Desperate Man Blues Tabs

Guitar lessons | Add/correct | Request | Top 50 tabs
Artists: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 0-9
Desperate Man Blues Guitar Tabs by Fahey John

Buy CD | Buy sheet music | Buy posters
Hi All,

Here's one of my favourite Fahey tunes.  I think it's one of
his first and is more melodic and less bizarre than others.
Fahey indicated in his liner notes that he used a bass string
tuned to G in unison with the second string but I couldn't work
that out.  Maybe he it to maintain an alternate base picking
pattern during the first half instead of the one string bass
pattern I've shown here.

Take note of the ghost notes ().  These seem to be done by
hammering or sliding up the neck on the first or third beat
of the bar.  They add alot to the song.

Hope you enjoy it.  If you have any questions or corrections,
please email me.  I'm a bit iffy about parts.  It's available
on the Rhino Records double CD or one of the Blind Joe death
compilations.

Damien Batstone
damienb@cheque.uq.edu.au

		DESPARATE MAN BLUES
		JOHN FAHEY


d|2-------------------2-----------3-----------2-------------------|
B|1-----------1---------------1------1----------------1-----------|
G|----------------------------------------------------------------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .

d|0-------------------------------------------------------0-------|
B|0-----------------------0-----------------------0-------0-------|
G|--------------------------------0-------------------------------|
D|------------------------0-------5-------5-------0---------------|
G|0-------0-------0---------------------------------------0-------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .

d|--------2-----------2-----------3-----------2-------------------|
B|(1)---------1---------------1-------1---------------1-----------|
G|---------------------------------------(0)----------------------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .

d|0-------------------------------0-------------------0-----------|
B|0-----------------------0-------0-----------0--------------(0)--|
G|------------------------0---------------------------------------|
D|------------------------------------------------0---------------|
G|0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0---------------0-------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .

d|--------2-----------2-----------3-----------2-------------------|
B|------------1---------------1-------1---------------1-----------|
G|---------------------------------------(0)----------------------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .

d|0---------------------------------------------------------------|
B|0-----------------------0---------------------------------------|
G|--------------------------------0-----------------------0-------|
D|------------------------------------------------0--h2-----------|
G|0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-----------------------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .


start A
  vvv                              v
d|----------------------------------------------------------------|
B|----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|3---------------0-------------------------------0---------------|
D|--------------------------------2-------------------------------|
G|--------0---------------0---------------0---------------0-------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .

d|----------------------------------------------------------------|
B|----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|3---------------------------------------------------------------|
D|------------0-------0-------0-------3-------3-------3-------3---|
G|--------0-------0-------0-------3-------3-------3-------3-------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .

d|----------------------------------------------------------------|
B|----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|3-----------0---------------------------0-------------------0---|
D|----0---------------------------0--h2---------------0--h2-------|
G|0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .


                                  * End A
d|----------------------------------------------------------------|
B|----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|----------------------------0-----------------------------------|
D|--------------------0--h2-----------------------0--h2-----------|
G|0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .

Repeat A;                  d|----------------------------------|
                   B|------------0-----------------------------|
                   G|------------------------------------------|
                   D|------------------------------------------|
                   G|0-------0-------0-------0-----------------|
                   D|------------------------------------------|
  		  		     3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .

Repeat from start

                     d|----------------------------------|
                   B|------------0-----------------------|
                   G|--------------------0---------------|
                   D|--------------------0---------------|
                   G|0-------0-------0-------0-----------|
                   D|------------------------------------|
  		  		     3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .
(B)

d|--------2-----------2-----------2-------------------2-----------|
B|--------1---1---------------1---------------1--h3-----------0---|
G|------------------------------------------------------------0---|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .

d|0-------------------------------0-------------------0-----------|
B|0-----------------------0-------0-----------0-------0-----------|
G|------------------------0-------------------0-------------------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .

d|--------2-----------2-----------2-------------------2-----------|
B|(1)-----1---1---------------1-------------------3---------------|
G|----------------------------------------------------------------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .

d|(5)-----5---------------5-------5-------------------0-----------|
B|(3)-----3---------------3-------3-----------3-------------------|
G|----------------------------------------------------------------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .

Repeat from B

d|------------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-----------|
B|--------3---------------------------------------------------0---|
G|----------------------------------------------------------------|
D|--------0---------------0---------------0---------------0-------|
G|5---------------5---------------5---------------5---------------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .


d|0-------------------------------0-------------------0-----------|
B|0-----------------------0-------0-----------0-------0-----------|
G|------------------------0-------------------0-------------------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .

Repeat last two bars

d|--------------------------------7-----------7-------------------|
B|---------------------------(8)------7---------------7-----------|
G|--------7---h9------7--h9---------------7---------------7-------|
D|0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------|
G|----------------------------------------------------------------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .

d|5-------------------------------0-------------------0-----------|
B|3-----------------------0-------0-----------0-------0-----------|
G|------------------------0-------------------0-------------------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .

d|--------------------------------7-----------7-------------------|
B|---------------------------(8)------7---------------7-----------|
G|--------7---h9------7--h9---------------7---------------7-------|
D|0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------|
G|----------------------------------------------------------------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .

d|5-----------------------5-------5-------------------0-----------|
B|3-----------------------3-------3-----------0-------0-----------|
G|--------------------------------------------0-------------------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .
Next bar 3/4 timing
Start C
d|------------5---------------5---------------4---|
B|----5---------------5---------------5-------3---|
G|------------------------------------------------|
D|--------5---------------5---------------5-------|
G|5---------------5---------------5---------------|
D|------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .

d|s5--5-----------5---------------5-----------5---5---------------|
B|----3-----------3---------------3-----------3---3-------3--p0---|
G|----------------------------------------------------------------|
D|--------0---------------0---------------0---------------0-------|
G|0---------------0---------------0---------------0---------------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .
End C
Repeat C
d|------------7---------------7----------10-------9--p8-----------|
B|----7---------------7-------------------------------------------|
G|----------------------------------------------------------------|
D|--------7---------------7---------------7---------------7-------|
G|7---------------7---------------7---------------7---------------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .

Repeat C
Repear second bar of C
(D)
d|--------0-----------0-------------------0-----------0-----------|
B|3-----------3-----------3-------2-----------2-----------2-------|
G|----------------------------------------------------------------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .

d|--------0-----------0-------------------------------------------|
B|1-----------1-----------1-------0-------------------3-------0---|
G|----------------------------------------------------------------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------|
D|----------------------------------------------------------------|
  1   .   .   .   2   .   .   .   3   .   .   .   4   .   .   .

Repeat Last two bars
Play from start through to second repeat of A then from B
After reaching end play from start of C to start of D slowing and
finishing.
Popular Fahey John tabs and chords

Desperate Man Blues 1 Tabs
In Christ There Is Tabs
In Christ There Is 1 Tabs
Joe Kirby Blues Tabs
Joe Kirby Blues 1 Tabs
Sligo River Blues Tabs
Sligo River Blues 1 Tabs
The Yellow Princess Tabs
The Yellow Princess 1 Tabs
Comments

Music video
Links
Share
↑ Back to top | Tablatures and chords are parodies/interpretations of the original songs. You may use it for private study, scholarship, research or language learning purposes only