Dont Leave Me This Way tab - coverdale page

From: holladay@engin.umich.edu (matthew m. holladay)

Hi everybody.  Here's another of the great songs from the
Coverdale/Page album.  I regret to admit that I am not responsible
for most of the material, it was sent to me from someone else.
(Thanks, Chuck).  Please send your complements to ceh1@acpub.duke.edu,
because all I did was clean it up a little, add some more 
characteristic leads, and correct a couple of the notes.  (Don't
worry, Chuck--the most you were ever off by was about 1 fret.  Not
bad for remembering it by air guitar).  Hope you like it, because I
love it.  Bluesy and a lot of room to ad lib...

  Coverdale/Page - Don't Leave Me This Way


This song makes  use of an Echoplex and backing synths, so nothing is 
going to sound quite right, but heres an attempt to capture
it.

Main Rythm--Let notes ring -  clean
e-|---------------------------|
b-|---------------------------|  This is repeated throught
g-|-----0------0------0-----0-|    the song.
d-|---2------2------2-----2---|
a-|-3------1------0-----1-----|
E-|---------------------------|
									       
After playing that a few times, this little phrase appears:
E-|-------------------------------------------------|
B-|-/6-6-6-6-----/4-4-4-4--/3-3-3-3--/4-4-4-4---| Note: only play this
G-|-/10-10-10-10-/8-8-8-8--/7-7-7-7--/8-8-8-8---|  on one of the strings,
D-|-------------------------------------------------|  whatever sounds right
A-|-------------------------------------------------|  and is comfortable to
E-|-------------------------------------------------|  you.

And once in a while, the end of the main Rythm Part changes a little:
e-|------------------------------------|
b-|------------------------------------|
g-|----0-----0-----0-------------------|
d-|--2-----2-----2---------------1^3---|
a-|3-----1-----0-----------1--3--------|
E-|-------------------1--3-------------|


Solo Guitar throughout song mostly stays within one blues scale
Something Page was always quite comfortable doing,
play around in this scale(VIII pos.) and listen to the song and you'll
figure them out. I just cant remember them all off the top of my head.
   First lead:                             Second lead:
e-|--------------------------------------|---------------------------|
b-|--------------------------------------|---------------------------|
g-|-------8b10---8--10--10b12rb10-8------|---10b12rb10-8--10--8------|
d-|-8--8-----------------------------10--|-----------------------10--|
a-|--------------------------------------|---------------------------|
E-|--------------------------------------|---------------------------|

   Third lead:   Fourth lead:
E-|------------|----13vvv-------------|
B-|---12b13vv--|---(16)------13vvv----| 
G-|------------|---(17)---------------| 
D-|------------|----|-----------------| 
A-|------------|----|-----------------| 
E-|------------|----|-----------------| 
		    |                   
		   rake across strings
At this point, I have to agree with Chuck--there are a hell of a lot
of little leads and things thrown in from here, but they are all based
pretty much on the C blues scale, which (for people just starting out)
is shown below.  This is also the scale that most of the solo can be
improvised over:

C Blues Scale:(starting partway up the neck at the 5th fret)
    5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18                     
E-|---|-X-|---|-X-|---|---|-X-|---|-X-|-X-|-X-|---|---|-X-|
B-|---|-X-|-X-|-X-|---|---|-X-|---|-X-|---|---|-X-|---|-X-|
G-|-X-|---|---|-X-|---|-X-|-X-|-X-|---|---|-X-|---|-X-|---|
D-|-X-|---|---|-X-|---|-X-|---|---|-X-|---|-X-|-X-|-X-|---|
A-|---|-X-|---|-X-|-X-|-X-|---|---|-X-|---|-X-|---|---|-X-|
E-|---|-X-|---|-X-|---|---|-X-|---|-X-|-X-|-X-|---|---|-X-|
    by incorporating different bends, runs, trills, etc.  This
    is a very powerful scale.  Just improvise your ass off.


The chorus: Dist guitar
e-|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
b-|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
g-|------------------------------------------------7------------2-----|
d-|-5--5-------5--5--------5------5---5--7--8----8---8----3---3---3---|
a-|-5--5-------5--5-------------------5--7--8--8-------8--3-3-------3-|
E-|-3--3-------3--3---3--3---3--3-----3--5--6-------------1-----------|

This figure appears at the end of the chorus:
e-|---------------------------------|
b-|---------------------------------|
g-|-5--5/7--7/8--12----------6----|
d-|-5--5/7--7/8--12slow-slide6----|
a-|-3--3/5--5/6--10----------4----|
E-|---------------------------------|

I don't have the entire solo (he plays alot of it so goddamn fast,
but heres the basic framework, and the rest should be left up
to improv, or interpretation.
			      /hell of a bend, but it is the only
Solo:                       /  way I can get it to sound right.
e-|------------------------|-----------------------------|
b-|------------------------|-----------------------------|
g-|-8b10vvv--rb8-p5-----8bbbb12---8--10------------------|
d-|------------------------------------------------------|
a-|------------------------------------------------------|
E-|------------------------------------------------------|
				 Just start a fast run down the 10th
				 Postition and end it with this sort
				 of lick:
e-|-----------------------------------------------------10------|
b-|--------------------------------------------------10-----13--|
g-|------------------------------12--10----10--12^14------------|
d-|-----------------10----10--12--------12----------------------|
a-|-108----8/10-12----12---------------------------------------|
E-|------10-----------------------------------------------------|

e-|-----------10--------------------X----11----12----13----14----15----|
b-|--------10-----13-10--13^15^13--10/13----13----13----13----13----13-|
g-|-12^14---------------------------X----------------------------------|
d-|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
a-|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
E-|--------------------------------------------------------------------|

e-|---------------|
b-|-18b20--16-13--|
g-|---------------|
d-|---------------|
a-|---------------|
E-|---------------|
			Now start playing around there pretty fast,
			and when you hit the third measure of the
			rythm part with all the synths, slow it down
			to something like this.

e-|----------------------------------13b15----------|
b-|-(15)b16rb15-13---(15)b16rb15-13---------13-13---|
g-|-------------------------------------------------|
d-|-------------------------------------------------|
a-|-------------------------------------------------|
E-|-------------------------------------------------|


When you get to the chorus part do something like Page's climax from
Since Ive Been Loving You, like this:
e-|------------------------------10--13--13^15--13^15-------------11---|
b-|-11p8----11p8-----8--------11-----------------------9-11-11^13------|
g-|------10------10-------/12------------------------------------------|
d-|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
a-|--------------------------------------------------------------------|
E-|--------------------------------------------------------------------|

e-|---------11------13^15--13^15--13-13^15--11------------------------|
b-|--11^13------11------------------------------13--------------------|
g-|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
d-|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
a-|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
E-|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
					       And then play around in
					       this pos. for a bit.

Download PDF

Video Dont Leave Me This Way

Coverdale/Page - Don't Leave Me This Way - Live 1993
Tour of Japan 1993

Whitesnake - Don't Leave Me This Way
Song from Coverdale-Page Album. St.Petersburg Russia 20-06-1994 Video available soon at http://www.purplesnakesite.com

Coverdale/Page - Kashmir
Live audio from Japan 1993

Coverdale Page - Rock and Roll - Over Now
Live in Osaka, Japan 1993

Coverdale/Page - Still Of The Night - Live 1993
Tour of Japan 1993