• Registered: 2008-08-15
  • Posts: 12

Topic: The Asus2 in "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"

Here's the deal -- the chords [various websites] say 'yes' but, alas, the 'ear' says 'no' ! 

Put another way, what am I missing! Naturally, I do a post on 12 string tuning and with the 12 string in hand, what better tune for the 12 string than Gordon Lightfoot's "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" [Sidebar: I hear if you capo the 'second' fret, you can play along with the original tune] -- anyway, here's where my ear is in rebellion, so to speak, the progression is Asus2/ Em/G/D/Asus2  and I've seen that in countless chord renditions for the opening of the tune ==but== when the Asus2 chord falls on, how do I express this, bear with me, the "mee" in "gumee" or indeed the [** phonetically rendered now] 'mee' in "gloomy" or 'tee' in "empty" or 'lee' in "early", the Asus2 sounds, well,  out of pitch yet I don't know anything else that works 'but' the Asus2 chord,  sooooo, what am I missing or doing wrong? Try it yourself -- "On the 'big' [G on 'big' ] lake they 'call' [D on 'call'] Gichee  Goo [OK with the Asus2 on Goo] ==but== when completing the word and vocalizing the 'mee' in 'Goomee', the Asus2 sounds odd to the ear! What am I missing in this great and haunting tune?

Doc Tony

  • From: A black hole in deep space
  • Registered: 2007-10-28
  • Posts: 7,865

Re: The Asus2 in "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"

Ive played this song and the only chords i have used are A Em G D A there is a turn around for the instrumental but that go's to G D and back to A you can add the sus in if you wish but I dont for the same reason as you I suppose there is a sheet music arrangment out there for this song somewhere but it might be listed in public books or artist so check around but in the end play the chords that sound good to your ear smile

doctony wrote:

Here's the deal -- the chords [various websites] say 'yes' but, alas, the 'ear' says 'no' ! 

Put another way, what am I missing! Naturally, I do a post on 12 string tuning and with the 12 string in hand, what better tune for the 12 string than Gordon Lightfoot's "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" [Sidebar: I hear if you capo the 'second' fret, you can play along with the original tune] -- anyway, here's where my ear is in rebellion, so to speak, the progression is Asus2/ Em/G/D/Asus2  and I've seen that in countless chord renditions for the opening of the tune ==but== when the Asus2 chord falls on, how do I express this, bear with me, the "mee" in "gumee" or indeed the [** phonetically rendered now] 'mee' in "gloomy" or 'tee' in "empty" or 'lee' in "early", the Asus2 sounds, well,  out of pitch yet I don't know anything else that works 'but' the Asus2 chord,  sooooo, what am I missing or doing wrong? Try it yourself -- "On the 'big' [G on 'big' ] lake they 'call' [D on 'call'] Gichee  Goo [OK with the Asus2 on Goo] ==but== when completing the word and vocalizing the 'mee' in 'Goomee', the Asus2 sounds odd to the ear! What am I missing in this great and haunting tune?

Doc Tony

"Growing old is not for sissies"

Russell_Harding's Website

  • Registered: 2006-03-04
  • Posts: 2,662

Re: The Asus2 in "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"

doctony wrote:

Here's the deal -- the chords [various websites] say 'yes' but, alas, the 'ear' says 'no' ! 

Put another way, what am I missing! Naturally, I do a post on 12 string tuning and with the 12 string in hand, what better tune for the 12 string than Gordon Lightfoot's "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" [Sidebar: I hear if you capo the 'second' fret, you can play along with the original tune] -- anyway, here's where my ear is in rebellion, so to speak, the progression is Asus2/ Em/G/D/Asus2  and I've seen that in countless chord renditions for the opening of the tune ==but== when the Asus2 chord falls on, how do I express this, bear with me, the "mee" in "gumee" or indeed the [** phonetically rendered now] 'mee' in "gloomy" or 'tee' in "empty" or 'lee' in "early", the Asus2 sounds, well,  out of pitch yet I don't know anything else that works 'but' the Asus2 chord,  sooooo, what am I missing or doing wrong? Try it yourself -- "On the 'big' [G on 'big' ] lake they 'call' [D on 'call'] Gichee  Goo [OK with the Asus2 on Goo] ==but== when completing the word and vocalizing the 'mee' in 'Goomee', the Asus2 sounds odd to the ear! What am I missing in this great and haunting tune?

