Tabs
Tabbed by Jamie Phillips ([email protected])
Artist: Bert Jansch
Track title: Bird Song
Album: Rosemary Lane
Tuning: DADGAD (detuned a semitone on recording)
This is one of Berts best songs, an absolute gem; Bert at his finest. Play it gently. Watch out
for the rhythm and timing, the bars are of differing lengths and particularly watch for the
change into 3/8 and then a bar of 7/8. The asterisks indicate the beats; if you're familiar
with the song it will flow naturally. Here I've tabbed out the instrumental break which
is basically the same as the verse, although on some verses he misses out the bar of 7/8 and
adds another bar of 4/4. You should be able to pick out the structure from the record
easily enough. There are a few fingering changes you could make to suit your fingers best
if you like. Enjoy! :o)
Rhythm: Various (2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, 3/8, 7/8)
Intro:
Beat:* * * * * * * *
D MajorD||--------------------------|-----0--------0-----------|
A augmentedA||-----9--------7--0--------|--------------------------|
G+G||--7--------5-----------0--|--2--------2--------2-----|
D MajorD||--------------------4-----|--0--------0--------0-----|
A augmentedA||--------------------------|--------------------------|
D MajorD||--------0-----------------|--------0--------0-----0--|
Verse:
* * * * * * *
D--------------0-----------|-----------------------|
A--------------------0-----|--------------0h2p0----|
G-----0-----2--------------|--------------------0--|
D--4-----------------------|-----0-----------------|
A--------------------------|--3--------2-----------|
D--------0--------0-----0--|--------0--------------|
* * * * * * * * * *
D-----------------------------|---------------|--------------------------|
A-----0--------0--2p0---------|---------------|--------------------------|
G--2--------2---------2-0-----|--0------------|--------------0-----------|
D--------------------------4--|--2--2---2--0--|-----7-----7--------------|
A--0--------------------------|-------0-------|--9-----------------9-----|
D--------0--------------------|---------------|--------0--------0-----0--|
* * * * * * * * *
D------------------0------------------|--------------------------|
A--------------3h5----5p3----4h5p4p0--|--------------------------|
G-----4-------------------4-----------|--------------0-----2-----|
D--0--------0-------------------------|-----7-----0--------4-----|
A----------------------------7--------|--9-----------------------|
D--------5----------------------------|--------0--------0-----0--|
* * * * * * * *
D------------------2---------|------------------0---------|
A--------------2h4----4p2----|--------------0h2----2p0----|
G-----2-------------------2--|-----0-------------------0--|
D--2--------2----------------|--0--------0----------------|
A--------0-------------------|----------------------------|
D----------------------------|--------5-------------------|
3/8
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
D-----------------|-----0-----|-----------|-----0-----|-----------|
A--0h-2p0---------|--0--------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
G--2------2-0-----|--2--------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
D--0-----------4--|-----------|-----5p-4--|--0--------|-----5p-4--|
A-----------------|-----------|--3--------|--2--------|-----------|
D-----------------|--------0--|-----------|--------0--|--5--------|
7/8 4/4
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
D-----0-----|----------------------------|--------------------------|
A-----0-----|----------------------------|--------------------------|
G--2--------|--2---4---5---4---2---0-----|-----2--------2-----------|
D--0--------|--4p0-5p0-7p0-5p0-4p0-2-----|--0--------0--------0-----|
A-----------|-------------------------3--|--------------------------|
D--------0--|----------------------------|--------0--------0-----0--|
Ending:
* * * * * * * *
D--------------------------|-----0--------0-----------|
A-----9--------7-----------|--0--------0--------0-----|
G-/7--------5-----------0--|--2--------2--------2-----|
D--------------------7-----|--0--------0--------0-----|
A--------------------------|--------------------------|
D--------0--------0--------|--------0--------0-----0--|
* * * * * * * *
D--------------------------|-----0--------0-----------|
A-----9--------7-----------|--0--------0--------0-----|
G-/7--------5-----------0--|--2--------2--------2-----|
D--------------------7-----|--0--------0--------0-----|
A--------------------------|--------------------------|
D--------0--------0--------|--------0--------0-----0--|
* * * * * * * *
D--------------------------|-----0--------0-----------|
A-----9--------7-----------|--0--------0--------0-----|
G-/7--------5-----------0--|--2--------2--------2-----|
D--------------------7-----|--0--------0--------0-----|
A--------------------------|--------------------------|
D--------0--------0--------|--------0--------0-----0--|
* * * * * * * * * * *
D--------------------------|-----0--------0-----------|-------------------|
A-----9--------7-----------|--0--------0--------------|-------------------|
G-/7--------5--------0-----|--2--------2--------------|-------------------|
D-----------------7-----0--|--0--------0--------0-----|-----0-------------|
A--------------------------|--------------------------|--3----------3-----|
D--------0-----------------|--------0--------0-----0--|----------0-----0--|
* * * *
D--------------------------|-------------------||
A--------------------------|-------------------||
G--------------------------|-------------------||
D-----0--------0-----------|--6b7--------------||
A--2--------2-------2p0----|--5----------------||
D--------0--------------0--|--0----------------||
TAB guide: h = hammer on, p = pull off
/ = slide into from below
