• Song:

    Prelude No 1 In C-major Well Tempered Clavier

  • Artist:

    Bach, Johann Sebastian

Transcribed, tabbed and improved by Tom Mitterfellner

When I started playing the guitar I transcribed this piece originally
written for the piano to the guitar and submitted it to the Online Guitar
Archive (OLGA). This was many, many years ago. I must say, I did a lousy
job back then. The idea using a bass in addition to the guitar was quite 
stupid. In this version, the sections where in the former version I had
indicated you'd need a bass guitar, are now transposed upwards, so you
can play everything on the guitar.

Also, I changed some fingerings. Now, using some barr? technique, the fingerings 
should be much easier than in the first version, although you need good stretching 
for some measures (e.g. 15, 31).
 
Colon(s) : above a note will indicate that you should use your finger 
barr?-like (e.g. laying it over more than one  string, much like a capo 
[or a "partial capo"]). For some measures I indicated you should keep 
the barr? finger in that position for the following measure(s). 
In one measure (#22), you should to use your thumb (T); this fingering is 
quite awkward, but I couldn't find a better one in which you can have the 
lowest note ringing, which I deem important there.

Additionally, I named the chords the plucked notes make up above the tab.

Dropped d-Tuning seemed suitable to me (low to high: D A D G B E)
All fingerings are suggestions I feel quite comfy with.

Funny tip: instead of rattling that piece off boringly like it's heard 
           everywhere (e.g. pronounced on 1 and 5, or not pronounced at
           all), try pronouncing the notes on beats 1, 4 and 7, with a 
           pseudo-triplet feel. When doing this, prononce the two measures
	   before the last like indicated by >. Sounds really interesting! 

Here we go ... hope you enjoy! (more than the previous version)

        C                Dm7/C            G7/B              C
e----||---------0-----0|-------:-1---:-1|---------1-----1|---------0-----0||
B----||-------1-----1--|-------1-----1--|-------3-----3--|-------1-----1--||
G----||-----0-----0----|-----2-----2----|-----0-----0----|-----0-----0----||
D----||---2------------|---0------------|---0------------|---2------------||
A----||-3--------------|-3--------------|-2--------------|-3--------------||
D----||----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------||
Finger: 3 2 - 1 - - 1 -  3 - 2 1 1 2 1 1  2 - - 4 1 - 4 1  3 2 - 1 - - 1 - 
Note:   c e g c e g c e  c d a d f a d f  b d g d f g d f  c e g c e g c e
Measure:1                2                3                4 

        Am/C             D7/C             G/B              C7M/B
e----||-------:-5---:-5|----------------|---------3-----3|----------------||
B----||-------5-----5--|---------3-----3|-------3-----3--|---------1-----1||
G----||---:-2-----2----|-------2-----2--|-----0-----0----|-------0-----0--||
D----||---2------------|---0-4-----4----|---0------------|-----2-----2----||
A----||-3--------------|-3--------------|-2--------------|-2-3------------||
D----||----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------||
Finger: 1 2 2 4 4 2 4 4  2 - 4 1 3 4 1 3  2 - - 3 4 - 3 4  2 3 2 - 1 2 - 1

Note:   c e a e a a e a  c d f#a d f#a d  b d g d g g d g  b c e g c e g c
Measure:5               6                7                8

        Am7              D7               G                G?dim7 
e----||----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------||
B----||---------1-----1|----------------|---------0-----0|----------------||
G----||-------0-----0--|---------5-----5|-------0-----0--|---------6-----6||
D----||-----2-----2----|-------4-----4--|-----0-----0----|-:-----5-----5--||
A----||-0-3------------|---0-5-----5----|---2------------|-:---7-----7----||
D----||----------------|-0--------------|-5--------------|-5-8------------||
Finger: - 3 2 - 1 2 - 1  - - 2 1 3 2 1 3  4 1 - - - - - -  1 4 3 1 2 3 1 2
Note:   a c e g c e g c  d a d f#c d f#c  g b d g b d g b  g a#e g c#e g c#
Measure:9               10               11               12

        Dm/F             F?dim7           C/E              F7M/E 
e----||----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------||
B----||---------3-----3|----------------|---------1-----1|----------------||
G----||-------2-----2--|---------4-----4|-------0-----0--|----------------||
D----||-----0-----0----|-------3---.-3--|----------------|---------3-----3||
A----||---0------------|-----5-----5----|-----3-----3----|-----0-3---0-3--||
D----||-3--------------|-3-6------------|-2-5------------|-2-3------------||
Finger: 2 - - 1 3 - 1 3  1 4 - 1 - - 1 -  1 4 2 - 1 2 - 1  1 2 - 3 4 - 3 4
Note:   f a d a d d a d  f g#d f b d f b  e g c g c c g c  e f a c f a c f
Measure:13              14               15               16

