A little help with figuring this song out?

[jpmist]

I've been trying on and off to work out how "Song for Fred" by Caroline Marie Brooks, linked below, is played on acoustic for about a year or so. I'm close to getting about 90% of it but I'm pretty much stuck at this point cause I can't tell if there is a guitar playing a dropped detuned bass E string. (Sorry I don't know the proper term for that)

What I've worked out is that there are at least two acoustic guitars, left and right, and both have capo's but placed on different parts of the neck. Yikes. But that possibly "dropped" E string works against me as I don't have much experience playing those. Is there one, or are both guitars in standard tuning?

Any help much appreciated.

[B0WIE]

I don't know what their tuning is but you can upload songs into "Songster" and they have an AI engine that transcribes them. I'm guessing there's a fee, I don't know for sure.

[jpmist]

I don't know what their tuning is but you can upload songs into "Songster" and they have an AI engine that transcribes them. I'm guessing there's a fee, I don't know for sure.

OMG, of course, this is the year 2025 - we live in modern times!    I suppose that's a great option and I'm genuinely curious how accurate that would be but that certainly takes all the fun out of it. I'm pretty sure I'll work it out eventually, just not confident in calling that low note.

I've posted the same question on two other sites and so far the consensus is there are 2 guitars in standard tuning panned right and left, the one the left has a capo on F# so the lowest note is F#

[B0WIE]

I don't know what their tuning is but you can upload songs into "Songster" and they have an AI engine that transcribes them. I'm guessing there's a fee, I don't know for sure.

OMG, of course, this is the year 2025 - we live in modern times!    I suppose that's a great option and I'm genuinely curious how accurate that would be but that certainly takes all the fun out of it. I'm pretty sure I'll work it out eventually, just not confident in calling that low note.

I've posted the same question on two other sites and so far the consensus is there are 2 guitars in standard tuning panned right and left, the one the left has a capo on F# so the lowest note is F#

Yea, that's what I gathered. F#. I just don't know how they are tuning because they aren't strumming out traditional chords but more riffing.

I was the same regarding auto transcribing until this year. Now, I am being more careful in what I invest my time in and my transcribing ability is crude enough that it would be like weaving a screen door rather than buying one. It just takes me too long.

[jpmist]

Just to report, I posted this on AGF and the Telecaster forum as well and a guy "JonPR" gave me what sound like the answer I was looking for

"It sounds to me like the main guitar (left channel?) could be in drop D with capo on 4. The opening passage certainly sits under the fingers more intuitively that way. And much of the second guitar can be played at the same time..."

Dead on! Felt right the first time I played it that way. He went on to explain why I had a hard time hearing that low note . . .

"It sounds low because the timbre is dull, as if it's an old string, or maybe because it's picked with flesh of the thumb rather than nail or thumbpick.
The dull timbre could also be a result of less tension due to downtuning - so that's another clue!



I just worked out the opening to show you how it works in drop D capo 4 (let the open G and D ring along with those 4th fret notes):"


E------------------|--------|---------------|--------------
B------------------|--------|---------------|--------------
G----0-------------|--------|---------------|-------------
D--4---4-2-0-----0-|--0-----|------0-------0|------0---0---
A------------0h2---|4---0---|--2-------2----|--0-------0---
D--0---------------|------0-|2---2---2---2--|0---0---0---0-  "


I don't do tabs so I'll have to spend a few minutes working that out, but my initial glance seems to concur with capo on 4, drop D for the left side guitar.

Now I have to rethink the lead acoustic track panned right as I had that capoed on the 4th fret as well.

Thanks for giving it a shot!