I cheat. I put this on loop and then just listen for hours. Just a fantastic song and a fantastic guitarist playing it. Several years ago I bought several of Tom's CD's and one that taught how he plays many of his songs. I was pretty much of a beginner so didn't get very far. It seems like an easy song to play. As with all musical instruments, if it sounds easy, it "ain't."
Well done, Tony. Many years ago I had the chance to hear Tom as a fellow musician when gigging in a small setting where he played Rockport Sunday. He played it in CGCGCE (1/2 step down) on his old Epiphone Texan which had the requisite deep, warm resonant sound that works so well on the Rockport tune. I spoke to him after the gig and spent the next few days learning the song from my recollection, which I later used in my gigs for years. Your rendition Tony is excellent and very close to the original. Over the years I've modified my version a bit but still enjoy playing it. I also use that tuning for some of Tom's other songs off his Circle Game lp, like "No Regrets" and the Jackson Brown tune, "These Days". The one thing I could never quite replicate is Tom's wonderful deep baritone voice. Truly, an American folk icon.
Thanks CC. Interesting that you met Tom in the early days. I grew up in the UK and around 1969 a friend introduced me to The Circle Game. I thought it was great. The quality of his voice was the thing that hit me the most. I was playing in local folk clubs and No Regrets and Rockport Sunday always got a great reception. Because The Circle Game album was heavily orchestrated I thought Tom was just a singer and it wasn't until some time later that I realized that he was a great guitarist as well. I also didn't realize at the time how much he did to expose artists like Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne and James Taylor. The only time I saw Tom live was at a concert with Judy Collins in Connecticut around 2005. Nice to see his still performing and putting stuff on youtube.
@@tonybaker2858 I first became aware of Tom Rush in the early 60's when I was living outside New York City. I used to frequent the Night Owl Cafe and other place where "folkies" hung out. Saw Dylan there in about '61 or so. After a stint at Cal Berkeley in the mid 60's and exposure to Jackson B., Mimi Farina, Joan Baez, Harry Chapin and others, I moved back to Massachusetts which is where I really got to know Tom's music. I agree about the overproduction of his album, "The Circle Game" as I think it detracted somewhat from the beauty and simplicity of his solo performances. I credit him and Jackson Brown (along with Stills, Bert Jansch and John Renborn) for introducing me to open tunings. All great musicians, some of whom are sadly no longer with us. Tom
Thanks Paul. I've always liked this tune since I heard it back in 1968 on his Circle Game Album. Haven't played it for years and just remembered it so I decided to record it. Can't believe I remembered how to play it after all these years !
Ace, this guitar and mike anad your fine ability i will say surpasses anything i have ever heard including the original , sorry tom rush the mikes and mix were not up quite yet.
Thanks Chris. Agree, it's a great tune. I saw Tom Rush live a few years ago and he's still a great guitarist/singer/entertainer. The tuning is open C, from low to high its: C G C G C E. So you have to drop the 4th, 5th and 6th strings down quite a bit. The second string goes up a semitone. Heavier 4,5 & 6 strings help.
Tony Baker Thanks alot Tony that's a big help again you did an amazing job with your rendition of such an amazing record, been listening to Tom rush for the last 3 years every since I heard child's song I was hooked such an amazing guitar player now I own his discography,I would love the opportunity to go see him live in the future, If you ever get chance you wanna cover some more of his songs, I wanna build my own little repertoire of his classics such as the Panama limited, diamond job, Rye whisky etc it's just hard finding many of his covers on here or fiding out the tunings and chords for his songs to learn,,the same with Donovan songs to...
Yes, you're correct. I started playing it in open C but like the bass notes so much that I went 1/2 step down (to open B I guess). You need slightly heavier strings than normal particularly for the 5th and 6th.
Hi,Tony. Not sure if you're following this comment section anymore, but if so, you said you were tuned a half-tone lower to Open B, but if it s based on Open C, which Open C? I play C G C G C E? Is that what you are basing your tuning on? If not, please advise. I wish I could show you how I have been playing this song all these years, but it is nowhere near as efficient and vertical as your version is! Way cool, many thanks for all your devotion to this song.
Hi Bryan, That's correct, CGCGCE. Tom Rush was very good with open tunings and this is a particularly nice one. I don't know if you've listened to any of his music but Stephen Stills does some good open tuning work as well.
