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Purple Rain Tab by Prince

Purple Rain tab by Prince

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Guitar Tab

PRINCE: Purple Rain
===================

Used chords are:

C major [C]

|---|---|---|---|---
|-1-|---|---|---|---
|---|---|---|---|---
|---|-2-|---|---|---
|---|---|-3-|---|---
|---|---|---|---|---

A minor 7 [Am7]
|---|---|---|---|---
|-1-|---|---|---|---
|---|---|---|---|---
|---|-2-|---|---|---
|---|---|---|---|---
|---|---|---|---|---

G major [G]

|---|---|-4-|---|---
|---|---|---|---|---
|---|---|---|---|---
|---|---|---|---|---
|---|-1-|---|---|---
|---|---|-2-|---|---

F major [F]

|-1-|---|---|---|---          |-1-|---|---|---|---
|-1-|---|---|---|---          |-1-|---|---|---|---
|-1-|-2-|---|---|---    or    |---|-2-|---|---|---
|-1-|---|-4-|---|---          |---|---|-4-|---|---
|-1-|---|-3-|---|---          |---|---|-3-|---|---
|-1-|---|---|---|---          |---|---|---|---|--- x

F major 4 [F4]

|-1-|---|---|---|---          |-1-|---|---|---|---
|-1-|---|---|---|---          |-1-|---|---|---|---
|-1-|---|-4-|---|---    or    |---|---|-4-|---|---
|-1-|---|-3-|---|---          |---|---|-3-|---|---
|-1-|---|---|---|--- x        |---|---|---|---|--- x
|-1-|---|---|---|---          |---|---|---|---|--- x

Intro: C, C, Am7, Am7, G, G, F, F

Lyrics:

1. [C] I ..[Am7] sorrow.
   [G] I .. [F] pain. [F4]
   [C] I ..[Am7] laughing.
   I [G] ..
   in ..[C] rain.

R. Purple ..[F] rain. [F4]
   [F] Purple ..[C] rain.
   [Am7] Purple ..[G] rain.
   I only want to see you baby
   In the purple [C] rain.

2. I ..[C] lover. [Am7]
   [G] I ..[F]friend, hey. [F4]
   [C] Baby ..an[Am7]other.
   [G] Such ..[C] end.

R. Purple ..[F] rain. [F4]
   [F] Purple ..[C] rain.
   [Am7] Purple ..purple [G] rain.
   I ...
   In ..[C] rain.

3. Honey ..[C] changin’. [Am7]
   [G] It’s ..[F] new.
   That ..[F4]
   [C] ...
   [Am7] But ....
   I ..[G] it.
   And ...[C] rain.

R. Purple ..[F] rain. [F4]
   [F] Purple ..[C] rain.
   (Whew! ..
   Help ..[Am7] come ..
Purple ...
   I ...
   In ..] rain.



A simple playing technique:

 C                 Am7               G
|-------0|-----0--|-------0|-----0--|-------3|-----3--|
|1---1--1|1-1--11-|1---1--1|1-1--11-|-------0|-----0--|
|0---0---|0-0---0-|0---0---|0-0---0-|0---0---|0-0---0-|
|2---2---|2-2---2-|2---2---|2-2---2-|0---0---|0-0---0-|
|3---3---|3-3---3-|0---0---|0-0---0-|2---2---|2-2---2-|
|--------|--------|--------|--------|3---3---|3-3---3-|

 F              F4 G                          C
|-------1|------0-|---3----|---3----|---3----|--------|--------|
|1---1--1|1-1---11|---0----|---0----|---0----|1-------|--------|
|2---2---|2-2----3|0---0---|0---0---|0---0---|0-------|--------|
|3---3---|3-3----3|0---0---|0---0---|0---0---|2-------|--------|
|3---3---|3-3-----|2---2-2-|2---2-2-|2---2-2-|3-------|--------|
|--------|--------|3---3-3-|3---3-3-|3---3-3-|--------|--------|
                                              |_______________|


