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The Beatles - “Blackbird“ Guitar tab

Blackbird was recorded June 1968 in EMI Studios and is a solo performance by Paul McCartney. The song is in the G, with bass and guitar progressing mostly in parallel. You can see this is the Beatles Blackbird tabs below. McCartney used a Martin D 28 acoustic guitar for the song.

The song is a good finger exercise as it is played with a special McCartney combination of picking and finger-strumming The bass notes are always played by the thumb on the downbeat. Keep this in mind when playing these Beatles Blackbird guitar tabs. Paul wrote the song in 1968 while he was in Scotland. It is not about birds but about racial tensions escalating in USA at the time. Paul later told that the guitar accompaniment was inspired by J.S. Bach's Bourrée in E minor, a piece he and George Harrison learned as kids. The song was first released on their White album

The Beatles guitar tab and guitar video lesson for Blackbird. Learn how to play Blackbird by The Beatles in this Finger Style lesson. Related pages are Blackbird chords, Blackbird bass tabs, Blackbird easy tabs, Let it be tabs, Something tabs. See all The Beatles tabs. Submit corrected and missing guitar tab here.


The Beatles Blackbird Guitar tab

Title:     Blackbird
Composers: John Lennon and Paul McCartney
Group:     The Beatles

Note timing changes throughout.

  2
  3/4 G       Am7     G       4/4 G
E{|---------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B{|---0-------1-------3-------|---12----12--12----12----12--12----|
G{|-------0-------0-------0---|-------0-------0-------0-------0---|
D{|---------------------------|-----------------------------------|
A{|-----------0-------2-------|---10------10------10------10------|
E{|---3-----------------------|-----------------------------------|
      +   .   +   .   +   .       +   .   +   .   +   .   +   .


  3/4 G       Am7     G       4/4 G
E||---------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B||---0-------1-------3-------|---12----12--12----12----12--12----|
G||.------0-------0-------0---|-------0-------0-------0-------0---|
D||.--------------------------|-----------------------------------|
A||-----------0-------2-------|---10------10------10------10------|
E||---3-----------------------|-----------------------------------|
      +   .   +   .   +   .       +   .   +   .   +   .   +   .
   1. Blackbird singing ...
   2. Blackbird singing ...


  #5
      C       A7      D7      B7          Em              Cm
E |-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B |---5-------8-------7-------10------|---8-----8---8-----8-----8---8-----|
G |-------0-------0-------0-------0---|-------0-------0-------0-------0---|
D |-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
A |---3-------4-------5-------6-------|---7-------7-------6-------6-------|
E |-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
      +   .   +   .   +   .   +   .       +   .   +   .   +   .   +   .
      Take these broken ...
      Take these sunken ...


  #7
  3/2 G       A7      Am7              Cm
E |----------------------------------------------------|
B |---7-------8-------5-----5---5------4-----4---4-----|
G |-------0-------0-------0-------0--------0-------0---|
D |----------------------------------------------------|
A |---5-------4-------3-------3--------3-------3-------|
E |----------------------------------------------------|
      +       .       +       .        +       .
      All     your    ...
      All     your    ...


  #8
      G               A7               Am7     D7
E |----------------------------------------------------|
B |---3-----3---3-----2-----2---2------1-----1---1-----|
G |-------0-------0-------0-------0--------0-------0---|
D |------------------------------------0-------0-------|
A |---2-------2-------0-------0------------------------|
E |----------------------------------------------------|
      +       .       +       .        +       .
     You were only  ...
     You were only  ...

   
-----------------------------------------------------------------------...
  |  1.
  #9
  4/4 G               C       G           A7              D7(Am7)
E |-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B |---0-----0---0-----5-------3-------|---2-----2---2-----1-----1---1-----|
G |-------0-------0-------0-------0---|-------0-------0-------0-------0---|
D |-----------------------------------|-------------------0-------0-------|
A |-------------------3-------2-------|---0-------0-----------------------|
E |---3-------3-----------------------|-----------------------------------|
      +   .   +   .   +   .   +   .       +   .   +   .   +   .   +   .
      rise.

