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THE SONGS
FROM THE BOOK
After Rain
Another Rain Has Fallen
Arthur Blake
Barges
Barnes Morris
Conundrum Of Time
England 1914
Factory Girl
Fin
Finger Buster
Genesis 1 v 20
Gypsy
Hands of Joseph
I'm not Really Blue
I'm Sorry I Must Leave
In The Dreamtime
Jesus Wept
Kenny the Kangaroo
Leah's Favourite
Let Me Down Easy
Maginot Waltz
Mr. Connaughton
Nanna's Song
Nettle Wine
Now This Has Started
Peppers And Tomatoes
Please Don't Haunt Me
Rizraklaru
Slipshod Taproom Dance
Still In Dreams
Streets Of London
Summer Girls
Summer Lightning
That'll do Babe
The Ferryman
The Girl From The Hiring Fair
The Setting
Tickety-Boo
Tickling The Trout
Wino And The Mouse
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Songs For Six Strings
a tablature book of Ralph
McTell songs
by Roger Brown
Published by: Leola Music and R M Brown Associates
Available from Ralph's website shop
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from the book ...
Ralph Writes ... Tips
First let me say that I do not nurse my guitars. An instrument unscathed is an
instrument un-played. All guitars carry the scars of triumphs, frustrations,
ecstasies and accidents. That is how they develop their souls. If I am looking
at a guitar with a view to buying it I usually strum just the bass strings
whilst it might still be on the wall of the shop. If I am then moved by the
quality of the sound to take it down I will only
play two or three chords before trying another instrument. If you sit long
enough with any guitar you can adapt to its idiosyncrasies and your judgement
can be flawed. Playability can usually be improved by a change of strings and
minor adjustments of the neck. Tonality cannot. Sure, a sound might mature but
it will still SOUND the same as when you bought it. In other words a Martin will
not sound like a Gibson or vice versa no matter how old. If you are to play in
my style i.e. first position play it is vital that your hand feels comfortable
in that position. On cheaper guitars you can get the neck customised to fit your
hand by a skilled luthier but if you are buying a classic you should not tamper
with any part of the construction if you think at some time you might wish to
part with it. Try to keep it original. Having said that, if you know it will
never leave your care you can do what you like with it. In the case of my
beloved 'Miss Gibson' (my old late fifties Gibson J45) I have had the guitar
stripped twice (once by me with a broken piece of glass), new fretboard fitted
(ebony), new bridge (twice), drilled holes for pick ups (now refilled),
re-finished at least three times, re-fretted three times and two sets of tuners.
It still sounds like the best Gibson in the history of the known world and
no-one could buy it from me for any amount of money, yet I doubt it be worth
half what a totally original one would fetch ....
Ralph Writes ...
Influences.
I have already mentioned early influences, and
here my teachers must be divided into two groups:
songwriters and guitar players.
Song writers
All the anonymous writers of folk songs that
have survived, because of their wit, poetry, story or poignancy.
The writers of our wonderful hymn tunes and carols.
Those who wrote the marvellous music hall songs.
George and Ira Gershwin
Cole Porter
Hoagy Carmichael
Woody Guthrie
Lennon and McCartney
Randy Newman
Bob Dylan
Bert Jansch
Robert Johnson
Blind Willie McTell
Guitar players
Jack Elliot
Jesse Fuller
Leadbelly
Blind boy Fuller
Rev Gary Davis
Blind Blake
Robert Johnson
Blind Willie McTell
Joseph Spence
Wizz Jones
Davy Graham
Martin Carthy
Doc Watson
Gary Petersen
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... you comments on the
book
Keith
Littlechild
…My first observation of Roger
Brown's "Songs For Six Strings" has to be that I would be writing to
you from prison now ...... still serving time, from the late sixties, for the
crimes I would have been prepared to commit to get my hands on such a tremendous
resource. My passion to be able play Ralph's early instrumentals and songs only
being surpassed by my lack of any natural ability to do so!
I survived and remained at liberty solely because of the occasional hand
scrawled piece of primitive tablature, re-photocopied so many times and passed
on, that when they eventually reached me were almost illegible. "Earls
Court Breakdown" and "Willoughby's Farm" were the first and
Ralph's comment in the book "that's why it's called the 'F' chord"
rings so true for this piece it will, along with his many other practical tips
and altruistic encouragement, be much valued by players of all abilities and
expertise.
Illicit copies of "Streets of London" and "The Wino and the
Mouse" also found their way to me in those dark days until "I won the
lottery" and met a friend, Phil Fentimen, a classically trained musician
who happened to love ragtime guitar and on whose doorstep I camped until he sent
me away with another decoded McTell masterpiece he had worked out for me. This
would generally keep me at bay for several weeks and I owe him an unpayable
debt.
Roger Brown's book(s) means that, never again will, someone so taken by the
unique alchemy of the Instrumental pieces or the Songs and Guitar accompaniment
of Ralph McTell need to damage their eyesight or "win the lottery" to
be able to make those sounds come out of their own guitar. His method of laying
out the pieces is the clearest I have seen, yet it also contains crucial timing
information often not found in Guitar Tablature. For those starting out or for
intermediate players I feel certain that the CD midi files, which are available
separately, will be a small amount of extra money very well spent. In all
honesty I can't say how useful the book will be to really competent
players.....as I won't become one at least until I finish it......some years
from now!
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Also by Roger Brown but currently unavailable:
 
Tablature books of Stealin'
Back and Blue Skies Black Heroes
MIDI files for Stealin' Back and Blue Skies Black Heroes on floppy disk
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