Wayfaring Stranger — Traditional
There are countless recordings and arrangements of Wayfaring Stranger. Here's my transcription of the Emmylou Harris recording, a nicely chorded version in the key of C minor. It's the first version in the player on the right. You can click on the player to hear a 30 second preview of Emmylou's recording, and you can listen to all other versions of Wayfaring Stranger. There are some really great arrangements!
The key of C minor is rather daunting to most folk artists, because C minor is a very awkward key for folk guitar. Indeed the guitar work on the recording (probably by Tony Rice and/or Brian Aheren) is in the key of A minor, capo 3, as shown in the following chord transposition.
This transposition was generated using Transposer. You can use it to transpose to any key ... and it does so with perfect enharmonic grammar. Addition Transposer allows you to transpose to Roman numbering:
You can even transpose from Roman numbering to a specific key. Here's the result of transposing the previous Roman chord numbers to the key of E minor (which is another perfectly comfortable key for guitar.)
Transpose songs online with Key Switch
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The MP3 player above contains numerous versions of Wayfaring Stranger, starting with the Emmylou Harris recording from her Roses in the Snow album. If you hear a version you like, you can click to buy. The transaction is handled directly by Amazon through your existing Amazon account.* (Click for instructions on using Amazon's MP3 player/previewer) There is no 'correct' set of chords for Wayfaring Stranger. In fact, you'll hear many variations of chordal accompaniment in the recordings above. These recordings showcase many variations in the melody and harmony as well. Chord choice provides a means for coloring the background of a song. It's a cornerstone element used by song writers and arrangers. Obviously, not any chord will do—certain chords will sound distinctly wrong. But there are many, many artistic options. It's all a matter of art, preference, creativity, experimentation, and style. Descretion if advised. A surprising chord substition can really add kick to an arrangment ...or it may sound like a cheap trick. Well chosen chords create style and a unique and enduring sound. Some chord choices stear a song toward a stylistic sound or genre, like Eva Cassidy's jazz rendition of Wayfaring Stranger. The chords on the left are for the Emmylou Harris version: The first version is in the key of C minor; the key she recorded it in. The next version is transposed to A minor; a better key for folk guitar, and the key her guitarist played in (capo 3.) The next veriosn is transposed to Roman numbering; this is a universal language that helps musicians communicate and understand chord progressions. And finally, the last version in in the key of E minor; this is another solid guitar key, for anyone who has trouble singing to the chords in A minor. You can copy and paste any of these versions into Transposer, and transpose to a new key ... to any key you want! Singers have clout (... as it should!) Musicians often need to tranpose a song to find a key that fits the singer's voice. Instrumentalists also transpose to keys that suits their instrumental talents or the range of their instrument. Have fun trying Wayfaring Stranger in different keys. If you like the chords used by one of these artists, see if you can figure them out. I'll have some pointers here soon on learning chords by ear. You'll hear lots of variations in melody and vocal phrasing on the various recordings. If you're a singer or arranger, listen through, pick two or three favorite versions, and really study them. With some diligent attention you may be able to try out lots of ideas, phrasings, chords and harmonies. Take your favorite ideas and mix and match. Experiment for a while before settling on a design. Then work with it for a while. After you've spent some time your arrangement and vocal part, ease up and let your imitations ferment for a while. Stay away from the song for a week or two. Upon revisiting it you'll probably hear that some metamorphosis has occurred, your arrangement has changed, and your imitations have begun to take their own shape, reforming themselves into a rendition that's a natural emergence of your own style. Listen again to the original recording to see if there are any remaining ideas that you want to imitate, or reimitate. I think this is especially good advice with regard to vocal timing and phrasing. Pablo Casals said, "Good artists borrow. Great artists steal." Or was it Picasso. One of those Spaniards. * I've provided links for purchasing from Amazons music store. I would have provided links for purchasing from the iTunes Store, but most iTunes downloads are in an M4p protected format, and Transcribe can't play this type of sound file. Transcribe(by www.SeventhString.com) is my favorite software for studying music and learning music by ear. As an honest member of the music community I want to be able to use my purchased music in all of my music playing software. That's why I buy and recommend MP3s from Amazon. The are unprotected mp3 recordings, and they work with Transcribe, and probably any other audio software. Here's an article on Transcribe ... and some Transcribe resources that I've created, which are currently available for free. I've used Transcribe mainly for learning instrumental music by ear. Vocalists also use Transcribe for studying voice: to practice vocal timing, to observe and imitate vocal inflections, and to perfect vowel sounds and dipthong transitions ...
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