There But For Fortune - Phil Ochs/Joan Baez (cover)

[ThisTooShallPass314]

That Guitar neck is BEAUTIFUL.

Custom?

[LiteGauge]

@ThisTooShallPass314 No, the guitar is a Cort Earth 1200. It's surprising, isn't it - relatively low-price range guitar but with a fantastic finish to it, and very reasonable tone. I prefer a mellow sound on a guitar and one of the nicest guitars I've played is a Fender which I bought for my daughter for 200 or so Canadian dollars. Price or brand name isn't everything :o)

[tunehex]

Still one of the most real and touching folk songs ever!

[LiteGauge]

@tunehex I agree - along with John Prine's Hello In There another of my really big favourites, and probably Ralph McTell's Streets of London.

[karinablacktie]

I'm not quite sure why you credit Joan Baez on your cover. I don't think her version was far off Phil Och's. She certainly popularized it, but it's all Ochs, and pure Ochs. Nice, though.

[LiteGauge]

@karinablacktie Thanks. As you say yourself, she popularized it. I tend to credit the person I learned the song from as well as the songwriter. Quite apart from that I didn't actually hear Phil Ochs's version or any other of his songs until after I posted this. A inexcusable gap in my musical background which has thankfully now been filled :o) To my knowkedge or at least at my time Phil Ochs was that well-known over here.

[MrManielx]

Wonderful, beautiful, haunting. I loved it. Thank you for posting. I wish I had a fraction of your talent. Truly, truly beautiful

[LiteGauge]

Thanks very much :o)

[MrManielx]

I was wondering, do you have this song tabbed out? If so, any chance I could have a copy? I have found the chords online, but they do not sound right. I can't seem to buy the sheet music for love nor money, either :/

[Xemnas241]

This is without doubt my favorite song and you play it exquisitely!!! Thank you so much for posting this!!!

p.s. I have searched tirelessly for this guitar part but have never been able to find one with the picking pattern. Is there any advice or direction you might me able to lend?

[rotogroover]

nice.  thanks.

[sltax]

LiteGauge--Simply wonderful. This long-time Phil Ochs fan says "Thank you."

[LiteGauge]

Thanks very much :)

[Reidabook247]

There but for fotune is not by Joan Baez, when phil ochs says that she wrote it for him he is joking.

[LiteGauge]

In the title I mention Phil Ochs. You're right, I don't make it clear enough that he actually wrote the song. I only heard Phil Ochs' original version about a year ago. I associate the song more with Joan Baez because her version was played a lot in the late 60's, early 70's in the UK, when I first heard it and learned it.

[elusiverobertdenby]

Great work. Any reason you play the open G instead of the barre G?  I do the latter to make it easier to get to Cm -- but in any event, this is wonderful.

[LiteGauge]

Thanks very much :) Yes, this must have been one of the first songs that I learned to play, along with some Tim Hardin. At a time when I wasn't very good at barre chords. Being self-taught, economy of movement, or anticipation, wasn't something I really thought about at the time.

[xavean]

Excellent cover!! Mind sharing the fingerpicking pattern you use? Thanks! :)

[ravensandoves75]

Lovely version! One suggestion tho: I don't know about Och's version but Baez does it with A major instead of minor (for the first and third A, the second is minor). Thanx!!

[LiteGauge]

Thanks, a lot of 'mistakes' have slowly crept in since I started playing this if they weren't there from the start. I'll try to adjust and if I'm not happy I'll just do it my way ;) I'm never sure how 'exact' a song should actually be.

[mys11]

"I'm never sure how 'exact' a song should be. " Good point! It's the folk process at work. Ravens is right about the A major, but Fred Astaire pointed out that if you make the same 'mistake' consistently, it becomes just your style. Thanks for this hand study.

[LiteGauge]

This is quite interesting. I can't "feel" a major chord here in terms of the lyrics. "Life has gone stale" and "stumbling out the door" are all rather sad and merit a minor chord, rathering than a more uplifting major.

[mys11]

Well, there you go: it's your style! 8^)

[Juliajohns]

lovely!just lovely!.x.

[LiteGauge]

Thanks, Julia, definitely one of my favorites this one.

[SigugudPui]

Very nice ! I love your guitar playing. I've tried playing that song for years and have never made it sound as good as you do. Thanks for posting.

-Al

[LiteGauge]

Thanks very much, Al

[SigugudPui]

I really appreciate that you video tape your hands, as you play. I've been looking at your video while playing my guitar and you've helped me understand how to play this song. Many thanks !

-Al