Doc Tony

I understand what you're saying doctony. You have the right idea and you're on the right track as well. When you say the Asus2 sounds wrong you simply play an A. So try it like this;
Asus2          Em        G        D        Asus2        A

That should do it.

Give everything but up.

4 Reply by doctony (edited by doctony 2008-09-02 23:51:02)

  • Registered: 2008-08-15
  • Posts: 12

Re: The Asus2 in "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"

That 'was' better for that, how to phrase it, second syllable vocalization, so to speak, on those Goom-EEE, gloom-EEE [phonetic rendering], ear-LY, emp-TY thing. Funny enough and depending on the way one sings or sort of hums along with it [and it does sound great on a 12 string!], I first used the 'A' as Russell Harding does [as he states in his post] and it was then I decided to seek out the 'original' piece by Lightfoot because the use of the 'A', while it can work, took away the 'haunting' chord and quality of the song but here's the thing -- the original shows ONLY the Asus2 for the vocal renderings of Goom-EEE, earLY, etc. whether the word is sung fast or simply high or low pictched! And the original recording has, as far as I can detect, only one chord on those words, the Asus2. I don't know, maybe it's just me but the combination Asus2/A [Goom-MEE] will work although there is a slight adjustment to be made [at least to me] vocally if that is done but it does sound better! 

But then too, I've seen times where I see the music of 'whatever' tune and try it and declare the old classic in perhaps one or two particular sections of the tune, "that CAN'T work!" until the player may just show up and his/her rendition of the song uses a vocalization that fits the chord he/she used in the transcription! Perhaps this also explains why various song transcriptions by 'whoever' state that the rendition and the chords are the interpretation of that particular person who may hum or sing the tune differently than others and hence fit the chords 'they' prescribe for the tune where to others on the face of only having the music or chords but not the voice who did the transcription to go with it, ahhhhh, comes the 'that can't be right' thing. In effect, and being fair about it to transcriptionists, who is to say without hearing the way they do it and hence their chords to what they believe is good vocal to chord pitch/harmony. I love that song but that Asus2 still remains a bit of a mystery to me but that's what the original piece shows! 


Doc Tony

  • Registered: 2006-03-04
  • Posts: 2

Re: The Asus2 in "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"

Here is a link to the chords and words. I'm a longtime Lightfoot fan and he is the reason I play the guitar. In my opinion, the Wreck just isn't right without that unresolved Asus2 chord.  And for what it's worth, the guy that wrote it is still playing it every night with that chord.  Also note the A11 chord in the "interludes" between the verses.

Also, as someone above mentioned, a capo on the second fret is how it was recorded and is still done by Gord and the band. So it's actually in some mode of  the key of B; but more minor than major it seems to me.....

Just my 2 cents....

http://www.lightfoot.ca/wreckof.htm

  • From: Anchorage
  • Registered: 2006-03-04
  • Posts: 82

Re: The Asus2 in "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"

The Asus sounds a little discordant to me also, but it kinda is supposed to . . . so . . . I like to start the phrase with the discordant Asus then slide it into an A.  It sounds better that way to me.

  • Registered: 2006-03-04
  • Posts: 2,662

Re: The Asus2 in "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"

Royce Drake wrote:

The Asus sounds a little discordant to me also, but it kinda is supposed to . . . so . . . I like to start the phrase with the discordant Asus then slide it into an A.  It sounds better that way to me.

There is a major difference in Asus2 (X02200) and Asus4 (X02240). Just keep this in mind when differentiating between the two......... I wish I had a computer camera and I'd show exactly what I'm trying to convey. Maybe soon?!?!?!.......

Give everything but up.
  • From: Anchorage
  • Registered: 2006-03-04
  • Posts: 82

Re: The Asus2 in "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"

I didn't mean to say I was "sliding" (I should have said "moving" or "changing to") from an Asus 4 (which is X02230) . . . But rather putting my finger down from an X02200 to a X02220.  Point is: "for me" it sounds better that way than just sticking with the Asus2 for the whole bar.

  • From: Anchorage
  • Registered: 2006-03-04
  • Posts: 82

Re: The Asus2 in "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"

Yea . . . the sus gets me confused sometimes . . . especially on some songs where it just says Xsus and doesn't tell you if its sus2 or sus4.
A - x002220
Asus2 - x002200
Asus4 - x002230