redorchestra Posted 12 January , 2008 Share Posted 12 January , 2008 I am a bit of a musician, but lately I get really bored playing the same old tat. I'd really like to combine my two main interests of music and history and try to learn some Great War songs. Therefore would anyone care to help me create a list of chords of soldiers songs? I play accordion and guitar so just the chords would be fine, although if anyone has the sheet music that'd be useful as well! I have a book which has a few WW1 tunes in it - 'Goodbye-ee', 'Take me back to dear old blighty' etc, but I'm not convinced they are right. At the moment I'm trying to work out 'Whiter than the whitewash on the wall' as it sounds fairly easy.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CockyWeen Posted 12 January , 2008 Share Posted 12 January , 2008 I am a bit of a musician, but lately I get really bored playing the same old tat. I'd really like to combine my two main interests of music and history and try to learn some Great War songs. I play accordion and guitar so just the chords would be fine, although if anyone has the sheet music that'd be useful as well! At the moment I'm trying to work out 'Whiter than the whitewash on the wall' as it sounds fairly easy.. keith.newton97@tiscali.co.uk I can lend {send to you} a ''Daily Express'' WW1 song book with chords,but would like it back at some time,because it belonged to my late father.The book is ''SONGS THAT WON THE WAR'',a community song book,but it is number 3 of;I do not know how many. CockyWeen. PS;alternitivly,I could scan it page by page over several sessions and E.mail it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redorchestra Posted 12 January , 2008 Author Share Posted 12 January , 2008 That's very kind of you, I wouldn't send such a treasured item through the post if i were you though! If you could scan it that would be great, or even just jot the chords down? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanA Posted 12 January , 2008 Share Posted 12 January , 2008 I can help out with most WW1 songs. I don't have a copy of "Whiter than the whitewash" and can only remember the chorus. If you play it in C major, the tune will begin on a G and the chords would be: Whiter than the whitewash on the wall, C C G - Whiter than the whitewash on the wall, G7 G7 C - Wash me in the water that you washed your dirty daughter in and C C F F I shall be whiter than the whitewash on the wall. C G7 C C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanA Posted 12 January , 2008 Share Posted 12 January , 2008 I spaced the chords out under the right words but the software here has wiped out the spaces. I'm sure you'll cope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redorchestra Posted 12 January , 2008 Author Share Posted 12 January , 2008 Cheers, I had a crack and it sounded just right! Any other ones you'd care to share with me? Any personal favourites? How about 'Hush, here comes a whizzbang?' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanA Posted 13 January , 2008 Share Posted 13 January , 2008 WW1 songs are a bit of a speciality of mine but I haven't got the time to share them all! I think I'll work to specific requests. There is, as we have seen, a problem with notation (even chords) so I will give you the chords for "Hush" with a '-' for each beat the chord is held down. I'm sure you'll get the picture. This one is in the key of F and begins on F. F - - - - - - - Gm - - - - - - - C7 - - - - - - - F - G7 - C Gm7 C7 F - - - - - - Cm6 D - - - Gm - - - C7 - - - F Cm6 D7 Gm7 - C7 - F - - - Pick the bones out of that! Good luck Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redorchestra Posted 27 May , 2008 Author Share Posted 27 May , 2008 Could we have some more of these please? How about 'I want to go home', 'Bombed last night' 'There's a long, long trail' (or whatever it is called).. Does anyone know of a good printed collection of Great War songs? I'm thinking of buying the Max Arthur 'When this bloody war is over' book with the lyrics, and writing the chords in.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanA Posted 27 May , 2008 Share Posted 27 May , 2008 I'll see what I can do if you say 'thank you' nicely for the previous one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redorchestra Posted 27 May , 2008 Author Share Posted 27 May , 2008 Whoops, sorry Ian Where's my manners.. Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanA Posted 27 May , 2008 Share Posted 27 May , 2008 Not a problem. I'll get on to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanA Posted 27 May , 2008 Share Posted 27 May , 2008 "I Want to go Home" - key B flat, vocal line beginning on D. A '-' for every beat. B flat---F7 C# B flat----- B flat-- B flat7--E flat6---- E flat6 F7---Cm7 F7---- F7 C7-----F7----- B flat---F7 C# B flat-- F7- F7 B flat--B flat7--E flat-- Cm-- F7--Cm7-F7---Cm7-- F7-----B flat----- Each line of chord symbols = one line of the song. