TexasFiddle BackUpEx 1(Tom And Jerry)

TEXAS FIDDLE TUNE BACK UP – EXAMPLE 1

In this video I will show you the chord sequence I use for playing back up to Texas fiddle tunes, specifically ''Tom and Jerry'', in A Major, using chords in the Open position. You will find it helpful if you download the notation and explanatory notes from the Workshops section at https://irishguitarpod.com/workshops/ . It's in the ''Texas Fiddle Back Up Open Chords'' folder. There is also a sheet containing the melody in standard notation and TAB. There is no registration or login required to access this.

The back up for the tune is a repetitive 8 bar chord progression, and as it's in the key of A Major you will need to Capo on the second fret.Parts 1,3,5,&6 use what I'll call ''Texas Fiddle Style Back Up Chords'', and Parts 2 and 4 use a more conventional chord progression. Each bar begins with a bass note, followed by a chord, followed by a bass note, followed by a chord and as each note/chord is played ''on'' the beat you will only require down strokes. So for Parts 1,3,5,&6 the first bar you play is an Open G chord but start with a G bass note ( 3rd fret/6th string) …... and then strum the G chord.... The next chord of Bar 1 is a G/B. This means exactly what it says, a G chord with a B bass, which you will find on the 5th string. It's already there, part of the chord, so no need to move your fretting hand....... then strum the chord. For Bar 2 follow the same procedure. When you get to the C# diminished just play the C# note one fret higher than the C note on the fifth string, you can leave the rest of the chord as is............ Bar 3 starts with a G chord, but pick the D note(Open 4th string)....... strum........, go to E7 and play the E note on the 4th string/2nd fret..,strum, then for Bar 4 you play an A(or A7) chord with an A Bass note(Open 5th string)....... strum, and then a D chord with a D note(Open 4th string)..., strum...... and that's the first 4 bars. It sounds like this......... The fifth and sixth bars are identical to what you played in Bars 1 &2. The seventh and first half of the eight bar is a D chord, which uses the D,A, and F# bass notes.......... and you finish on the G chord, with a low G Bass note, then strum, or you could hold the G note for the half bar. My version of the tune has 6 parts,each of 8 bars and repeated, and when I've played through the 6 parts I go back to the first part and play it through twice, the second time with an ending phrase.

These chords are a simplified way of playing a more intricate closed chord version and once you have mastered this simplified method you might want to tackle the more difficult methods, using what might broadly be termed ''Jazz'' chords. This open postion will suit tunes in G Major (no capo required), A Major( Capo 2), or Bb( Capo 3). Depending on both the quality and accuracy of your guitar you could capo as high as Fret 7, which will give you the key of D, but after that it gets a bit cramped. Make sure to use a quality Capo. I use a Kyser Quick Change or a G7th Nashville Spring Capo. Both of these capos compress the strings across the fretboard evenly. I can capo up to the tenth fret on my Martin HD28 and play a C chord which is perfectly in tune. A quality capo is a most important part of your ''gear'' so spend wisely.

I'll now play the whole tune through at a moderate tempo. And.......

Happy picking
Tony O'Rourke
September 2020