Turnpike Terror
Added 2020-03-01 22:20:12 +0000 UTCPeter Lang recorded "Turnpike Terror" on his debut album released on Takoma records in 1973. My transcription corresponds to that recording. I had an old, handwritten, partial manuscript of this laying around that was done by John Stropes in the late 70s, maybe a possible inclusion in the 20th Century Masters of Fingerstyle Guitar book or potentially for a larger Peter Lang project that never materialized. There were only a few fingerings written in the score so I used them in the first few measures, as I assume they are correct. There is unfortunately no public video of Peter Lang playing this one, so the remaining fingerings would be a guess. The unlikely harmonic in measure 2 is the result of the partial ring finger bar lifting up as it moves to fret the next note. In later live recordings this note came out as a clean 5th fret note instead of a harmonic.
It would have been easy enough to put a repeat sign at the end of measure 64 but there were enough subtle variations on the repeat that I felt it was important to have them shown here. You'll notice Peter often used his thumb to play the third string. I find memorizing the unpredictable nature of the thumb in the section marked by measures 33-48 to be the most challenging aspect of this piece. This is a very enjoyable one to play, and it's a quick one to learn. Bring the tempo up slowly over time.
Here is my performance of the piece: https://youtu.be/mbU2Sg2pv3Q
Comments
Thank you. These early posts were all a bit of an experiment, If you see any relevant pieces missing I always appreciate the feedback.
Andrew Lardner
2023-11-21 13:43:46 +0000 UTCI searched for Turnpike Terror and found you playing it on YouTube. Maybe you should put a link to it above. :)
Gregory Greer
2023-11-21 13:37:31 +0000 UTCYes, if you think of the technique behind a harmonic they could all be considered muted plucks, they just happen to be over a harmonic node. I remember puzzling over whether to write the 5th fret notes in the intro of Kottke’s Orange Room, published by Stropes Editions, as harmonics or muted pitches on the 5th fret. Same scenario. I think we ended up going with muted pitches because there seemed to be less emphasis on the actual harmonic. In Lang’s recording the harmonic comes out pretty clear, albeit very brief. Here’s what I said previously about it: The unlikely harmonic in measure 2 is the result of the partial ring finger bar lifting up as it moves to fret the next note. In later live recordings this note came out as a clean 5th fret note instead of a harmonic.
Andrew Lardner
2021-02-15 13:23:53 +0000 UTCOne thing I noticed in that in the intro part there is a single note harmonic on the 5th fret marked "<5>" but to me it sounds more like a muted pluck, I don't actually hear the harmonic come through in your performance video.
Ben Knight
2021-02-15 06:50:19 +0000 UTCThis is a fun song and it also nudged me towards listening to more Peter Lang. Thanks for that. Measure 36, beats 1 and 1& is a good exercise for my fret hand pinky finger, to do that slide up and maintain good tone. Also, for the harmonics, I have to be careful to let all 6 strings (or as many as I can get to at a high speed) ring out. And to anyone who likes Peter Lang, he is a very active presence on Facebook, posting many, many postings each day - mostly of a political nature. He has a great sense of humor, which comes out in his playing and especially in his between song banter on his live albums.
John Good
2020-05-09 18:16:53 +0000 UTCOk thank you. So I practice in both ways and see what works better for me
Marco G
2020-03-15 18:00:01 +0000 UTCI like third and fourth fingers because they are used in the previous chord shape, and also because then your first and second fingers can be ready easier for the change. The way you suggest also works fine, and it is possible that Peter played it that way too. He uses a very similar fingering in When Kings Come Home, one time he uses third and fourth finger and the others he uses second and third
Andrew Lardner
2020-03-15 17:50:13 +0000 UTCI am wondering... bar 21 you use 3rd and 4th fingers to press 1st and 3rd string at 5th fret. What about using 2nd and 3rd fingers? It seems a little easier the passage at 1st string 4th fret and 2nd string 5th fret of bar 23. What do you think about this? Any inconvenient doing like that?
Marco G
2020-03-15 17:06:24 +0000 UTCThank you so much Andrew for your precious informations. I will take a look for these bootlegs.
Marco G
2020-03-04 22:08:11 +0000 UTCMarco, I spoke with my friend who saw Peter play a lot in the mid to late 70s and he said Peter was playing the Gibson Country Western and the Bozo 12 at that time. I don’t know what he played for sure in 73, but the low end of the guitar is reminiscent of the Gibson
Andrew Lardner
2020-03-04 02:45:28 +0000 UTCThank you for your very articulate reply. You are (as always) right; with the proper set up, listening to both versions, sometimes I have heard the notes on the 6th sting, but they are very very weak. I understand and I will follow your choice of not playing them on the 3rd beat. About the Charlottes Web live, on my double CD is written recorded from 77 to 80. Do we have the same recording or there is something else out there that you own and I missed? I wonder if there are further recordings of Peter that we have never listened to....
Marco G
2020-03-03 22:14:56 +0000 UTCHey Andy. Another nice selection. Sounds great and can't wait to get to work on it! By the way, belated happy birthday!!!
mark blomquist
2020-03-03 17:08:01 +0000 UTCGood questions Marco. I don't know what guitar Peter was using for his first record. I can ask around. Regarding the bass notes after the harmonic, they are there, but very faint. You need to slow down the audio and use headphones or good speakers to hear them. In the live recording from Charlottes Web 1975 the bass notes are more random, one time I don't hear them at all, sometimes I hear them on both beats, sometimes only on the 4th, and sometimes only on the third. The Stropes manuscript, though it contains a few errors, also shows this passage as having bass notes on the 3rd and 4th beat, and I'm guessing it was transcribed directly from video in the late 70s since John and Peter worked together. The attack is so light on those two notes that they barely exist, which is why I chose to frequently leave them out. I couldn't get an attack light enough with my thumb that suited the music, if I played the bass notes there they were too loud.
Andrew Lardner
2020-03-03 00:19:29 +0000 UTCDo you Know what guitar Peter played on this piece? About the tab: I noticed that in measure 33, 3rd beat, and in every similar one, after the harmonics you don't play the 6th string. But you have always put it in the tab. I gave a listen to the original one and it seems that Peter doesn't play the 6th string even on the fourth beat. But I'm not so sure. What do you think about this? That said your rendition is stunning, if possible even better than usual.
Marco G
2020-03-02 18:35:40 +0000 UTC
