Tabbed by Jamie Phillips (jamiephillips22@hotmail.com)
Artist: Bert Jansch
Track title: Bird Song
Album: Rosemary Lane
Tuning: DADGAD (detuned a semitone on recording)
This is one of Berts best songs, an absolute gem; Bert at his finest. Play it gently.
Watch out for the rhythm and timing, the bars are of differing lengths and particularly
watch for the change into 3/8 and then a bar of 7/8. The asterisks indicate the beats;
if you're familiar with the song it will flow naturally. Here I've tabbed out the
instrumental break which is basically the same as the verse, although on some verses he
misses out the bar of 7/8 and adds another bar of 4/4. You should be able to pick out
the structure from the record easily enough. There are a few fingering changes you could make to suit your fingers best if you like. Enjoy! :o)
Rhythm: Various (2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, 3/8, 7/8)
Intro:
Beat:* * * * * * * *
D||--------------------------|-----0--------0-----------|
A||-----9--------7--0--------|--------------------------|
G||--7--------5-----------0--|--2--------2--------2-----|
D||--------------------4-----|--0--------0--------0-----|
A||--------------------------|--------------------------|
D||--------0-----------------|--------0--------0-----0--|
Verse:
* * * * * * *
D--------------0-----------|-----------------------|
A--------------------0-----|--------------0h2p0----|
G-----0-----2--------------|--------------------0--|
D--4-----------------------|-----0-----------------|
A--------------------------|--3--------2-----------|
D--------0--------0-----0--|--------0--------------|
* * * * * * * * * *
D-----------------------------|---------------|--------------------------|
A-----0--------0--2p0---------|---------------|--------------------------|
G--2--------2---------2-0-----|--0------------|--------------0-----------|
D--------------------------4--|--2--2---2--0--|-----7-----7--------------|
A--0--------------------------|-------0-------|--9-----------------9-----|
D--------0--------------------|---------------|--------0--------0-----0--|
* * * * * * * * *
D------------------0------------------|--------------------------|
A--------------3h5----5p3----4h5p4p0--|--------------------------|
G-----4-------------------4-----------|--------------0-----2-----|
D--0--------0-------------------------|-----7-----0--------4-----|
A----------------------------7--------|--9-----------------------|
D--------5----------------------------|--------0--------0-----0--|
* * * * * * * *
D------------------2---------|------------------0---------|
A--------------2h4----4p2----|--------------0h2----2p0----|
G-----2-------------------2--|-----0-------------------0--|
D--2--------2----------------|--0--------0----------------|
A--------0-------------------|----------------------------|
D----------------------------|--------5-------------------|
3/8
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
D-----------------|-----0-----|-----------|-----0-----|-----------|
A--0h-2p0---------|--0--------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
G--2------2-0-----|--2--------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
D--0-----------4--|-----------|-----5p-4--|--0--------|-----5p-4--|
A-----------------|-----------|--3--------|--2--------|-----------|
D-----------------|--------0--|-----------|--------0--|--5--------|
7/8 4/4
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
D-----0-----|----------------------------|--------------------------|
A-----0-----|----------------------------|--------------------------|
G--2--------|--2---4---5---4---2---0-----|-----2--------2-----------|
D--0--------|--4p0-5p0-7p0-5p0-4p0-2-----|--0--------0--------0-----|
A-----------|-------------------------3--|--------------------------|
D--------0--|----------------------------|--------0--------0-----0--|
Ending:
* * * * * * * *
D--------------------------|-----0--------0-----------|
A-----9--------7-----------|--0--------0--------0-----|
G-/7--------5-----------0--|--2--------2--------2-----|
D--------------------7-----|--0--------0--------0-----|
A--------------------------|--------------------------|
D--------0--------0--------|--------0--------0-----0--|
* * * * * * * *
D--------------------------|-----0--------0-----------|
A-----9--------7-----------|--0--------0--------0-----|
G-/7--------5-----------0--|--2--------2--------2-----|
D--------------------7-----|--0--------0--------0-----|
A--------------------------|--------------------------|
D--------0--------0--------|--------0--------0-----0--|
* * * * * * * *
D--------------------------|-----0--------0-----------|
A-----9--------7-----------|--0--------0--------0-----|
G-/7--------5-----------0--|--2--------2--------2-----|
D--------------------7-----|--0--------0--------0-----|
A--------------------------|--------------------------|
D--------0--------0--------|--------0--------0-----0--|
* * * * * * * * * * *
D--------------------------|-----0--------0-----------|-------------------|
A-----9--------7-----------|--0--------0--------------|-------------------|
G-/7--------5--------0-----|--2--------2--------------|-------------------|
D-----------------7-----0--|--0--------0--------0-----|-----0-------------|
A--------------------------|--------------------------|--3----------3-----|
D--------0-----------------|--------0--------0-----0--|----------0-----0--|
* * * *
D--------------------------|-------------------||
A--------------------------|-------------------||
G--------------------------|-------------------||
D-----0--------0-----------|--6b7--------------||
A--2--------2-------2p0----|--5----------------||
D--------0--------------0--|--0----------------||
TAB guide: h = hammer on, p = pull off
/ = slide into from below