A picking pattern

 C        Am7      G        F        F4
|-----0--|-----0--|-----3--|-----1--|-----1--|
|----1-1-|----1-1-|----0-0-|----1-1-|----1-1-|
|---0---0|---0---0|---0---0|---2---2|---3---3|
|--2-----|--2-----|--0-----|--3-----|--3-----|
|3-------|0-------|--------|--------|--------|
|--------|--------|3-------|1-------|1-------|


The original technique used by PRINCE:

You need the following additional chords:

C major 9 [C9]

|---|---|---|---|---
|-1-|---|---|---|---
|---|---|---|---|---
|---|---|---|---|---
|---|---|-3-|---|---
|---|---|---|---|---

A minor 7/4 [Am74]

|---|---|---|---|---
|-1-|---|---|---|---
|---|---|---|---|---
|---|---|---|---|---
|---|---|---|---|---
|---|---|---|---|---

F major 9 [F9]

|-1-|---|---|---|---
|-1-|---|---|---|---
|-1-|---|---|---|---
|-1-|---|-4-|---|---
|-1-|---|-3-|---|---
|-1-|---|---|---|---



 C9                Am74 Am7     Am74 G
|--------|--------|-------0|-----0--|-------3|-----3--|
|1-------|--------|1---1--1|1-1--11-|-------0|-----0--|
|0-------|--------|0---0---|0-0---0-|0---0---|0-0---0-|
|0-------|--------|02--2---|2-2---0-|0---0---|0-0---0-|
|3-------|--------|0---0---|0-0---0-|2---2---|2-2---2-|
|--------|--------|--------|--------|03--3---|3-3---3-|
 |_______________|

 F9       F  F4 F  G                          C
|-------1|---1-1--|-------3|-------3|-------3|--------|
|1------1|1--1111-|-------0|-------0|-------0|1-------|
|0-------|02--2-2-|0---0-0-|0---0-0-|0---0-0-|0-------|
|3-------|3---3-3-|0---0-0-|0---0-0-|0---0-0-|2-------|
|3-------|3---3-3-|2-2-2---|2-2-2---|2-2-2---|3-------|
|--------|--------|3-3-3---|3-3-3---|3-3-3---|--------|


Refrain:

 C        F        F4       F        F        C9
|--------|-------1|-----1--|--------|--------|-------0|-----0--|
|1-------|1---1--1|1-1--11-|1---1---|1---1---|1---1--1|1-1--11-|
|0-------|2---2---|3-3---3-|2---2---|2---2---|0---0---|0-0---0-|
|2-------|3---3---|3-3---3-|3---3---|3---3---|0---0---|0-0---0-|
|3-------|3---3---|--------|3---3---|3---3---|3---3---|3-3---3-|
|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|

                    {------3x-------}
 Am7                G                           C
|-------0|-----0--||-------3|-----3--||--------|--------|--------|
|1---1--1|1-1--11-||-------0|-----0--||--------|1-------|--------|
|0---0---|0-0---0-||0---0---|0-0---0-||0---0---|0-------|--------|
|2---2---|2-2---2-||0---0---|0-0---0-||0---0---|2-------|--------|
|0---0---|0-0---0-||2---2---|2-2---2-||2---2---|3-------|--------|
|--------|--------||3---3---|3-3---3-||3---3---|--------|--------|
                                                |_______________|

Hint: Prince plays this in B major. If you want to play it together
      with the LP, you should tune your guitar down one step.

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About this song

"Purple Rain" by Prince is the title track from his sixth studio album, released in 1984. The song features a soaring guitar solo at the end, showcasing Prince's virtuosic playing. The Revolution, Prince's backing band, contributed to the song's lush instrumentation and emotional impact. "Purple Rain" won two Grammy Awards and is considered one of Prince's signature songs. The song's iconic performance at the 1985 American Music Awards helped solidify Prince's status as a musical legend.