them are poorly written, and contain inaccuracies, but this is a pleasure to read.
THANK YOU! That is probably the best compliment I could have gotten. I typically don't use tabs for the same reason. These initially started as scratch notation just to help me remember stuff, but a geeky part of me enjoys trying to make stuff look nice so I've taken it as a chance to book up on doing proper guitar notation which, despite being both a guitarist and a composer, I've oddly never really messed around with.
btw, I've been updating the pdf as I play through this myself if I catch things that could be changed. The most recent version has an alt fingering for a squirrely passage at mm. 29-30 that might be easier. It's an awkward shift coming out of that E-minor arpeggio and a bit of a stretch, but I think it fits better under the fingers, and sets you up nicely for the descending riff at 31. If you really want to go 'classical guitar' with it, you could grab an open E for that last note at mm. 28 which will buy you a quarter note worth of time to make the shift, though I don't think that's what Mr. Fortune is doing here. There timbre doesn't seem to change as I'd expect if he grabbed that open string.
I wish there were videos of Mr. Fortune playing this. There are quite a few places that I'd like to know exactly what choices he was making.
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