@@tonybaker2858 Hey, Tony, Many thanks. I think my confusion came about as I watched one part of the video. In re-watching, I see what my confusion was. As a Seventy-Something, I started with John Fahey and Robbie Basho learning about open tunings. I have spent most of my time playing in Open C and Open D. Then I started buying guitars which made it easier! Then I started buying ukuleles, even some open tunings for it. Again, mahalo for the reply. You play with grace and soul.
@@bryanholley5768 Thanks for shedding light on the guitar set up for ‘Rockport Sunday’ . As you indicate substantial experience with open tunings, I’m curious about what configurations you either use, have used, or recommend for open G tuning, as well as open G Modal (if there’s any difference).
@@skipacuff5104 Aloha, Skip, I've spent about 40 years or more playing this song, which I learned from a vinyl record. Had to move the needle and play again and again. Once I had the melody beginning to form and I had been learning about open tunings (see above), I wondered if it might be in Open C. Well, when I tried that tuning, I began finding all the melodic notes (which Tom, as other open or slack-key players knows, means a lot of playing double-stops on various sets of strings up and down the neck). So in my case as I taught myself, for example, as the melody unfolds, I used double-stops and went down the neck towards the nut. Tony's genius is that he gets the same sounds, maybe better, by going vertical, and executing the double stops on various strings pretty far up the neck. That way, when it is time for the IV or the V chord, they really sound deep and GOOD!. I teach my ukulele students how to play the C scale vertically, and once you get that notion down, there is so much economy-of-motion achieved that there is more time for expression. Now to your point: I have only occasionally played in Open G, but my blues buddy up in Hood River spends time there, as I think it was one of the favorites of the early blues artists, esp. using a slide. My own musical tip based on experience with open tunings is to really experiment -- that's how I've found all the double stops, and by finding many of them in just one Key (say, Open C), your fingers realize there are multiple places up and down the neck to play double-stops and that they are all over music (Chuck Berry to Gabby Pahinui). Thanks to Tony, I have changed my way of playing this song to his way; it is a bit hard because my guitar won't tune down to B and not rattle, but I'm making my way. Every Autumn, this song, Tom's versions of Urge for Going and No Regrets, all somehow create the essence of the harvest time ending and the winter to come, a melancholy but sweet time.
Nicely done. A few questions: What Taylor is that, exactly? (Byoootiful.) What mics are you using in this vid? Is Expression 2 also involved here? (Great recording results.)
Its a K14-CE-L7. I bought it in 2004 and I don't think I'll ever sell it. It has a beautiful Koa back and sides and an . Some people say that the sound from Koa bodies can be variable. I guess I got lucky. I use a Rode NT5 at the 12th fret and a Bluebird (at lower mixing level) for body sounds. I don't use Expression 2. I put the mics directly into a Mackie Onyx 1220i mixer and then record/mix using Sonar (now called Bandlab Cakewalk). The only plugins I use are dbx-160 for compression and Vitamin Mono for a slight enhancement.
@@tonybaker2858 thanks for the detailed response. I can see where you would say that about that guitar. With regard to the micing, it all seems to work rather well. I'll check out your channel. Nice work all around. I have a student who led me to this video of yours and he may want to take the song on as a project. Do you have the tab for it?
@@AlanCath Sorry, I don't have a tab for it. I learnt it by ear soon after I heard it on Tom Rush's Circle Game album back in the 60's (that shows my age - LOL) If you get the tuning right then I think you can get most of the fingering by looking at my video. I don't think I play it exactly the same as the original and I think I've changed it a bit over the years. I think we all need to add our own interpretation so that it feels right for us. It's a great tune. If there's any parts that prove elusive let me know and I can try to indicate how I play it.
I've loved this since Tom first did it and have tried to play it for over 50 years (unsuccessfully). Very, very nice!
Awesome sounding guitar ❤
I cheat. I put this on loop and then just listen for hours. Just a fantastic song and a fantastic guitarist playing it. Several years ago I bought several of Tom's CD's and one that taught how he plays many of his songs. I was pretty much of a beginner so didn't get very far. It seems like an easy song to play. As with all musical instruments, if it sounds easy, it "ain't."
Very true to the original, great job. I live 25 miles from Rockport and this is exactly what Rockport sounds like on a Sunday morning!