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanA Posted 27 May , 2008 Share Posted 27 May , 2008 There's a Long Long Trail - in F minor/ A flat major. Probably a swine of a key for accordions. Verse: Fm D flat Fm- C7- Fm- Fm-- C7 Fm B flat m Fm- Fm- B flat m Fm C7- Fm- Cm B flat 7 Cm G7 Cm C7 Fm C7 Fm D flat Fm- C7- Fm- Fm--C7 Fm B flat m Fm- B flat m- Fm- D flat Fm- C7 Fm- B flat m G7 C-- Chorus: C A flat- C7- Fm- D flat- A flat- E flat7- A flat-- A flat D flat---- A flat E flat A flat B flat7--- E flat7 B flat m Eflat7 E flat7 A flat----- D flat- A flat- E flat7- A flat-- A flat D flat---- A flat E flat A flat--- E flat A flat-- If you can make sense of that, you're a better man than I am Gunga Din. I know nowt about squeeze boxes (apart from concertinas) and I have no idea whether these chords are do-able with buttons. Look out for 'Songs, Ballads and Parodies of the Great War' (EMI) ISBN 0-86175-007-1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laughton Posted 27 May , 2008 Share Posted 27 May , 2008 IanA: I am a visual guitarist, so could you record your session and post it to YouTube so we can learn from the master? I also like the idea of scanning the words and chords - any chance? Also, I am not musically inclined and I have a 12 string Yamaha, so simple chords for me please! Musician Uselessthanever Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redorchestra Posted 28 May , 2008 Author Share Posted 28 May , 2008 Thanks for that Ian - I will have a crack when I get home! Some of these songs don't translate that well to guitar, I guess they are more suited to piano. I'm thinking of buying a ukelele instead.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanA Posted 28 May , 2008 Share Posted 28 May , 2008 laughton, I'm not a guitarist of any sort. I play piano and I was putting some chords down for accordion. Having said that, the same chords would work on guitar but don't ask me to demonstrate! redorchestra (and laughton), Just a thought - I transcribed the chords as they appear in the original publication but it strikes me that there is nothing wrong with transposing them. For example, 'There's a Long Long Trail' is in A flat and F minor: transposed down a semitone, it would become G and E minor - one sharp instead of four flats. Much easier for guitar or accordion. You can do this yourselves - A flat becomes G; E flat becomes D and so on. It probably puts it into a slightly easier range for singing too. Another point for clumsy guitarists or fumbling accordionists - complicated chords add colour but they can be simplified and they will still 'work'. For example C6 will have a slight jazzy edge to it but a simple chord of C will do the business - don't be afraid of adapting. If it sounds right, it is right. In some cases, of course, the 'added' chords can be easier to play than the straight ones - I would find it easier to play G7 on a guitar than an ordinary G chord. But, as I said, I'm no guitarist. Hope this is helpful, Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redorchestra Posted 28 May , 2008 Author Share Posted 28 May , 2008 Another point for clumsy guitarists or fumbling accordionists - That's me all right! Thanks for the tips Ian. I think WW1 music is becoming my main area of interest. It seems to bring the era to life like nothing else. I wish I had room for a piano but the wife wouldn't be happy about it.. I have a sneaking interest to form a band that plays music hall tunes with a few Great War tunes thrown in. I can't be arsed with modern music anymore. I don't suppose there is anyone in the London area with similarly unpopular aspirations? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redorchestra Posted 28 May , 2008 Author Share Posted 28 May , 2008 How about 'The moon shines bright'? That's pretty short so should be easy.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truthergw Posted 28 May , 2008 Share Posted 28 May , 2008 The sun shines bright on Charlie Chaplin His boots are cracking for want of blacking and his long baggy trousers needing mending before we send him to the Dardanelles. Tune goes, dada dadeedadeedada and so on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Armstrong Custer Posted 28 May , 2008 Share Posted 28 May , 2008 Tune goes, dada dadeedadeedada? You'd be a natural for the X-factor, Tom - and you'd walk Eurovision. And I mean that most sincerely, folks! George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanA Posted 28 May , 2008 Share Posted 28 May , 2008 How about 'The moon shines bright'? That's pretty short so should be easy.. You are joking? Can you sing the verse? I can't. I'll do the chorus section for you and , if you really want the verse, you can say and I will do it. (Where's the long-suffering smiley?) It is in E flat major (wouldn't you know) but I will put it down to D major. (No don't thank me, just send cash) D G--- D--- A7--- D-- D7 G--- D---A7--- D-- Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redorchestra Posted 28 May , 2008 Author Share Posted 28 May , 2008 I didn't even know it had a verse! Have only ever heard the chorus.. Thanks for those, will give me plenty to get on with. Now if only my dog and the wife didn't hate my accordion so much.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinWills Posted 28 May , 2008 Share Posted 28 May , 2008 How about this gem of sheet music? http://www.nla.gov.au/apps/cdview?pi=nla.mus-an5420374-s3-v Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanA Posted 29 May , 2008 Share Posted 29 May , 2008 Not a dry eye in the house.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redorchestra Posted 7 August , 2008 Author Share Posted 7 August , 2008 I've just bought myself a ukulele as I found that most Great War songs don't translate that well to guitar. I'm hoping that a uke will be better! Can anyone suggest any other cheeky songs that might sound good on a uke? I'm quite a fan of music hall - does anyone know any tunes like 'Hello! Who's your lady friend?' or 'On Sunday I walk out with a soldier' etc? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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