• Song:

    I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow

  • Artist:

    Soggy Bottom Boys

 I Am A Man of Constant Sorrow
        -------------------------------

                By The Soggy Bottom Boys, featuring Dan Tyminski

This is a transcription of the song "I am a man of constant sorrow"
by The Soggy Bottom Boys, The tuning for the song is DADGAD with a capo 3rd fret but if,
like me, you don't want
to retune your guitar, it can be played in Standard Tuning with a 6-string Capo on the
1st fret and a 3-string
Capo 4th on strings 3,4,5 (the lower inner strings)
Relative to 6-string capo


All I did was transcribe this song into standard tuning. The main structure is from a 
tab I found here
http://www.hakwright.co.uk/music/tab/const_sorrow.txt which was transcribed by Howard Wright


The main chord shapes are:


02240x    5722xx    x24422

  F5       Bb5      Csus2


The top couple of strings are not played very often, and much of
the guitar part uses just the bottom four or five strings.

A very simplified view of the basic changes for the verse and chorus
is given in the tablature below (chord names in brackets above the
tab).

Verse:


 (F5)           (Bb5) (Csus2)  (F5)
E------------------------------------------------|
B----------------------2-------------------------|
G--4-------4------2----4--------4----------------|
D--2-------2------2----4--------2----------------|
A--2-------2------7----2--------2----------------|
E--0--3/5--0---3--5-------3b4---0----------------|

(repeat above line once)


Chorus:

 (Csus2) (F5)
E--------------------------|
B---2----------------------|
G---4-----4----------------|
D---4-----2----------------|
A---2-----2----------------|
E---------0----------------|


Below, I've transcribed the guitar part in detail, up to the end
of the first chorus. Try and see how the basic changes (above)
are mixed with quieter strums and short runs/fills to create the
complete guitar part.

I wouldn't try and learn the part note for note - work through the
tab to get the main ideas then try to follow the basic changes but
making up your own fills and ad libs.

Here's the full tab from the intro up to the end of the first chorus
(the ending is also written out):


INTRO
------

NB - a lot of the bends on the 3rd fret bottom string are
written as:

----3b4------

but they usually don't quite go up a full semitone, so bend
up most of the way but leave the note a bit flat.


  (F5)
E------------------------------------------------0------|
B----------------------------------------0-------0------|
G-------------------------2--------------4-------4------|
D----------------5h7------2-2------------2----2---------|
A--5h7---2-5-7-7------7-5-------------2--2--------------|
E--0---0---0---0---0----------5-3b4---0-----0-----------|


                 (Csus2)
E----------------------------------------------------|
B---------------------------2---------2--------------|
G------------------4----4------4----4----------------|
D-----2------------4---------4---4-------------------|
A------------------2-------------2-------2-----------|
E--0-------------------------------------------------|

      In constant sorrow            all through his


  (F5)
E-----------------------------------------------|
B-------0---------------------------------------|
G--4----4-----------2---2-----------------------|
D--2----------------2---2-----------------------|
A--2--------2-5/7-----5---x---------------------|
E--0------0---0---0---------5--3----------------|

  days

VERSE
------

  (F5)
E-------------------------------------------------|
B-------------------------------------------------|
G--4--------------------------4---4-4-4-----------|
D--2--2-2-2-2-2-2--2----2-------2-2-2-2--2--2-2---|
A--2--------2--------------2----------------------|
E--0--------0------3/5-----0-------------3--------|

   I               am  a  man        of  constant


  (Bb5)                     (Csus2)
E-------------------------------------------------|
B----------------------------2--2---------2-------|
G-----------2----------------4-----4---4--4--4----|
D--2--2-2-2-2--2--2-2-2-2----4-------4-4----------|
A--7-----------7-------------2---------2----------|
E--5-----------5----------------------------------|

  sorrow           I've seen trouble     all my


  (F5)
E------------------------------------------------|
B---------------------4--------------------------|
G---------------------2--------------------------|
D---------------------2--------------------------|
A--2--2-2-2--5---7p5--7--------------------------|
E--0---------0---0--------5--3b4-----------------|

  days


  (F5)
E------0-0------------------------------------------|
B------0-0------------------------------------------|
G--4--------------------------4-4-4----4------------|
D--2-------2-----2-2----2-----2-2-2----2--2--2------|
A--2----------2------------2---------2--------------|
E--0----------0----3/5-----0---------0----3---------|

   I               bid farewell       to old Ken-


  (Bb5)                      (Csus2)
E------------------------------------------------------------|
B---------------------------------2--2--2-----2----2---------|
G-------2-2-2----2----------------4--4--4---4-4--4-----------|
D--2--2-2-2-2-2--2---2--2--2--2---4-------4---4--4-----------|
A--7-------------7----------------2-----------2--------------|
E--5-------------5------------------------------------3b4r3--|

  tucky         the place where I              was born and


  (F5)
E-----------------------------------------------|
B------------------0----------------------------|
G-----4----4-------4-------------2--------------|
D--2--2----2-------2-------2-----2--------------|
A--2------------2--2----------------------------|
E--0-----0-3p0--0-------------------------------|

  bred,            the   place  where


CHORUS
-------

  (C5)
E----------------------------------------------|
B----------------------------------------------|
G--4---4-------4-----x-------------------------|
D--4--------------4---------2-2----------------|
A--2-----2-2-2----2----------------------------|
E-----------------------3b4--------------------|

   he                    born and


 (F5)
E-----------------------------------------------|
B-----------------------------------------------|
G-----------------------------------------------|
D------------------------2-----2----------------|
A--2---2----2--5h7--7p5--2--5--2----------------|
E--0-----0-----0----0----0--0--0---3p0----------|

  bred


Guitar part continues similarly for all verses/choruses.


ENDING
-------

E-----------------------------------------------------|
B-----------------------------------------------------|
G---------------------------------------2-------------|
D----------------5h6-------2------------2-------------|
A--2--2--5h7-7-7-----7-2-5---5-5h7--2-5----2-------2--|
E--0---------0-----------0---0-0--------------5-3--0--|
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