Music Transcriptions

Sleep Walk analysis

 

“Sleep Walk” is pretty famous for its I – vi – iv – V verses, but there’s more interesting stuff going on, especially for 1959 top 40 radio.

  • The end of the bridge is a G7#9 (AKA the “Purple Haze” chord). The slide emphasizes this by sliding [D, G] up to [F, Bb] and back, and you can really hear the [B, F, Bb] in the rhythm guitar. I can’t think of any other top 40 song that used it so prominently; even “Purple Haze” mostly omits the major 3rd so it’s not as dissonant.
  • The ending is a G chord with the slide using a falling sixth interval: [G, E] – [Gb, Eb] – [F, D]. This is a common blues trick that turns a 6th chord (6 on top) into a 7th (7 on bottom).
  • The final cadence is pure jazz:
    • C6 [8-x-7-9-8-x]
    • G7b9+ [x-8-9-8-9-x] (root played only by bass)
    • C6add9 [x-10-10-9-10-10]

Chords: “Taramasalata” by Eggstone

 
V)
    Em   G#+/B#  C#m    G#m      F#m   A     F    Dm
    2      2     2      2        2     2     2    2

    F#m    B     C#m    A  G#m   C#m   A  B
    2      2     2      1  1     2     1  1

    Em   G#+/B#  C#m    G#m      F#m   A     F    Dm
    2      2     2      2        2     2     2    2

    F#m    B     Dm     C#m      G#m   A  B
    2      2     2      2        2     1  1

    Em   G#+/B#  C#m    G#m      F#m   A     F    Dm    A
    2      2     2      2        2     2     2    2     8

C)  
    E      B/D#   G#m   F#m   G#m   F#m   C    D
    2      2      2     2     2     2     2    2

    E      B/D#   G#m   F#m   G#m   F#m   C    D
    2      2      2     2     2     2     2    2

    E        C#m7     Amaj9    F#m9
    4        4        4        4

    E        C#m7     Amaj9    F#m9
    4        4        4        4

    E        C#m      F#m7     C    D
    4        4        4        2    2

on YouTube.

Mad Men Theme Chords

 

I know there’s a full R2J2 song I haven’t heard yet, but since we’re marathoning MM I had to figure out at least this part. With capo on the 4th fret it’s easier to work the melody in.

x-0-2-2-1-1  C#m
x-0-2-2-1-0  (x 2)
x-2-3-2-x-0  D#m7-5
x-2-3-2-3-x  (x 2)
0-x-3-2-3-x  C#m/G#
0-x-2-2-1-x  (x 2)
x-x-1-2-1-x  D#7-9/G
x-x-1-2-0-x  (x 2)
0-x-0-1-1-x  G#7+
0-x-0-1-0-x  (x 2)
x-0-4-2-1-0  C#m6 (C#m the 2nd time)

The final synth harmony is a low C# and slightly flat B with rich harmonics implying a C#7 (major).

Chords: The Flaming Lips “All We Have is Now”

 

[Song on YouTube] All the tabs I could find were crap, so I wrote up a guitar arrangement. The inverted voicings in the choruses made it tough to figure out, but capoing the 2nd fret gets it pretty close.

Capo 2nd fret. / = 1/4 note

V1)
  A    3-5-5-4-3-x  (2 bars) As logic stands you couldn't meet a man who's from the
  G#m  2-4-4-2-2-x  (2 bars) future.
  A    3-5-5-4-3-x  (2 bars) But logic broke as he appeared he spoke about the
  G#m  2-4-4-2-2-x  (2 bars) future.
  B    5-7-7-6-5-x  (1 bar)  "We're not gonna
  A    3-5-5-4-3-x  (1 bar)  make it."
  B    5-7-7-6-5-x  (1 bar)  He explained how the
  A    3-5-5-4-3-x  (1 bar)  end will come.
  A    3-5-5-4-3-x  (2 bars) You and me were never meant to be part of the
  G#m  2-4-4-2-2-x  (1 bar)  future.
  B          x-0-7-6-5-x  / /
  Bsus4add9  x-0-x-4-3-x  /
  Bmaj7      x-0-6-6-5-x  /

C)
  Amaj7      3-2-0-0-0-2  (1 bar)     All we
  Dmaj7/F#   0-3-2-0-0-0  (1 bar)  have     is
  C#m7/G#    2-2-4-2-3-2  (1 bar)  now.
  F#7sus4    0-x-2-2-3-x  / /
  F#         0-x-2-1-0-0  / /

  All we've ever had is now.
  All we have is now.

