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Breakfast Field

Michael Hedges

Text File

#----------------------------------PLEASE NOTE---------------------------------#
#This file is the author's own work and represents their interpretation of the #
#song. You may only use this file for private study, scholarship, or research. #
#------------------------------------------------------------------------------##

From: "RAD232" 
Subject: Breakfast in the Fields

This is from memory, and it doesn't put in all of his little variations,
but it's enough to find the basics. Hope you can make heads/tails of it. h
means harmonic at the indicated fret, H is hammer-on, p is pulloff, > is
slide. All fingerings are left to the imagination unless blatantly bizarre,
in which case they are sort of noted. >R< indicates fingering with right
hand, and >L/O< and >R/O< are left and right respectively over the top of
the neck. Should be enough with the disc at hand to illuminate.

TUNING: CGDDAE (The two D's are the same pitch, not an octave apart.)

(Let everything ring)
                                                 >R<
9h---------12>14-14-14p10p12h---------------2p0(or12h)H2p0H2p0H2p0H2-|
9h----7h--------------------------------5p4---12h--------------------|
9h----7h--------------------------------------12h--------------------|
9h----7h---------------------------2----------12h--------------------|
9h----7h-------------------------2------------12h--------------------|
0---0--------------------------2--------------12h--------------------|

                >R< >--L/O--< >R/O<
--7---7-----9-p-12h--------------------H2----3->-5->-7--------------|
7-----7-----9-p-12h--------------------H2----3->-5->-7--------------|
7-----7-----9-p-12h--------------------H2----3->-5->-7--------------|
6-----4-----0-------------11---p-2-----p0----2---3---4->-----5------|
6-----4-----0----------11------p-2-----p0----2---3---4->---5--------|
6-----4-----0-------11---------p-2-----p0----2---3---4->-5----------|

*    >R<      >R/O<       >R/O<
8--p--3--H1--p--0----H1--p--0--------------------8h----------2-p-0---|
8--p--3--H1--p--0----H1--p--0---------7h------7h-------5-p-4-----12--|h
8--p--3--H1--p--0----H1--p--0---------7h---5h--------------------12--|h
0---------0----H2--p--0----H2--p--0---7h------------H2-----------12--|h
0---------0----H2--p--0----H2--p--0---7h------------H2-----------12--|h
0---------0----H2--p--0----H2--p--0---0-------------H2-----------12--|h
                             * * *
(from here it repeats, beginning with the 12th harmonic in line 1 until
the 7th harmonic in line 3, at which point it goes...)

-------12->-14-14-p-10-12-12->-14-p-7-p-0--9h-----------------------|
-(7h)--------------------------------------9h-----------------------|
-(7h)--------------------------------------9h---or something....:)--|
-(7h)--------------------------------------9h-----------------------|
-(7h)--------------------------------------9h-----------------------|
-(0)---------------------------------------0------------------------|

* The odd(]) bits: beginning of third line where you pull off from the
left-fretted 000888 to the right-fretted (000)333 then hammer onto the
000111...the (000)333 is fretted by the right thumb from UNDER the neck,
and held while the left pulls off from the 888s (the 000's should be still
ringing from the 000888). From this position, one then hammers the 111 with
the left index from below while strumming upward across the low three
strings with the right thumb to get the 000111. Then pull off with the left
and hammer on with the right index over the neck to get the 222000. The 8th
harmonic (5h-7h-8h) a bit later is what he hits on the Double Planet
version that sounds like a bell. It's the triple octave harmonic, also
found midway between the 2nd and 3rd frets. It takes a bit of looking, for
it's too easy to get the overtones to carry over from the 9th harmonic,
which is way the wrong note. The 2&1/2 fret node is easier to find, but the
8th is closer to what's being played. Great sound effects: I love it]
(Incidentally, I just decided the notation looked a little cramped after
the first line, hence the subsequent breathing spaces])

So goes my first attempt at tablature transcription. Hopefully, it's
marginally decipherable. Bass strings on the bottom, treble on the top, if
I remember the conventions....that's how I wrote it, anyway.
 ++++++++++
Still Even More Thoughts ('cause I'm so together): This is pretty much how
the song was originally written, but he varies the part directly above the
*** (line 3) a bit, so it sometimes is more like:
Instead of:
>R/O<                           >R/OL/OR/O<
  0-----------                    0-----------------------|
  0---------7h                    0--------------------7h-|
  0---------7h  He will do this:  0--------------------7h-|  &c.
  H2--p--0--7h                    H2---H2---H3--p--0---7h-|
  H2--p--0--7h                    H2---H2---H3--p--0---7h-|
  H2--p--0--0-                    H2---H2---H3--p--0---0--|

   Whoy, that's about all I can remember about it. Do not be daunted by
this mess, it's actually fairly simple, because the chords aren't really
anything to contend with (although getting the intonation on the 444777s
stretched a joint or two at first). Hope you have some fun with this (it's
great to whip out at parties when everyone else is doing "Horse With No
Name";).

Scott