Song Help Request "Pancho and Lefty" Strum Pattern?

[arrScott]

Trying to get my repertoire up to 3 songs, and I'm tackling Townes Van Zandt's "Pancho and Lefty." (Because I love the song, and as far as I can puzzle out, the chords are pretty easy, but sound a lot more complex than they are.) After about a week of completely useless noodling on the rhythm front, I found that a one-bar strum pattern of D-DU-U-D was suddenly working for me. Really only have to break that pattern for the Am-C-G three-strum accent on the "go so long" part of the refrain.

Anyway, I'm just wondering if anyone else plays that song and maybe has an even better way of strumming the chords.

 

[23skidoo]

Eugene does a great version of this tune..... pretty informal, a nice blend of picking and strumming, might be good for ideas.....

Here's the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TO9NfapntZE

The chords are pretty simple, TVZ just makes it sound more complicated with his beautiful melody Travis picking. I would start with the most basic strum you've got and just play and sing the song over and over until you're so comfortable you naturally make it more complicated..... just picked up the 'uke and tried it out, and a basic DU DU DU DU seems to work nicely, especially accenting the Down on beats 2 & 4 ( du Du du Du).... The nice thing about tunes like this is the beauty of the melody and the story it tells - I like to keep the instrument rhythm pretty simple and let the vocals do their thing.....

If you're not sure about the chords, this link looks pretty good:
http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/w/willie_nelson/pancho_and_lefty_crd.htm

they've got it in D, but the site will transpose to the key you've been playing in - just transpose 'down 2 half steps' toward the top of the page.....

 

[TCK]

Really only have to break that pattern for the Am-C-G three-strum accent on the "go so long" part of the refrain.

Anyway, I'm just wondering if anyone else plays that song and maybe has an even better way of strumming the chords.

I play it DD UUD UUD UUD, and for the "go so long" part, a single down stroke F C G will give you that critical part where everyone says "he's playing Pancho and Lefty". Great song. Eugene kills it, but figuring it out will be a bare.
Here are the chords I use
Pancho and Lefty.pdf

 

[strumsilly]

thanks TCK, just listened to Tomato yesterday and already hAD THE TUNE IN MY HEAD, AND NOW I CAN PLAY IT.