  Amaj7      3-2-0-0-0-2  (1 bar)    All we've
  Dmaj7/F#   0-3-2-0-0-0  (1 bar)  ever had     i-
  G#m7       2-4-2-2-2-2  (2 bars) is now.

B1)
  F#m7       0-2-2-0-3-x  (1 bar)
  B7         x-0-2-0-2-0  (1 bar)

V2)
  I noticed that he had a watch and hat that looked familiar.
  He was me from a dimension torn free of the future.
  "We're not gonna make it." He explained how the end will come.
  You and me were never meant to be part of the future.

C)

B2)
  F#m7       0-7-5-7-x-x  (2 bars)
  Emaj9      x-5-4-6-5-x  (2 bars)
  D9-5       8-x-8-7-7-x  (2 bars)
  A          3-x-0-0-0-3  (2 bars)
  Bm6/F#     0-0-2-2-1-2  (1 bar)
  E7/G#      2-0-0-2-1-2  (1 bar)

Outro)
  Amaj7      3-2-0-0-0-2  (1 bar)     All we
  Dmaj7/F#   0-3-2-0-0-0  (1 bar)  have     is
  C#m7/G#    2-2-0-2-0-x  (end)    now.
  ...
  C#m9       x-2-0-2-2-x  (organ adds D#)
  ...
  C#m11      x-2-0-2-2-0  (synth adds F#)

Bass for Stereolab’s “Miss Modular”

 

“Miss Modular” has an amazing bass line. It’s probably looped on record, but they play it live…and usually faster than the recording. I’m fairly sure it’s capoed at the 7th fret—that’s how I’ve typed it up here.

Stereolab "Miss Modular"
Capo bass @ 7th fret.
spaces/numbers/hyphens = 1/16th notes.
/ = 1/4 notes.

Intro)

  /       /       /       /       /
D                       2---
A         4---              4-
E                             4---
B 0-------    0---2-----          0-------------------------------

Verse)

  /       /       /       /       /       /       /       /
D                       2---
A         4---              4-            4---    4---  2-
E                             4---                          5-2---
B 0-------    0h1h2-----          0-------    0---

  /       /       /       /       /       /       /       /
D                                                 2---
A                 4---  4-- 2-            4---          4-- 2-
E         5---2---            4---                            4---
B 0------/                        2-------    2---

Notes:

  • Mute all the strings, but mostly the bottom 3.
  • At the beginning of the 3rd measure, by fretting the A on the 2nd string, you can slide the end of the low B up to meet it.
  • Chords are just Bm7 and C#m7 (the brass makes A and C#m9 chords)

Rhythm guitar geniuses

 

Ivy frequently has stunning rhythm guitar parts–a little bit of extra texture, a little melody. Two examples: “Blame In On Yourself” from Long Distance, and Apartment Life’s “Quick, Painless, and Easy” The latter I’ve been casually wondering how to play for some time so I finally sat down and figure it out.

Ivy “Quick, Painless, and Easy” (rhythm guitar)

First, raise the B string to C so C and E can ring open together (it’s possible with standard tuning but the E+ is a pain to get your fingers in and out of). Everywhere but the chorus the A string quiet drones. The named chord is the effective harmony with the electric bass in the recording (how you might play it on piano, etc.)

Tuning = E-A-D-G-C-E (raise B to C)

Intro/Verse
  Amaj7      x-0-6-6-4-0
  Cmaj7/G    x-0-5-4-0-0
  Fmaj7      x-0-3-2-0-0
  E+         x-0-2-1-0-0
  Am7        x-0-7-5-7-0
  Cmaj7/G    x-0-5-4-0-0
  Fmaj7      x-0-3-2-0-0
  Cmaj7/G    x-0-5-4-0-0

Pre-chorus (twice)
  Amaj7      x-0-6-6-4-0
  Cmaj7/G    x-0-5-4-0-0
  D6add9/F#  x-0-4-4-2-0
  Fmaj7      x-0-3-2-0-0

Chorus
  C          3-3-2-0-0-0
  D          x-0-0-2-2-2
  C          3-3-2-0-0-0
  D          x-0-0-2-2-2
  C          3-3-2-0-0-0
  D          x-0-0-2-2-2
  Fmaj7      1-3-3-2-0-0
  G6add4     3-5-5-4-0-0