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John Fahey : "Desperate man blues" Guitar tabs

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Here is the Guitar tabs for "Desperate man blues" by John Fahey. To get the complete songlist of this band please visit the John Fahey guitar tabs archive for guitar tabs, bass tabs and chords. We also have a review section with John Fahey CD reviews. Please help us to build our bass and guitar tabs archive, submit missing John Fahey tabs here. You will find a printer friendly version of John Fahey: Desperate man blues Guitar tabs here

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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. 

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