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Greensleeves

Jeff Beck

Text File

Jeff Beck's "Greensleeves"
tradional, arranged by Rod Stewart, 1968
transcribed by Stefano Serafin
(stefano.serafin@libero.it)

When I first listened to it, I thought someday I should have provided an
exact transcription of this beautiful tune. Last night I grabbed my old
classical guitar and this is what came out of it. This is NOT an exact
transcription at all. I'm quite sure about the melody and the bass line
- not so about all those notes played on the mid strings; anyhow I think
it's not important... it's a matter of personal fingerpicking style.

The rhythm pattern is 3/4.
You might like to play some parts of the song using "hemiolia", which is
a way of playing groups of six notes without stressing the accents, so
that the listener gets a bewildering feeling: he won't be able to
decide whether the music is played in couplets or triplets. This works
good in the intro and somewhere in the middle (Am chords).
Check out the intro of David Sylvian's "Forbidden Colours" to
understand this, and try achieving it with this song if you like.

Cheers
       Stefano


intro:

  Dm            Dm/C          Dm/B          Dm/Bb         Asus4
  + . + . + .   + . + . + .   + . + . + .   + . + . + .   + . + . + .
|-------1-----|-------1-----|-------------|-------1-----|---------0~~-|
|-----3---3---|-----3---3---|-------3-----|-----3---3---|-------3-----|
|---2-------2-|---2---------|-----2---2---|---2---------|-----2-------|
|-0-----------|-------------|---0---------|-------------|---2---------|
|-------------|-3---------3-|-2---------2-|-1---------1-|-0-----------|
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|


part 1:

  Dm            Gadd9         C             Am
  + . + . + .   + . + . + .   + . + . + .   + . + . + .
|-1---1---3---|-5-------7-5-|-3---3---0---|-----------0-|
|-3---3---3---|-0-----------|-1---1-------|-1-------3---|
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-2---2-------|
|-0-----------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
|-------------|-------------|-3-----------|-0-----------|
|-------------|-3-----------|-------------|-------------|

  Dm            E7sus4        Am            Am/G
  + . + . + .   + . + . + .   + . + . + .   + . + . + .
|-1-----------|-------------|-0-----------|---------0---|
|-3---3---3---|-3---3---1-3-|-----1---1---|-----1-------|
|-----2---2---|-2-----2-----|---------2---|---2---------|
|-0-----------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
|-------------|-------------|-0-----------|-------------|
|-------------|-0-----------|-------------|-3-----------|

  Dm            Gadd9         C             Am
  + . + . + .   + . + . + .   + . + . + .   + . + . + .
|-1---1---3---|-5-------7-5-|-3---3---0---|-----------0-|
|-3---3---3---|-0-----------|-1---1-------|-1-------3---|
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-2---2-------|
|-0-----------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
|-------------|-------------|-3-----------|-0-----------|
|-------------|-3-----------|-------------|-------------|

  Dm            A             Dm            Dm
  + . + . + .   + . + . + .   + . + . + .   + . + . + .
|-1---010-----|-------------|-----1p0-----|-------------|
|-----hp--3---|-2-------0-2-|-3-------3---|-3---3---5---|
|-------------|-2-----------|---2-------2-|-2---2-------|
|-0---2---3---|-------------|-0-----------|-0-----------|
|-------------|-0---0-------|-------------|-------------|
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|


part 2:

  F/C           F/C           Em7/B         Am
  + . + . + .   + . + . + .   + . + . + .   + . + . + .
|-8-----------|-8-----------|-------------|---0-------0-|
|---------10--|-----12--10--|-8-10-8--9---|-1---1---3---|
|-----10------|-------------|-------------|-2-----2-----|
|-----10------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-0-----------|
|-8-----------|-8-----------|-7-----------|-------------|

  Dm            E7sus4        Am            Am/G
  + . + . + .   + . + . + .   + . + . + .   + . + . + .
|-1-----------|-------------|-0-----------|---------0---|
|-3---3---3---|-3---3---1-3-|-----1-------|-------1-----|
|-----2---2---|-2-----2-----|---------2---|-----2-------|
|-0-----------|-------------|---2---2---2-|---2---------|
|-------------|-------------|-0-----------|-------------|
|-------------|-0-----------|-------------|-3-----------|

  F/C           F/C           Em7/B         Am
  + . + . + .   + . + . + .   + . + . + .   + . + . + .
|-8---------8-|-8-----------|-------------|---0-------0-|
|---------10--|---------1210|-8-108---9---|-1---1---3---|
|-------10----|-------10----|-------------|-2-----2-----|
|-----10------|-----10------|-------------|-------------|
|---8---------|---8---------|-------------|-0-----------|
|-8-----------|-8-----------|-7-----------|-------------|

  Dm            A             Dm            Dm
  + . + . + .   + . + . + .   + . + . + .   + . + . + .
|-1---0-------|-------------|-----0-------|-0-------0---|
|---------3---|-2-------0-2-|-3-------3---|-----3-------|
|-------------|-2-----------|-2-----------|-------------|
|-0---2---3---|-------------|-0-----------|-------------|
|-------------|-0---0-------|-------------|-------------|
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|


repeat part 1 with little variations, ending with
(last 2 bars, instead of Dm):

  D             D

|-3---2-0-2-3-|-2hp3p2~~~~~-|
|-3-3---------|-3-----------|
|-------------|-2-----------|
|-0-----------|-0-----------|
|-------------|-------------|
|-------------|-------------|

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Greensleeves

Jeff Beck