Dear Prudence

[8mileshigher]

After doing an RRF search on this song, I couldn't find anyone's prior posts about whether anyone uses standard tuning or Drop D tuning for this song. I was wondering, can't the Donovan inspired picking pattern be done on just the top strings, so one doesn't have to mess with lowering the bottom "E" to "D" ?? I've seen a couple of internet tabs listing Drop "D" tuning and some other sheet music doesn't mention it at all.

Any of you White Album fans care to share your guitar-picking techniques on playing "Dear Prudence" ?
Thanks

[gregga41]

Rich, i've justed checked my copy of the Hal Leonard "recorded version" White album music book and it shows it to be played in Drop D. I haven't played that song for years, may have to have a crack at it this evening.

[servant]

I play this song often (just yesterday, in fact), and always use drop-D. Before I learned about Travis picking, I thought it was two guitars. I figured out these parts separately:

-----------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------
----D----D------D----D-------D----D-------D------D----
-A------------C------------B------------Bb--------------
-------D-----------D--------------D------------D--------


and

-F#-----------F#-----------F#-----------F#-------------
----------D------------D-------------D-----------D------
-------A------------A-------------G-----------G---------
-----------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------

but did not know how they could be done by one guitarist so never thought that they were (let alone by John!).

Now that I know better, and listen to this on my own Casino, I wonder if George isn't doubling the high F# and D notes for emphasis. It is much cleaner and higher in the mix. John's pattern (bass notes especially, which "pop out" on my own guitar) seems a little more buried in the mix. Then again, it could be simple EQ, with the bass notes (John's, not Macca's) rolled off a bit.

[jimk]

This is Travis picking. That other is merely pattern picking.
JimK

[8mileshigher]

Thanks for the insights, the tabs and You Tubes, folks !!

Greg, I have one of those Hal Leonard books too, that was indicating the Drop D tuning ... but I was playing the picked bass notes sequence on the A string (based upon a Tab I had) and since I was using my 12-string, I really didn't' want to fool around with drop tuning the pair of strings down a pitch.....

[nukebass]

If you skipped the dropped D, you would just lose the D drone throughout the song. You could probably play it elsewhere and a 12 string would probably introduce its own nice drone tones to change the song up a bit.

The guitar is doubled, but I think Lennon is playing both the J-160 and the Casino. He does the same thing, I think, on Julia.

[8mileshigher]

The guitar is doubled, but I think Lennon is playing both the J-160 and the Casino. He does the same thing, I think, on Julia.

Before I learned about Travis picking, I thought it was two guitars.

I wonder if George isn't doubling the high F# and D notes for emphasis. It is much cleaner and higher in the mix. John's pattern (bass notes especially, which "pop out" on my own guitar) seems a little more buried in the mix. Then again, it could be simple EQ, with the bass notes (John's, not Macca's) rolled off a bit.

I appreciate the insights .... There are many guitar nuances on Dear Prudence .... seems to be two or three guitars are playing at certain points on this song. I understand the picking patterns on Julia and Prudence was something Donovan taught John at the Maharishi's camp in India.

[ces1965]

Hi new member here. I play Dear Prudence all the time and always drop d. Julia does have the same picking pattern, but I seem to have forgotten how to play that one . . .

[Zurdo]

here's the chords: fingerpicking it is another story

C half of what I
Am say is meaning-
Em less

C but I say it
Am just to please you
Em Juuuuu
G uuuu Li i

C a (Juuuuli)
Am a

Gm7/9 Juuuuli a
A7 ocean child
Cm calls
G#/C on bass\ Me

C so I sing a
Am song of love for
Em Juuuu
G li i
C a

[JakeK]

IIRC, it's transcribed on Beatles To-A-Tee Vol. 1, and it showed a Lennon Casino playing three parts, the drone being a double-tracked Casino. Rob's usually spot on, I turn to him when I want to know what's what. Perhaps George played some parts on his Casino, too, I know the fuzzy leads are either his Les Paul, SG or Strat. Or John could have played all the parts?

EDIT: It is, see the site for clips.

[prjacobs]

here's the chords: fingerpicking it is another story

C half of what I
Am say is meaning-
Em less

C but I say it
Am just to please you
Em Juuuuu
G uuuu Li i

C a (Juuuuli)
Am a

Gm7/9 Juuuuli a
A7 ocean child
Cm calls
G#/C on bass\ Me

C so I sing a
Am song of love for
Em Juuuu
G li i
C a

Hi all,
New on the forum and glad to be here....
Regarding Julia - The song is actually in D, so I assume that you didn't mention that the capo would be on the 2nd fret to make these chords work...
In the section where John sings "calls me," the chords are incorrect. It's hard to write this out... But... In concert, if you play a G barre chord in the 3rd position and release your 4th finger or pinky, you'd have G,D,F,B,D,G, 6th to the 1st string. If you place your 4th finger on the 5th fret of the high E string, you'd then have... From lowest to highest string G,D,F,B,D,A. This G9 is the chord on the word "calls." The low E string doesn't sound on either of these chords, I'm just using it as a reference . On "calls" you play the A on the first string at the same time as the D on the A string. The picking pattern starts with that D, followed by F,B,D,D2,F. The rhythm is D - 8th note, F,B, D,D2 (16ths) F... 8th. (Assuming that the word Julia has 4 beats). On the word "me," the chord in concert is a g minor 7th. If you keep your hand in the 3rd position, release your 2nd (middle) finger, move your 4th finger to the 6th fret on the high E string, playing B flat.... You'll have a g minor 7th chord. It's a stretch to barre all of the strings with the index finger, so maybe just barre the top 4. So from the A string to the high E, you have...D,F, B flat, D2, B flat 2. You use the same picking pattern playing D and B flat 2 at the same time, followed by F, B flat, D,D2, F....
Sorry for the convoluted explanation.

[Tommy]

I understand the picking patterns on Julia and Prudence was something Donovan taught John at the Maharishi's camp in India.

Yeah, John learned it from Donovan, but unfortunately John used this Travis-picking technique only a few times:
- "Dear Prudence"
- "Julia"
- "Happiness Is A Warm Gun"
- "Octopus's Garden"
- "Look At Me" from his first solo album

[sloop_john_b]

I always figured the electric sound on these were the pickup of the J-160e. Sounds exactly like it to me.

[JakeK]

In this video, recorded July 31, 1968, John had moved the J-160E pickup back to the "neck" position, after he stripped the paint off:


I've never played an Epiphone Casino or a J-160E, but from what I hear the pickups are similar.

[servant]

Yeah, John learned it from Donovan, but unfortunately John used this Travis-picking technique only a few times:
- "Dear Prudence"
- "Julia"
- "Happiness Is A Warm Gun"
- "Octopus's Garden"
- "Look At Me" from his first solo album

Are we sure John is even on Octopus's Garden? He reportedly had little involvement in most of George's later songs but might have been more supportive of Ringo. I'll do some digging but that one stands out...

EDIT: Well, what daya know? There is definitely "Travis" picking on Octopus's Garden!

Octopus's Garden guitar tracks

I can hear the chimey jangle in the mix but not so much the rolling thumb part, but you can hear it clearly in the mp3 referenced above. I don't know that George ever played that style so it must be John. Thank you for teaching me something today!