“Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye” was written by John D. Loudermilk in 1960. It became a Top 10 hit in 1967 for The Casinos then was a #1 country hit for Eddy Arnold in 1968. Neal McCoy’s version reached #4 on the country chart in 1996.
I played it fingerstyle in 6/8 time in the same way I’ve played some other 6/8 songs.
There are 6 counts in each measure (6/8 time):
1 – Pinch 4th, 2nd, and 1st string with thumb, index, and middle fingers
2 – 3rd string played with thumb
3 – 2nd string played with thumb
4 – 1st string played with middle finger
5 – 2nd string played with index finger
6 – 3rd string played with thumb
That’s how I do it, but if you don’t want to use your thumb that much it’s up to you. You could even use your thumb and 3 fingers and designate a different finger for each string, for example, 4th string thumb, 3rd string index, 2nd string middle finger, and 1st string ring finger. Whatever works for you.
There’s also a separate “6/8 Time” category for other songs that use this same pattern. Here’s a link:
