Joni Mitchell - California guitar tab
#
From: spxhaw@thor.cf.ac.uk (Howard Wright \(Hman\))
California - Joni Mitchell
------------------------------
From the album 'Blue'
Tabbed by Howard Wright
spxhaw@uk.ac.cf.thor
The original has a dulcimer part playing the intro, and playing chords in
the main part of the song. I've tabbed the dulcimer intro bit for guitar
using an alternative tuning. For the main part of the song, the acoustic
(using normal tuning) dominates; I've written out chord shapes ( and a bit
of tab) for this, as well as shapes for the 'dulcimer' part.
The original acoustic part adds a few noodles on top of the basic chords
(mostly sus4 and sus2 type of things). I've tried to include a few of these,
but I havn't tried to TAB note for note what is played.
The acoustic part is played with a capo at the 3rd fret, so when I
write D I mean play a D shape above the 3rd fret. (The actual
chord would be F)
OK ?
To play the dulcimer part, tune to : F Bb D A C F (no capo used)
Low E up to F
A up to Bb
D - same
G up to A
B up to C
E up to F
h - hammer on
p - pull off
/ - slide
INTRO :
--------
G A D G/A
F-------------------------------------------2---------------------------0--0--
C---4h5p4-0---0--2---2-2---2---2-----0----4---4-----0---0-0---0-0-------2--2--
A-----------0----1---1-1---1-------0------3-----3---0---0-0---0-0-------1--1--
D----------------3---3-3---3------------------------3---3-3---3-3-------------
Bb---------------0---0-0---0------------------------------------------2-2--2--
F---------------------------------------------------0---0-0---0-0-------------
VERSE 1:
--------
D
Sitting in a park in Paris France
G D/F# E7
Reading the news and it sure looks bad
E7
They won't give peace a chance
Em/A A7 D
That was just a dream some of us had
D G
Still a lot of lands to see
D/F# E7
But I wouldn't want to stay here
E7 Em/A A7
It's too old and cold and settled in its ways here
CHORUS:
-------
G Gsus4 G
Ah but California
D B7 B7/F# B7
California I'm coming home
G
I'm gonna see the folks I dig
D/F# A Asus2
I'll even kiss a sunset pig
A D
California I'm coming home
D Gmaj7 D Dsus4 D A/G
E--0h2p0--------2---2--0----------2---3---2-----------------
B--3-----3---3--3---3--3-----3----3---3---3---------3--3----
G----------2----4---4--4-----2----2---2---2---------4--4----
D----------------------------0----0---0---0---------5--5----
A------------------------------------------------0--0--0----
E---------------3---3---------------------------------------
VERSE 2:
---------
D
I met a redneck on a Grecian isle
G E7
We did the goat dance very well
E7
He gave me back my smile
Em/A A7
But he kept my camera to sell
D
Oh the rogue, the red red rogue
G
He cooked good omelettes and stews
E
And I might have stayed on with him there
A7
But my heart cried out for you
CHORUS:
--------
G Gsus4 G
California
D B7 B7/F# B7
Oh California I'm coming home
G
Oh make me feel good rock and roll band
Dsus2/F#
I'm your biggest fan
A
California I'm coming home
D Gmaj7 D Dsus4 D
E--0h2p0--------2---2--0-----2----2---3---2-----------
B--3-----3---3--3---3--3-----3----3---3---3-----------
G----------2----4---4--4-----2----2---2---2-----------
D----------------------------0----0---0---0-----------
A----------------------------------------------------
E---------------3---3---------------------------------
MIDDLE 8:
---------
D E
Oh it gets so lonely
G
When you're walking
D A
And the streets are full of strangers
A E D/F# G E7
All the news of home you read just give you the blues
C A Asus4 A Asus2 A
Just give you the blues
G A D G/A
F--------------------------------2---------------------------0--0--
C-----2---2-2---2---2-----0----4---4-----0---0-0---0-0-------2--2--
A-----1---1-1---1-------0------3-----3---0---0-0---0-0-------1--1--
D-----3---3-3---3------------------------3---3-3---3-3-------------
Bb----0---0-0---0------------------------------------------2-2--2--
F----------------------------------------0---0-0---0-0------------
VERSE 3:
---------
(For the standard tuning acoustic, use the G,E7 and A shapes which are
higher up the neck - I've marked them below with a '*' )
D G*
So I bought me a ticket I caught a plane to Spain
E7*
Went to a party down a red dirt road
There were lots of pretty people there
A* G* D
Reading Rolling Stone reading Vogue
D G*
They said how long can you hang around
G* E7*
I said a week maybe two
A*
Just until my skin turns brown
G*
And then I'm going home
CHORUS:
--------
G Gsus4 G
To California
D
California
B7 B7/F#
I'm coming home
B7 G
Oh will you take me as I am
D/F#
Strung out on another man
A7 D
California I'm coming home
D Gmaj7 D Dsus4 D
E--0h2p0--------2---2--0-----2----2---3---2-----------
B--3-----3---3--3---3--3-----3----3---3---3-----------
G----------2----4---4--4-----2----2---2---2-----------
D----------------------------0----0---0---0-----------
A----------------------------------------------------
E---------------3---3---------------------------------
D E
Oh it gets so lonely
G
When you're walking
D A
And the streets are full of strangers
E G
All the news of home you read
D A
More about the war and the bloody changes
E G
Oh will you take me as I am
D
Will you take me as I am
A E
Will you, will you take me as I am
G D A
Mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm
E
Take me as I am ......
Chord Shapes :
--------------
Standard tuning (acoustic guitar part)
REMEMBER - these are capoed at the 3rd fret
EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE
xx0232 3x0003 020100 x02020 3x0013 xx5433
D G E7 A7 Gsus4 G*
EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE
x21202 x02220 2x023x x02230 x02200 2x0230
B7 A D/F# Asus4 Asus2 Dsus2/F#
EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE
x32010 x02030 x0543x x0200x 2x120x xx2434
C A7sus4 G/A Em/A B7/F# E7*
EADGBE
xx7655
A*
Alternative tuning (Dulcimer part)
-----------------------------------
Just to keep things simple I'll keep the same chord names as for
the standard tuning guitar part. In actual fact, the dulcimer chords
are all in F, but since the acoustic guitar is played in D with
a capo on the 3rd fret, it's also effectively playing in F, although
all the chord names are written in D. So to make it easy (I hope!)
I'll write all the chords as though it were in D.
If you can't understand what the fuck I'm on about, mail me and I'll try
to explain.
I havn't tabbed all the chords, but these are the basic ones.
(I'll write 'b' for the Bb string to save space)
FbDACF FbDACF FbDACF FbDACF FbDACF FbDACF
023000 xx3354 x03120 x03555 243222 x22102
D D G G E7 A7
FbDACF FbDACF FbDACF FbDACF
xx0321 x03130 4x3000 x2x120
B7 Gsus4 D/F# G/A
