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Thread: Help with Ballad of Easy Rider

  1. #1

    Default Help with Ballad of Easy Rider

    Hi,
    a newbie here. IŽm trying to learn Ballad of Easy Rider by The Byrds.

    I can play it on guitar, but when I try the same chords on mandolin it doesnŽt sound anything like on the recording.

    I could use some pointers on the chord voicings and the picking pattern.

    Thanks,

    Ludde

  2. #2
    Registered User Bren's Avatar
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    Default Re: Help with Ballad of Easy Rider

    I love this song (Byrds and especially Fairport Convention version) and have never tried to play it , either on guitar or mandolin.

    So just now, I tried playing along with the Byrds version, which is very handily in the mandolin-friendly key of D, and found that starting from a D note at 7th fret on the G string while picking or strumming the open D & A strings works very well.

    Then you can play a descending line down the G string while fretting the F# on the D string when appropriate.
    F# is the note of the first "Flow" in the repeated "Flow, river, flow" phrase.

    Hope that helps.
    Bren

  3. #3
    Registered User Bren's Avatar
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    Default Re: Help with Ballad of Easy Rider

    Then I don't play a "proper" chord until the (Em) "to" ... (A) some other (D) town.
    The Em I would finger, starting from the G string:
    B E b, open e

    the A:
    C# E, open A, open e
    Then back up to D on the 7th fret.

    Not exactly like the record but sounds nice to me!
    Bren

  4. #4

    Default Re: Help with Ballad of Easy Rider

    Quote Originally Posted by Bren View Post
    Then I don't play a "proper" chord until the (Em) "to" ... (A) some other (D) town.
    The Em I would finger, starting from the G string:
    B E b, open e

    the A:
    C# E, open A, open e
    Then back up to D on the 7th fret.

    Not exactly like the record but sounds nice to me!
    Thanks! IŽll try it.

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