Well done, Tony. Many years ago I had the chance to hear Tom as a fellow musician when gigging in a small setting where he played Rockport Sunday. He played it in CGCGCE (1/2 step down) on his old Epiphone Texan which had the requisite deep, warm resonant sound that works so well on the Rockport tune. I spoke to him after the gig and spent the next few days learning the song from my recollection, which I later used in my gigs for years. Your rendition Tony is excellent and very close to the original. Over the years I've modified my version a bit but still enjoy playing it. I also use that tuning for some of Tom's other songs off his Circle Game lp, like "No Regrets" and the Jackson Brown tune, "These Days". The one thing I could never quite replicate is Tom's wonderful deep baritone voice. Truly, an American folk icon.
Thanks CC. Interesting that you met Tom in the early days. I grew up in the UK and around 1969 a friend introduced me to The Circle Game. I thought it was great. The quality of his voice was the thing that hit me the most. I was playing in local folk clubs and No Regrets and Rockport Sunday always got a great reception. Because The Circle Game album was heavily orchestrated I thought Tom was just a singer and it wasn't until some time later that I realized that he was a great guitarist as well. I also didn't realize at the time how much he did to expose artists like Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne and James Taylor. The only time I saw Tom live was at a concert with Judy Collins in Connecticut around 2005. Nice to see his still performing and putting stuff on youtube.
@@tonybaker2858 I first became aware of Tom Rush in the early 60's when I was living outside New York City. I used to frequent the Night Owl Cafe and other place where "folkies" hung out. Saw Dylan there in about '61 or so. After a stint at Cal Berkeley in the mid 60's and exposure to Jackson B., Mimi Farina, Joan Baez, Harry Chapin and others, I moved back to Massachusetts which is where I really got to know Tom's music. I agree about the overproduction of his album, "The Circle Game" as I think it detracted somewhat from the beauty and simplicity of his solo performances. I credit him and Jackson Brown (along with Stills, Bert Jansch and John Renborn) for introducing me to open tunings. All great musicians, some of whom are sadly no longer with us. Tom
You nailed it! One of the songs that inspired me to play guitar. Thanks for sharing, [Nice Taylor!]
One of the first guitar tabs I tried to look up on the 'world wide web" circa 1990-something--didn't find much help back then!
The best played cover I've listened to yet of my favorite song.
Thanks Paul. I've always liked this tune since I heard it back in 1968 on his Circle Game Album. Haven't played it for years and just remembered it so I decided to record it. Can't believe I remembered how to play it after all these years !
@@tonybaker2858 And beautifully.
Wanted to learn this song for 50 years. Thanks.
Auch mire--moi aussi--true dat!
Beautifully performed !
Thanks
Ace, this guitar and mike anad your fine ability i will say surpasses anything i have ever heard including the original , sorry tom rush the mikes and mix were not up quite yet.
great job there ,really love this song and many others by tom,,what tuning are you in ..thanks
Thanks Chris. Agree, it's a great tune. I saw Tom Rush live a few years ago and he's still a great guitarist/singer/entertainer.
The tuning is open C, from low to high its: C G C G C E. So you have to drop the 4th, 5th and 6th strings down quite a bit. The second string goes up a semitone. Heavier 4,5 & 6 strings help.
Tony Baker
Thanks alot Tony that's a big help again you did an amazing job with your rendition of such an amazing record, been listening to Tom rush for the last 3 years every since I heard child's song I was hooked such an amazing guitar player now I own his discography,I would love the opportunity to go see him live in the future, If you ever get chance you wanna cover some more of his songs, I wanna build my own little repertoire of his classics such as the Panama limited, diamond job, Rye whisky etc it's just hard finding many of his covers on here or fiding out the tunings and chords for his songs to learn,,the same with Donovan songs to...
is this in an alternate tuning? sounds like it
CGCGCE
is it possible your guitar is tuned a half step below open C?
Yes, you're correct. I started playing it in open C but like the bass notes so much that I went 1/2 step down (to open B I guess). You need slightly heavier strings than normal particularly for the 5th and 6th.
@@tonybaker2858 thank you, it sounds indeed better a bit lower in open B!
@@tonybaker2858 13-53 or 54 strings in Open B (C down 1/2 step) works well on Rockport.
