So, since i really love the song, i was looking for a way to adapt it to the stick. I'm new at it, so it'll be challenging, but its a piece i'd really enjoy to be able to play, and progress will be motivational.

The issue is, I'm not sure how to approach it.

I've found two different transcriptions available -- One for guitar and one for piano. The guitar version is note for note the recording. I was able to adapt it to the bass side of the stick with only a few really odd stretches. Problem is, i'll have to figure out the vocal melody and add it in later for the treble side.

The piano version is a composite arrangement of the vocal line and the guitar chords mixed into one. The advantages of this is that the left hand is really simple (lots of C-to-F changes, whole notes for chords, etc). However, I'm not sure if I really like the arrangement as much, considering the original is such a basic piece to begin with.

Which way would guys reccomend approaching this? If any of you want to see with what i've come up with, I've tabbed both versions out in the free PowerTab software, and can upload them.

This is a great song. A friend of mine and I were working on a guitar & stick duo of it and it was coming along pretty good. I've been meaning to get back to it and make a solo Stick piece out of it (but got side-tracked by Moon River which is also fun to play).

I was thinking of doing the arpeggio type parts in the melody side and trying to comp the melody on the bass side...not sure how that would work though. I have to get back to working on that one.

That might actually work out a lot better, now that i think about it. I might have to rethink my approach to it. I'll mess around with it and let you know what i come up with.

My partner Mark (who needs to get on this forum ) plays this tune all the time. I'm pretty sure he arranged it himself.

Some songs, like this one, involve compromises if you want to capture them on Stick. Sometimes you can't do everything at once and have to instead grab the most imprtant parts and go from there.

Mark just used 8th notes in the left hand chords (low,mid,high,mid) and did the best he could to state the melody, the most important part. We're definitely going to make a duet out of it someday; in which case we'll probably re-assign the various duties.

I'll sneak a video of Mark playing this one on our next gig this weekend!!!!

I've not noticed too much needed in way of compromise to get everything in, its just i wasn't quite sure how to approach the arrangement. Then again, you're way better at this than I am
DaveS's idea seems really solid, since it seems a bit easier to play on the treble side than on the bass side, and you could definitely play the melody of it higher on the bass side, seems like.

Video would be greatly appreciated, though, haha.

What has me thinking of that kind of arrangement is Steve Adelsons 'On Blue Guitar'. He uses his thumb on the right hand to play melody notes on the bass side...so adding that digit to possibly available ones on the left hand (that are not playing rythm parts) might be the ticket...or not as the case might be.
It might also be possible to do something based on what Emmett does with straddling the bass and melody sides using his left hand.

ah the possibilities this instrument affords!

Dave

Indeed!!