Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

After the first 12 notes or so, I seem to lose the Eight Miles High riff (lol). For those of you who have mastered this classic McGuinn riff (including you Roger) please give me some advice about what comes next?

Haha! I'm glad I'm a bass player. That has always sounded like a jumble to me.

Peter: A few thoughts!!!

1) About 10 years ago, Guitar World magazine transcribed the entire 1966 song-- and they did a great job on it. I don't know if you can get your hands on it!

2) On the website, Guitar Tab Universe, someone has also posted a reasonably detailed version of all that "pickin."

3) On McGuinn's own "12-String Rickenbacker" DVD, Roger shows -- even in slow motion-- how he has played the song since the 1980s. It is different from the original single. This DVD is available on Homespun Tapes-- and has a transcription, too!!!

Good Luck,

Karl

Peter,
The UK rag Guitarist did an feature on this in 2001. I have it lying around somewhere & will try to find it this week (packed in a box after a move). I do, however, have the included CD which came with it and have conveniently MP3'd it for you.

You can find the links to it at:

http://www.bobsyeruncle.com/emh/emh.htm

Under these headings:
# Track 1: Spoken Intro (603k)
# Track 2: Instrumental, no vocals (3.3meg)
# Track 3: Instrumental backing, no guitar (3.3meg)
# Track 4: Instrumental backing, no bass (3.3meg)

You'll find track 3 most useful for practice once you've learned the parts.

Cheers & good luck,
Bill

Thanks Bill. I appreciate your efforts. I will need lots of luck.

He does a killer acoustic version of that!

Hi, Bill:

Is there any chance that Forum members might be allowed to see the written transcription???

Karl

Truefire...www.truefire.com has a mp3-pdf file version of an article on classic Byrds riffs that was published in Guitar Player Magazine in 1997(?)...including the intro for 8MH. While that's one of those bits that I bet is transcribed differently by everyone who trys it...and which McGuinn probabally played differently each time he played it, it appears reasonably accurate...and does capture the phrasing, which is more important to copping the feel of the lick than the precise sequence of notes played..remember, part of the deal was that those parts of the tune were improvised...they were lifting what they played from the Coltrane tune "India"...and playing it as a rock band, and not a jazz quartet...

The article has some other good stuff, including the intro to Renaissance Fair

Don: Do you have a link? I can't seem to find the article to which you refer at this site.

http://truefire.com/list.html?store=digital_lessons&section=search&orderby=x3y4&offset=0&item=5750&query=byrds

Try that..if that doesnt work, go to www.truefire.com, search "Byrds", article is titled "Chimes of Freedom"

Truefire does require registration...I think they give you $10 credit for signing up, this particular article costs $3 (it was their "freebee" a while back)

The article also has accurate transcriptions of McGuinns and Crosby's parts for "Bells of Rhymney", My Back Pages, RnR star, MTM TTT, I see you, and Renaissance Fair...the interplay between Crosby and McGuinn was very subtile..and very interesting

Here is one tabbed version.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-0--0-0-0-0-0---0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0--0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0--0-0--

(12 string)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-7---4------------7-4--------------------------------------------------------
---------5---7--------5h7-4---4---------------4-4-7-5-4---4-----------------
----------------------------5---5-7-----4-5-7-----------5---5-7-------4------
------------------------------------7-7-------------------------7-5-7----5-7-

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------4------4-----------------------------------------------
-----------------4--7----7-4---4-4h5p4--------------------------------------
-----------4-5-7-----------------------5-7-4-4h5----4-------4-4-------------
-5-7--5-7-----------------------------------------7---5-7-7-----5-2-2b--0-0-

12-12-12-13p12-12-13p12-12-13-12-13-12-13-12-13-12-13-12-13-12-13-12-13-12
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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I agree with Don that there are many different interpretations of this Rickenbacker 12 string solo. Even McGuinn plays it differently today that he did on the original recording.

To this end, and not to take anything away from Roger's extraordinary talent, is it possible that the original was recorded at a slower speed and sped up electronically as in other recordings of this era?

Karl,
I looked for the issue of Guitarist that the CD came with and couldn't find it. I know I still have it but I moved recently & my music rags are spread out over a bunch of boxes. I expect it'll turn up at some point and then I'll post the tab here.
Cheers,
Bill

You can forget the tab - someone once gave me some great advice "just get an electric guitar and take some time and learn how to play, and when your hair's combed right and your pants fit tight , it's gonna be alright" - I was OK for a while - but as time moved on and I combed my hair - it started to fall out - my pants kept getting tighter and tighter - they never mentioned that part! damn that middle age spread!

Of course, the signature stuff is played differently every time it occurs in the song.

That one tab doesn't cover every instance.