Tabs
California - Joni Mitchell ------------------------------ From the album 'Blue' Tabbed by Howard Wright spxh[email protected] The original has a dulcimer part playing the intro, and playing chords in the main part of the song. I've tabbed the dulcimer intro bit for guitar using an alternative tuning. For the main part of the song, the acoustic (using normal tuning) dominates; I've written out chord shapes ( and a bit of tab) for this, as well as shapes for the 'dulcimer' part. The original acoustic part adds a few noodles on top of the basic chords (mostly sus4 and sus2 type of things). I've tried to include a few of these, but I havn't tried to TAB note for note what is played. The acoustic part is played with a capo at the 3rd fret, so when I writeD MajorD I mean play a
D MajorD shape above the 3rd fret. (The actual chord would be
FF) OK ?
To play the dulcimer part, tune to :FF
Bb majorBb
D MajorD
A augmentedA
C majorC
FF (no capo used) Low
E MajorE up to
FF
A augmentedA up to
Bb majorBb
D MajorD - same
G+G up to
A augmentedA
BB up to
C majorC
E MajorE up to
FF h - hammer on p - pull off / - slide INTRO : --------
G+G
A augmentedA
D MajorD
G/AG/A F-------------------------------------------2---------------------------0--0-- C---4h5p4-0---0--2---2-2---2---2-----0----4---4-----0---0-0---0-0-------2--2-- A-----------0----1---1-1---1-------0------3-----3---0---0-0---0-0-------1--1-- D----------------3---3-3---3------------------------3---3-3---3-3------------- Bb---------------0---0-0---0------------------------------------------2-2--2-- F---------------------------------------------------0---0-0---0-0-------------
VERSE 1: --------D MajorD Sitting ..
G+G
D/F#D/F#
E7E7 Reading ...
E7E7 They .. Em/A
A7A7
D MajorD That ...
D MajorD
G+G Still ..
D/F#D/F#
E7E7 But ...
E7E7 Em/A
A7A7 It's.. CHORUS: -------
G+G
Gsus4Gsus4
G+G Ah ..
D MajorD
B7B7 B7/F#
B7B7 California ..
G+G I'm ...
D/F#D/F#
A augmentedA
Asus2Asus2 I'll ...
A augmentedA
D MajorD California...
D MajorD
Gmaj7Gmaj7
D MajorD
Dsus4Dsus4
D MajorD
A/GA/G E--0h2p0--------2---2--0----------2---3---2----------------- B--3-----3---3--3---3--3-----3----3---3---3---------3--3---- G----------2----4---4--4-----2----2---2---2---------4--4---- D----------------------------0----0---0---0---------5--5---- A------------------------------------------------0--0--0---- E---------------3---3--------------------------------------- VERSE 2: ---------
D MajorD I ...
G+G
E7E7 We ..
E7E7 He .. Em/A
A7A7 But ..
D MajorD Oh ..
G+G He ...
E MajorE And ...
A7A7 But .. CHORUS: --------
G+G
Gsus4Gsus4
G+G California
D MajorD
B7B7 B7/F#
B7B7 Oh ...
G+G Oh .. Dsus2/F# I'm ...
A augmentedA California .. ..
D MajorD
Gmaj7Gmaj7
D MajorD
Dsus4Dsus4
D MajorD E--0h2p0--------2---2--0-----2----2---3---2----------- B--3-----3---3--3---3--3-----3----3---3---3----------- G----------2----4---4--4-----2----2---2---2----------- D----------------------------0----0---0---0----------- A---------------------------------------------------- E---------------3---3--------------------------------- MIDDLE 8: ---------
D MajorD
E MajorE Oh it ..
G+G When ..
D MajorD
A augmentedA And ..
A augmentedA
E MajorE
D/F#D/F#
G+G
E7E7 All ..
C majorC
A augmentedA
Asus4Asus4
A augmentedA
Asus2Asus2
A augmentedA Just .. .
G+G
A augmentedA
D MajorD
G/AG/A F--------------------------------2---------------------------0--0-- C-----2---2-2---2---2-----0----4---4-----0---0-0---0-0-------2--2-- A-----1---1-1---1-------0------3-----3---0---0-0---0-0-------1--1-- D-----3---3-3---3------------------------3---3-3---3-3------------- Bb----0---0-0---0------------------------------------------2-2--2-- F----------------------------------------0---0-0---0-0------------ VERSE 3: --------- (For the standard tuning acoustic, use the G,E7 and
A augmentedA shapes which are higher up the neck - I've marked them below with a '*' )
D MajorD G* So I ... E7* Went .. There .. A* G*
D MajorD Reading ..
D MajorD G* They .. G* E7* I .. A* Just .. G* And .. CHORUS: --------
G+G
Gsus4Gsus4
G+G To ...
D MajorD California
B7B7 B7/F# I'm..
B7B7
G+G Oh ..
D/F#D/F# Strung ..
A7A7
D MajorD California ..
D MajorD
Gmaj7Gmaj7
D MajorD
Dsus4Dsus4
D MajorD E--0h2p0--------2---2--0-----2----2---3---2----------- B--3-----3---3--3---3--3-----3----3---3---3----------- G----------2----4---4--4-----2----2---2---2----------- D----------------------------0----0---0---0----------- A---------------------------------------------------- E---------------3---3---------------------------------
D MajorD
E MajorE Oh ..
G+G When ..
D MajorD
A augmentedA And ..
E MajorE
G+G All ..
D MajorD
A augmentedA More ..
E MajorE
G+G Oh ..
D MajorD Will ..
A augmentedA
E MajorE Will ..
G+G
D MajorD
A augmentedA Mmm ...
E MajorE Take ........ Chord Shapes : -------------- Standard tuning (acoustic guitar part) REMEMBER - these are capoed at the 3rd fret EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE xx0232 3x0003 020100 x02020 3x0013 xx5433
D MajorD
G+G
E7E7
A7A7
Gsus4Gsus4 G* EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE x21202 x02220 2x023x x02230 x02200 2x0230
B7B7
A augmentedA
D/F#D/F#
Asus4Asus4
Asus2Asus2 Dsus2/F# EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE x32010 x02030 x0543x x0200x 2x120x xx2434
C majorC
A7sus4A7sus4
G/AG/A Em/A B7/F# E7* EADGBE xx7655 A* Alternative tuning (Dulcimer part) ----------------------------------- Just to keep things simple I'll keep the same chord names as for the standard tuning guitar part. In actual fact, the dulcimer chords are all in F, but since the acoustic guitar is played in
D MajorD with a capo on the 3rd fret, it's also effectively playing in F, although all the chord names are written in D. So to make it easy (I hope!) I'll write all the chords as though it were in D. If you can't understand what the fuck I'm on about, mail me and I'll try to explain. I havn't tabbed all the chords, but these are the basic ones. (I'll write 'b' for the
Bb majorBb string to save space) FbDACF FbDACF FbDACF FbDACF FbDACF FbDACF 023000 xx3354 x03120 x03555 243222 x22102
D MajorD
D MajorD
G+G
G+G
E7E7
A7A7 FbDACF FbDACF FbDACF FbDACF xx0321 x03130 4x3000 x2x120
B7B7
Gsus4Gsus4
D/F#D/F#
G/AG/A
Other versions of California
Alternative guitar chords and tabs for California by Joni Mitchell
Version | Type |
---|---|
California | Chords |