  ... -----------------  -------------------
                       ||  2.               |
  #11                  ||                   |
  2/2 G
E |--------------------||-------------------|
B |---0-----0---0------||---0-----0---0-----|
G |-------0-------0---.||-------0-------0---|
D |-------------------.||-------------------|
A |--------------------||-------------------|
E |---3-------3--------||---3-------3-------|
      +   .   +   .         +   .   +   .
                             free.

  #13
  4/4 F       Em      Dm      C           Bb              C
E |-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B |---10------8-------6-------5-------|---3-----3---3-----5-----5---5-----|
G |-------0-------0-------0-------0---|-------0-------0-------0-------0---|
D |-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
A |---8-------7-------5-------3-------|---1-------1-------3-------3-------|
E |-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
      +   .   +   .   +   .   +   .       +   .   +   .   +   .   +   .
      Black     -     ...


  #15
  4/4 F       Em      Dm      C           Bb              A7
E |-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B |---10------8-------6-------5-------|---3-----3---3-----2-----2---2-----|
G |-------0-------0-------0-------0---|-------0-------0-------0-------0---|
D |-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
A |---8-------7-------5-------3-------|---1-------1-------0-------0-------|
E |-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
      +   .   +   .   +   .   +   .       +   .   +   .   +   .   +   .
      Black     -     bird...

  #17
  2/4 D7(Am7)
E |----------------------|
B |---1-----1---1----1---|
G |-------0-------0------|
D |---0-------0----------|
A |----------------------|
E |----------------------|
      +   .   +   .
      light ...

  #18
  3/4 G       Am7     G       4/4 G
E |---------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B |---0-------1-------3-------|---12----12--12----12----12--12----|
G |-------0-------0-------0---|-------0-------0-------0-------0---|
D |---------------------------|-----------------------------------|
A |-----------0-------2-------|---10------10------10------10------|
E |---3-----------------------|-----------------------------------|
      +   .   +   .   +   .       +   .   +   .   +   .   +   .
      night.


  #20
      C       A7      D7      B7          Em              Cm
E |-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B |---5-------8-------7-------10------|---8-----8---8-----8-----8---8-----|
G |-------0-------0-------0-------0---|-------0-------0-------0-------0---|
D |-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
A |---3-------7-------5-------9-------|---7-------7-------6-------6-------|
E |-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
      +   .   +   .   +   .   +   .       +   .   +   .   +   .   +   .


  #22
  3/2 G       A7      Am7              Cm
E |----------------------------------------------------|
B |---7-------8-------5-----5---5------4-----4---4-----|
G |-------0-------0-------0-------0--------0-------0---|
D |----------------------------------------------------|
A |---5-------4-------3-------3--------3-------3-------|
E |----------------------------------------------------|
      +       .       +       .        +       .


  24
      G               A7               D7(Am7)         2/4 G
E |----------------------------------------------------|---------------|
B |---3-----3---3-----2-----2---2------1-----1---1-----|---0-----------|
G |-------0-------0-------0-------0--------0-------0---|---0-----------|
D |------------------------------------0-------0-------|---------------|
A |---2-------2-------0-------0------------------------|---------------|
E |----------------------------------------------------|---3-----------|
      +       .       +       .        +       .           +       .


  #25
  4/4 F       Em      Dm      C           Bb              C
E |-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B |---10------8-------6-------5-------|---3-----3---3-----5-----5---5-----|
G |-------0-------0-------0-------0---|-------0-------0-------0-------0---|
D |-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
A |---8-------7-------5-------3-------|---1-------1-------3-------3-------|
E |-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
      +   .   +   .   +   .   +   .       +   .   +   .   +   .   +   .
      Black     -     ...

  #27
  4/4 F       Em      Dm      C           Bb              A7
E |-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B |---10------8-------6-------5-------|---3-----3---3-----2-----2---2-----|
G |-------0-------0-------0-------0---|-------0-------0-------0-------0---|
D |-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
A |---8-------7-------5-------3-------|---1-------1-------0-------0-------|
E |-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
      +   .   +   .   +   .   +   .       +   .   +   .   +   .   +   .
      Black     -     ...