        Dm7              G7               C                C7M
e----||----------------|---------1-----1|---------0-----0|---------0-----0||
B----||----------------|-------0-----0--|-------1-----1--|-------1-----1--||
G----||----------------|-----0-----0----|-----0-----0----|---0-4-----4----||
D----||---------3-----3|---0------------|---2------------|----------------||
A----||-----0-3---0-3--|----------------|-3--------------|-3--------------||
D----||-0-3------------|-5--------------|----------------|----------------||
Finger: - 1 - 2 3 - 2 3  4 - - - 1 - - 1  3 2 - 1 - - 1 -  3 - 4 1 0 4 1 0 
Note:   d f a c f a c f  g d g b f g b f  c e g c e g c e  c g b c e b c e
Measure:17              18               19               20
                        Transposed upward from here

        F7M            F#?dim7          G#?dim7b11       G7 
e----||---------0-----0|----------------|----------------|----------------||
B----||-------1-----1--|---------4-----4|---:-----3-----3|---:-----3-----3||
G----||-----2-----2----|-----2-5---2-5--|---:-4-5---4-5--|---:---4-----4--||
D----||---3------------|----------------|---3------------|---3-5-----5----||
A----||----------------|---3------------|----------------|----------------||
D----||-3--------------|-4--------------|-6--------------|-5--------------||
Finger: 3 4 2 1 - 2 1 -  T 2 1 4 3 1 4 3  4 1 2 3 1 2 3 1  3 1 4 2 1 4 2 1
Note:   f f a c e a c e  f#c a c d#a c d# g#f b c d b c d  g f g b d g b d
Measure:21              22               23               24
                                            Keep barr? for next measure 

        C/G              G74           G                F#?dim7b9/G
e----||----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------||
B----||---------5-----5|---------6-----6|-------0-3---0-3|---------7-----7||
G----||-:-----5-----5--|-:-----5-----5--|-----0-----0----|-:-----5-----5--||
D----||-:---5-----5----|-:---5-----5----|---0------------|-:---7-----7----||
A----||-:-7------------|-:-5------------|----------------|-:-6------------||
D----||-5--------------|-5--------------|-5--------------|-5--------------||
Finger: 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1  1 1 1 1 2 1 1 2  4 - - - 1 - - 1  1 2 3 1 4 3 1 4
Note:   g e g c e g c e  g d g c f g c f  g d g b d g b d  g d#a c f#a c f#
Measure:25              26               27               28
        Keep barr? fnm.                                   Keep barr? fnm.

        C/G              G74           G7               C7 
e----||----------------|----------------|---------1-----1|-:------12----12||
B----||---------8-----8|---------6-----6|-------0-----0--|-:----11----11--||
G----||-:-----5-----5--|-:-----5-----5--|-----0-----0----|-:--12----12----||
D----||-:---5-----5----|-:---5-----5----|---0------------|-:10------------||
A----||-:-7------------|-:-5------------|----------------|-:--------------||
D----||-5--------------|-5--------------|-5--------------|10--------------||
Finger: 1 2 1 1 4 1 1 4  1 1 1 1 2 1 1 2  4 - - - 1 - - 1  1 1 3 2 4 3 2 42
Note:   g e g c g g c g  g d g c f g c f  g d g b f g b f  c c g a#e g a#e
Measure:29              30               31               32
        Keep barr? fnm.                                    Keep barr? fnm.

        >     >      >        >     >   >
        F/C                Dm7/C               
e----||------------13-----------------------||
B----||--:----10-13--13-10-13-10--10--------||
G----||--:--10------------------10--10--10--||
D----||--:10--------------------------12--12||
A----||--:----------------------------------||
D----||-10----------------------------------||
Finger: 1 1 1 1  4 4 4  1  4  1 1 1 1 3 1 3  
Note:   c c f a  c f c  a  c  a f a f d f d         
Measure:33

          >     >     >     >     >
        G4                                 C
e----||-----------1---------------------|-----||
B----||-------0-3---3-0-3-0---0---------|--1--||
G----||-----0---------------0-----------|--0--||
D----||-------------------------0-3-2-0-|--2--||
A----||-3-2-----------------------------|--3--||
D----||---------------------------------|-----||
        2 2 - - 4 1 4 - 4 - - - - 3 2 -  
        c b g b d f d b d b g b d f e d  
Measure:34                                35
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