Desperate Man Blues tab - fahey john

Date: Mon, 17 Nov 1997 16:00:09 GMT-10
From: Damien Batstone 
Subject: TAB: Desparate_man_blues by John Fahey 

Hi All,

Here's one of my favourite Fahey tunes.  I think it's one of 
his first and is more melodic and less bizarre than others.  
Fahey indicated in his liner notes that he used a bass string 
tuned to G in unison with the second string but I couldn't work 
that out.  Maybe he it to maintain an alternate base picking 
pattern during the first half instead of the one string bass 
pattern I've shown here.

Take note of the ghost notes ().  These seem to be done by 
hammering or sliding up the neck on the first or third beat 
of the bar.  They add alot to the song.

Hope you enjoy it.  If you have any questions or corrections, 
please email me.  I'm a bit iffy about parts.  It's available 
on the Rhino Records double CD or one of the Blind Joe death 
compilations.

Damien Batstone
damienb@cheque.uq.edu.au

		DESPARATE MAN BLUES
		JOHN FAHEY


d|2-------------------2-----------3-----------2-------------------|
B|1-----------1---------------1------1----------------1-----------|
G|----------------------------------------------------------------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .

d|0-------------------------------------------------------0-------|
B|0-----------------------0-----------------------0-------0-------|
G|--------------------------------0-------------------------------|
D|------------------------0-------5-------5-------0---------------|
G|0-------0-------0---------------------------------------0-------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .

d|--------2-----------2-----------3-----------2-------------------|
B|(1)---------1---------------1-------1---------------1-----------|
G|---------------------------------------(0)----------------------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .

d|0-------------------------------0-------------------0-----------|
B|0-----------------------0-------0-----------0--------------(0)--|
G|------------------------0---------------------------------------|
D|------------------------------------------------0---------------|
G|0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0---------------0-------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .

d|--------2-----------2-----------3-----------2-------------------|
B|------------1---------------1-------1---------------1-----------|
G|---------------------------------------(0)----------------------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .

d|0---------------------------------------------------------------|
B|0-----------------------0---------------------------------------|
G|--------------------------------0-----------------------0-------|
D|------------------------------------------------0--h2-----------|
G|0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-----------------------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .


start A
  vvv                              v
d|----------------------------------------------------------------|
B|----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|3---------------0-------------------------------0---------------|
D|--------------------------------2-------------------------------|
G|--------0---------------0---------------0---------------0-------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .

d|----------------------------------------------------------------|
B|----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|3---------------------------------------------------------------|
D|------------0-------0-------0-------3-------3-------3-------3---|
G|--------0-------0-------0-------3-------3-------3-------3-------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .

d|----------------------------------------------------------------|
B|----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|3-----------0---------------------------0-------------------0---|
D|----0---------------------------0--h2---------------0--h2-------|
G|0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .




                                  * End A
d|----------------------------------------------------------------|
B|----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|----------------------------0-----------------------------------|
D|--------------------0--h2-----------------------0--h2-----------|
G|0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .

Repeat A; 		  	   d|--------------------------------|
				   B|------------0-------------------|
				   G|--------------------------------|
				   D|--------------------------------|
				   G|0-------0-------0-------0-------|
				   D|--------------------------------|
  		  		     3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .    

Repeat from start

			  	   d|--------------------------------|
				   B|------------0-------------------|
				   G|--------------------0-----------|
				   D|--------------------0-----------|
				   G|0-------0-------0-------0-------|
				   D|--------------------------------|
  		  		     3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .    
(B)

d|--------2-----------2-----------2-------------------2-----------|
B|--------1---1---------------1---------------1--h3-----------0---|
G|------------------------------------------------------------0---|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .

d|0-------------------------------0-------------------0-----------|
B|0-----------------------0-------0-----------0-------0-----------|
G|------------------------0-------------------0-------------------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .
  
d|--------2-----------2-----------2-------------------2-----------|
B|(1)-----1---1---------------1-------------------3---------------|
G|----------------------------------------------------------------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .

d|(5)-----5---------------5-------5-------------------0-----------|
B|(3)-----3---------------3-------3-----------3-------------------|
G|----------------------------------------------------------------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .

Repeat from B

d|------------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-----------|
B|--------3---------------------------------------------------0---|
G|----------------------------------------------------------------|
D|--------0---------------0---------------0---------------0-------|
G|5---------------5---------------5---------------5---------------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .


d|0-------------------------------0-------------------0-----------|
B|0-----------------------0-------0-----------0-------0-----------|
G|------------------------0-------------------0-------------------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .

Repeat last two bars

d|--------------------------------7-----------7-------------------|
B|---------------------------(8)------7---------------7-----------|
G|--------7---h9------7--h9---------------7---------------7-------|
D|0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------|
G|----------------------------------------------------------------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .

d|5-------------------------------0-------------------0-----------|
B|3-----------------------0-------0-----------0-------0-----------|
G|------------------------0-------------------0-------------------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .

d|--------------------------------7-----------7-------------------|
B|---------------------------(8)------7---------------7-----------|
G|--------7---h9------7--h9---------------7---------------7-------|
D|0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------|
G|----------------------------------------------------------------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .

d|5-----------------------5-------5-------------------0-----------|
B|3-----------------------3-------3-----------0-------0-----------|
G|--------------------------------------------0-------------------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .
Next bar 3/4 timing
Start C
d|------------5---------------5---------------4---|
B|----5---------------5---------------5-------3---|
G|------------------------------------------------|
D|--------5---------------5---------------5-------|
G|5---------------5---------------5---------------|
D|------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .

d|s5--5-----------5---------------5-----------5---5---------------|
B|----3-----------3---------------3-----------3---3-------3--p0---|
G|----------------------------------------------------------------|
D|--------0---------------0---------------0---------------0-------|
G|0---------------0---------------0---------------0---------------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .
End C
Repeat C
d|------------7---------------7----------10-------9--p8-----------|
B|----7---------------7-------------------------------------------|
G|----------------------------------------------------------------|
D|--------7---------------7---------------7---------------7-------|
G|7---------------7---------------7---------------7---------------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .

Repeat C
Repear second bar of C
(D)
d|--------0-----------0-------------------0-----------0-----------|
B|3-----------3-----------3-------2-----------2-----------2-------|
G|----------------------------------------------------------------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .

d|--------0-----------0-------------------------------------------|
B|1-----------1-----------1-------0-------------------3-------0---|
G|----------------------------------------------------------------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .

Repeat Last two bars
Play from start through to second repeat of A then from B
After reaching end play from start of C to start of D slowing and 
finishing.

Download PDF

Video Desperate Man Blues

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John Fahey tune set to a few of Edison's humorous short films

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Desperate man blues - Cover John Fahey
From Blind Joe Death album. For hight quality try this link : fr.youtube.com

Desperate Man Blues Bottleneck Slide Guitar
A little slide guitar jam in open Gflat tuning leading into a variation of Blind Joe Death ~ John Fahey's 'Desperate Man Blues" on the National Resophonic Estralita Deluxe with Diamond Bottleneck slide. Very windy night, you can hear the wind chimes in the background. more tunes at www.soundclick.com/DannyBoysBottleneckBlues Thanks for listening/watching!

Arin Jessup - Screwing around
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