Tabs
Here's John Prine's All The Best from the album The Missing Years.
This is my first attempt at writing tablature, so please forgive
any mistakes.
John Prine was on the Larry King radio show several years back.
This transcription is based on that night's solo performance of
All The Best. I chose that version because it was easier to hear
his guitar. For the most part, it matches The Missing Years.
A augmentedA couple of comments about the song. First, standard open chord
fingerings for D, A, and 
E MajorE are all used, but the main trick to
this song is a variation of an open A augmentedA chord followed by a hammer-on
which forms the next chord, a 
D MajorD with an A augmentedA bass (
D/AD/A).
A augmentedA -> D/AD/A
------ ------
1 1
------ ------
XO111X 2 X0 1 x 2
------ ------
3 2 3
------ ------
4 3 4
------ ------
Next, fingerpicking. If you're new to this, you might want to
practice by playing various patterns while going through a few
chord changes. If you haven't yet learned to fingerpick, it's
well worth the effort. A augmentedA nice thing about fingerpicking is that
you can fret strings that aren't really part of a chord if you
find that convenient. Just avoid sounding those strings when
you're fingerpicking. A augmentedA good example is the alternate A augmentedA and D/AD/A
fingering above. I fret the high-E at the third fret (as part of
the index finger barre), but don't pick that string.
The tab will pretty much show you the notes, but there are a
number of places where you'll need to rely on your ears for
timing. There are several parts, such as the hammer-on chord
transition, that have kind of a roll feel to them. I think
all the notes are there, but you'll need your ears for the
phrasing. In this song, I pick all of the notes on the low-E, A,
and D MajorD strings with my thumb. My index finger picks the notes on
the 
G+G string, my middle finger picks 
BB string notes and my ring
finger gets the notes on the high-E. That's just a suggestion,
and you may find it easier to do it differently.
This song is really not all that hard once you learn it. It's
one of the few I can usually play all the way through without
messing up. Standard tuning, capo on the third fret to match the
album (second fret for the Larry King performance), and the tab
is relative to the capo. I put the chords at the top of the tab
to help with the left hand fingering. Also, I marked a note (in
a couple of places) with an asterisk. While learning the song,
it might help you to think of that note as starting a 5-note
phrase. It definitely helped me when I was first trying to
figure out the song.
That's about it. If some parts don't sound right to your ears,
you may want to leave out or add a note or two. Also, the A augmentedA to
D/AD/A hammer-on part might make your left hand cramp at first. It
takes some time, but if you stick with it, it'll eventually stop.
(Capo at 3rd fret)
Intro (very similar to verse):
A augmentedA D/AD/A A augmentedA
|---------------------------------|-------------------------------
|------------2--------------2-----|-----------3-----2-------------
|-----2--2------------2-----------|-----2--------------------2----
|--------2------2--------2--------|--2*----------4-----2----------
|-----0------0-----0-----------0--|--------0--------0-----0-------
|---------------------------------|-------------------------------
D/AD/A A augmentedA E MajorE
---------|-----------------------------------|-----------0----------
---2-----|-----------3-----2--------------2--|----------------------
---------|-----2--------------------2--------|-----1-----------1----
2--------|--2-----------4-----2--------2-----|--------2-------------
------0--|--------0--------0-----0-----------|----------------------
---------|-----------------------------------|--0-----------0-------
A augmentedA D/AD/A A augmentedA
---------------------|
---0--------3--3--2--|
---------------------|
2--------2-----4-----|
------0-----0-----0--|
---------------------|
Verse/chorus:
Well, I
wish you love ...
A augmentedA D/AD/A A augmentedA
|--------------------|--------------------------------------|-------
|--------------------|-----------3-----2--------------2-----|-------
|--------------------|-----2--------------------2-----------|-------
|--------------------|--2*----------4-----2--------2--------|--2----
|--------------0-----|--------0--------0-----0-----------0--|-------
|--------------------|--------------------------------------|-------
I guess I ...
D/AD/A A augmentedA E MajorE
------------------------------|--------------------|-----------0----
------3-----2--------------2--|-----------------2--|----------------
2--------------------2--------|-----2-----2--------|-----1----------
---------4-----2--------2-----|-----2--------2-----|--------2-------
---0--------0-----0-----------|--0-----0-----------|----------------
------------------------------|--------------------|--0-------------
the best And I ...
A augmentedA D/AD/A A augmentedA D/AD/A A augmentedA
---------------------------------------------|----------------------
------------------3--3--2--------------2-----|-----------3-----2----
---1-----------------------------2-----------|-----2----------------
------2--------2-----4-----0--------2--------|--2-----------4-------
------------0-----0-----0-----0-----------0--|--------0--------0----
0--------------------------------------------|----------------------
don't do like I ...
D/AD/A A augmentedA
------------------|--------------------------------------|----------
------------2-----|-----------3-----2--------------2-----|----------
------2-----------|-----2--------------------2-----------|-----2----
2--------2--------|--2-----------4-----2--------2--------|-----2----
---0-----------0--|--------0--------0-----0--------------|--0-------
------------------|--------------------------------------|----------
love with someone ...
E MajorE A augmentedA D/AD/A
------------------|-----------0--------------|-----------------|
------------------|--------------------------|--------3--3--2--|
---------2--------|-----1-----------1--------|-----------------|
------------2-----|--------2-----------2-----|-----2-----4-----|
------0-----------|--------------------------|--0-----0-----0--|
------------------|--0-----------0-----------|-----------------|
Cause if
you fell ...
NC D MajorD A augmentedA (standard)
------------2-----------2-----------------------|-------------------
------------3-----------------------3-----2-----|-------------------
------------2-----2-----------2-----------------|-----2-----2-------
---------0-----------0-----------0-----------0--|-----2--------2----
0--2--4--------0-----------0-----------0--------|--0-----0----------
------------------------------------------------|-------------------
you'd prob'ly walk around ....
0-----------------------|-----------------0-------------------------
------------------------|-------------------------------------------
------2-----2-----2-----|-----2-----2-----------2-----2-----2-------
---------2-----------2--|-----2--------2-----------2-----------2----
---0-----------0--------|--0-----0-----------0-----------0----------
------------------------|-------------------------------------------
kid Ah, but kids ...
E MajorE A augmentedA D/AD/A A augmentedA
|-----------0-----------------------0-----------|-------------------
|-----------------------0-----------------------|--------3--3--2----
|-----1-----------1-----------1-----------1-----|-------------------
|--------2-----------2-----------2-----------2--|-----2-----4-------
|--------------0--------------------------------|--0-----0-----0----
|--0-----------------------0-----------0--------|-------------------
they can only guess ....
D/AD/A A augmentedA
------------------|-----------------------------------|-------------
------------2-----|-----------3-----2--------------2--|-------------
------2-----------|-----2--------------------2--------|-----2-------
0--------2--------|--2-----------4-----2--------2-----|--------2----
---0-----------0--|--------0--------0-----0-----------|--0----------
------------------|-----------------------------------|-------------
to wish you happi ness
E MajorE A augmentedA D/AD/A A augmentedA
---------------------------------|-------------------|----------------|
2--------------------------------|--------3--3--2----|--------2-------|
------2-----2-----1--------1-----|-------------------|----2-----------|
---------2--------2-----------2--|-----2-----4-----2-|------2---------|
---0-----------------------------|--0-----0-----0----|--0--------0----|
---------------0--------0--------|-------------------|----------------|
If you have any comments, improvements, suggestions, etc., please
e-mail me at [email protected].