Hi,Tony. Not sure if you're following this comment section anymore, but if so, you said you were tuned a half-tone lower to Open B, but if it s based on Open C, which Open C? I play C G C G C E? Is that what you are basing your tuning on? If not, please advise. I wish I could show you how I have been playing this song all these years, but it is nowhere near as efficient and vertical as your version is! Way cool, many thanks for all your devotion to this song.
Hi Bryan,
That's correct, CGCGCE. Tom Rush was very good with open tunings and this is a particularly nice one. I don't know if you've listened to any of his music but Stephen Stills does some good open tuning work as well.
@@tonybaker2858 Hey, Tony, Many thanks. I think my confusion came about as I watched one part of the video. In re-watching, I see what my confusion was. As a Seventy-Something, I started with John Fahey and Robbie Basho learning about open tunings. I have spent most of my time playing in Open C and Open D. Then I started buying guitars which made it easier! Then I started buying ukuleles, even some open tunings for it. Again, mahalo for the reply. You play with grace and soul.
@@bryanholley5768 Thanks for shedding light on the guitar set up for ‘Rockport Sunday’ . As you indicate substantial experience with open tunings, I’m curious about what configurations you either use, have used, or recommend for open G tuning, as well as open G Modal (if there’s any difference).
@@skipacuff5104 Aloha, Skip, I've spent about 40 years or more playing this song, which I learned from a vinyl record. Had to move the needle and play again and again. Once I had the melody beginning to form and I had been learning about open tunings (see above), I wondered if it might be in Open C. Well, when I tried that tuning, I began finding all the melodic notes (which Tom, as other open or slack-key players knows, means a lot of playing double-stops on various sets of strings up and down the neck). So in my case as I taught myself, for example, as the melody unfolds, I used double-stops and went down the neck towards the nut. Tony's genius is that he gets the same sounds, maybe better, by going vertical, and executing the double stops on various strings pretty far up the neck. That way, when it is time for the IV or the V chord, they really sound deep and GOOD!. I teach my ukulele students how to play the C scale vertically, and once you get that notion down, there is so much economy-of-motion achieved that there is more time for expression. Now to your point: I have only occasionally played in Open G, but my blues buddy up in Hood River spends time there, as I think it was one of the favorites of the early blues artists, esp. using a slide. My own musical tip based on experience with open tunings is to really experiment -- that's how I've found all the double stops, and by finding many of them in just one Key (say, Open C), your fingers realize there are multiple places up and down the neck to play double-stops and that they are all over music (Chuck Berry to Gabby Pahinui). Thanks to Tony, I have changed my way of playing this song to his way; it is a bit hard because my guitar won't tune down to B and not rattle, but I'm making my way. Every Autumn, this song, Tom's versions of Urge for Going and No Regrets, all somehow create the essence of the harvest time ending and the winter to come, a melancholy but sweet time.
@@bryanholley5768 Can you explain the horizontal vs vertical bit? I am confused!
Nicely done. A few questions: What Taylor is that, exactly? (Byoootiful.) What mics are you using in this vid? Is Expression 2 also involved here? (Great recording results.)
Its a K14-CE-L7. I bought it in 2004 and I don't think I'll ever sell it. It has a beautiful Koa back and sides and an . Some people say that the sound from Koa bodies can be variable. I guess I got lucky.
I use a Rode NT5 at the 12th fret and a Bluebird (at lower mixing level) for body sounds. I don't use Expression 2. I put the mics directly into a Mackie Onyx 1220i mixer and then record/mix using Sonar (now called Bandlab Cakewalk). The only plugins I use are dbx-160 for compression and Vitamin Mono for a slight enhancement.
@@tonybaker2858 thanks for the detailed response. I can see where you would say that about that guitar. With regard to the micing, it all seems to work rather well. I'll check out your channel. Nice work all around. I have a student who led me to this video of yours and he may want to take the song on as a project. Do you have the tab for it?
@@AlanCath Sorry, I don't have a tab for it. I learnt it by ear soon after I heard it on Tom Rush's Circle Game album back in the 60's (that shows my age - LOL)
If you get the tuning right then I think you can get most of the fingering by looking at my video. I don't think I play it exactly the same as the original and I think I've changed it a bit over the years. I think we all need to add our own interpretation so that it feels right for us. It's a great tune.
If there's any parts that prove elusive let me know and I can try to indicate how I play it.