  #29
  2/4 D7(Am7)
E |----------------------|
B |---1-----1---1----1---|
G |-------0-------0------|
D |---0-------0----------|
A |----------------------|
E |----------------------|
      +   .   +   .
    light of a ...


  #30
  3/4 G       Am7     G       4/4 G
E |---------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B |---0-------1-------3-------|---12----12--12----12----12--12----|
G |---------------------------|-------0-------0-------0-------0---|
D |---------------------------|-----------------------------------|
A |-----------0-------2-------|-----------------------------------|
E |---3-----------------------|---10------10------10------10------|
      +   .   +   .   +   .       +   .   +   .   +   .   +   .
      night.


 #31
      G
E |-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B |---12----12--12----12----12--12----|---12----12--12----12--------------|
G |-------0-------0-------0-------0---|-------0-------0---0---------------|
D |-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
A |---10------10------10------10------|---10------10------10--------------|
E |-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
      +   .   +   .   +   .       +   .   +   .   +   .   +   .   +   .
                                molto rit.


  #34
  3/4    G       Am7     G       3/4 C       G       A7
E||------------------------------|---------------------------|
B||------0-------1-------3-------|---5-------3-------2-------|
G||----------0-------0-------0---|-------0-------0-------0---|
D||------------------------------|---------------------------|
A||--------------0-------2-------|---3-------2-------0-------|
E||---10\3-----------------------|---------------------------|
          +   .   +   .   +   .      +   .   +   .   +   .
 slide down
        a tempo


  #36
  2/4 Am7/D
E |------------------|
B |--1-----1---1-----|
G |------0-------0---|
D |--0-------0-------|
A |------------------|
E |------------------|
     +   .   +   .

  #37
  3/4 G       Am7     G       4/4 G
E||---------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B||---0-------1-------3-------|---12----12--12----12----12--12----|
G||.------0-------0-------0---|-------0-------0-------0-------0---|
D||.--------------------------|-----------------------------------|
A||-----------0-------2-------|---10------10------10------10------|
E||---3-----------------------|-----------------------------------|
      +   .   +   .   +   .       +   .   +   .   +   .   +   .
    Blackbird singing ...
  #39
      C       A7      D7      B7          Em              Cm
E |-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B |---5-------8-------7-------10------|---8-----8---8-----8-----8---8-----|
G |-------0-------0-------0-------0---|-------0-------0-------0-------0---|
D |-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
A |---3-------7-------5-------9-------|---7-------7-------6-------6-------|
E |-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
      +   .   +   .   +   .   +   .       +   .   +   .   +   .   +   .
      Take these ...


  #41
  3/2 G       A7      Am7              Cm
E |----------------------------------------------------|
B |---7-------8-------5-----5---5------4-----4---4-----|
G |-------0-------0-------0-------0--------0-------0---|
D |----------------------------------------------------|
A |---5-------4-------3-------3--------3-------3-------|
E |----------------------------------------------------|
      +       .       +       .        +       .
      All     ...


  #42
  4/4 G               A7                  Am7             G
E||-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------||
B||---3-----3---3-----2-----2---2-----|---1-----1---1-----0---------------||
G||.------0-------0-------0-------0---|-------0-------0---0--------------.||
D||.----------------------------------|---0-------0----------------------.||
A||---2-------2-------0-------0-------|-----------------------------------||
E||-----------------------------------|-------------------3---------------||
      +   .   +   .   +   .   +   .       +   .   +   .   +   .   +   .
     You were only   ...

  #44
      C       G       A7                  Am7     D7      G
E 
|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------||}
B 
|---5-------3-------2-----2---2-----|---1-----1---1-----3---------------||}
G 
|-------0-------0-------0-------0---|-------0-------0---0---------------||}
D 
|-----------------------------------|---0-------0-------0---------------||}
A 
|---3-------2-------0-------0-------|-----------------------------------||}
E 
|-----------------------------------|-------------------3---------------||}
      +   .   +   .   +   .   +   .       +   .   +   .   +   .   +   .
     You were only   ...

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