HOT TUNA - "hesitation blues" Tablature
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HESITATION BLUES (trad., after J. Kaukonnen, as recorded on the LP
"Hot Tuna", ca. 1972). Tab by Tim Keenan
This is in response to a request last week. It is a great country
blues tune, in "swung" 4/4, i.e. every quarter is subdivided in 3
(or you can think of it as 12/8, if you'd rather). When this sort
of thing is written down, it is traditionally written as dotted
time, but the eighth note is really only 1/3 of a quarter note, not
1/2. Clear as mud? Count it as ah 1 and ah 2 and ah 3 and ah 4,
with all syllables the same length, and you'll do fine. Quarter
notes are at a normal walking speed.
Notes:
1. Low notes, on the beat, are always played by the thumb
2. I use the chord positions marked above the tab to play all the
other notes--just use the most obvious convenient finger within
the chord (or nearby) to fret the tabbed notes
3.
/= 1-fret rising slur, //= 2, etc.
^= 1/2 tone push
x= damped note
h= hammer on
!= Broken chord (rapid arpeggio, bass>treble)
==== sustained note
4. The vamp in the first line shows h's before the treble notes in the
Am and E7 chords: these are hammered on on the beat, but not plucked.
5. There are probably some errors-- if it doesn't sound right, you'll
know. It is pretty obvious, once you get the feel. I never play it
exactly the same, two verses running, so this is just a template.
I'm not at all sure of the first line of that last verse, but it's
my best guess. I'd be happy to hear alternate "translations".
Tim Keenan
Department of Forest Resources
UNIVERSITY OF NEW BRUNSWICK
I hope someone enjoys this--let me know.
Am E7 Am E7
e-----|-----------------O-------|-----------------O-------
B-----|h1x----1-----O---3-------|h1x----1-----O---3-------
G---O-|h2x----2---Oh1---------O-|h2x----2---Oh1---------O-
D-----|h2x----2----h2-----2-----|h2x----2----h2-----2-----
A-----|-Ox---------h2-----------|-Ox---------h2-----------
E-----|-------------O-----------|-------------O-----------
4 + a 1 + a 2 + a 3 + a 4 + a 1 + a 2 + a 3 + a 4 + a
a ..
Am E C C7
|-----------------O-1---2-|!3---O-------------------
|h1x----1-----O-----------|!1-----1---------3-1-----
|h2x----2---Oh1---------O-|!O---------4-3---------O-
|h2x----2----h2-----2-----|-------2-----------2-----
|-Ox---------h2-----------|!3-----------3-----------
|-------------O-----------|-------------------------
1 + a 2 + a 3 + a 4 + a 1 + a 2 + a 3 + a 4 + a
I ..
Chorus:
F F F F
e|-------------------------|-------------------------
B|-1x----3x----3^====3---1====x----3x----3^====3---1-
G|-2x----2x----------2---2====x----2x----------2---2-
D|-3x----------3-----------|-3x----------3-----------
A|-------------------------|-------------------------
E|-------------------------|-------------------------
1 + a 2 + a 3 + a 4 + a 1 + a 2 + a 3 + a 4 + a
How ..
C7 C7
e|-------------------------|-------------------------
B|-------1x----------------|-1x----------------------
G|-------3x----2-/-3====x--|-3x----2-/-3====---------
D|-------2x----1-/-2====x--|-2x----1-/-2====---------
A|-3x----------2-/-3====x3x|-------2-/-3====--------- OR:-----O---1--|-2
E|-------------------------|-----------------O-1---2- ---3--------|--
1 + a 2 + a 3 + a 4 + a 1 + a 2 + a 3 + a 4 + a a 4 + a
G7 G7
e|-------1---------1-------|-------------------------
B|-----------3-------------|-----------5-4-----3-----
G|-----O-----------------O-|-----O-----------O-----O-
D|-------O-----------O-----|-----//5-----4-----3-----
A|-------------------------|-------------------------
E|-3x----------3-----------|-3-----------------------
1 + a 2 + a 3 + a 4 + a 1 + a 2 + a 3 + a 4 + a
Can I ..
C C7 F Fm6 C G7
e|-------------------------|-----------1===========--
B|-----1-------1-----1-----|-1---------O===========--
G|-------3-----2-----1-----|-O---O-----O===========--
D|-------2-----3-----O-----|-------------O-----------
A|-3-----------------------|-3-----------------------
E|-------------------------|-------3-----------3-----
1 + a 2 + a 3 + a 4 + a 1 + a 2 + a 3 + a 4 + a
-tate?
Well, ..
You ..--
(Chorus)
If ..,
You ..
(Chorus)
Rocks ..
knows ..
(Chorus)
Well..
Lord..
How ..
Can ..
Said..
This musical interpretation has been removed due to a legal threat from Moses & Singer LLP,
representing the National Music Publishers' Association (NMPA) and
The Music Publisher's Association of the United States (MPA).
Unfortunately, these threats are fueled by greed and being masked by a "copyright infringement." They claim tab sites are
"hurting the songwriters," but it's a known fact that the publishing companies garner most of the
revenue. Instead, they would prefer you to purchase the
official HOT TUNA tablature
which is an option we've always given our users. And due to the highly error-prone nature of tabs on the internet, many choose to go this route.
These companies also do not realize that tablature sites help to promote their artists.
For more information on this onslaught, you can read the
NY Times Article.
We hope one of the larger tablature sites will have the money to fight this. Until then, we urge you all to keep tabbing songs and sharing them in any way you can.
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