Prince - Purple Rain guitar tab
#
Sender: s_weidn@irau32 (Harald Weidner)
PRINCE: Purple Rain
===================
Used chords are:
C major [C]
|---|---|---|---|---
|-1-|---|---|---|---
|---|---|---|---|---
|---|-2-|---|---|---
|---|---|-3-|---|---
|---|---|---|---|---
A minor 7 [Am7]
|---|---|---|---|---
|-1-|---|---|---|---
|---|---|---|---|---
|---|-2-|---|---|---
|---|---|---|---|---
|---|---|---|---|---
G major [G]
|---|---|-4-|---|---
|---|---|---|---|---
|---|---|---|---|---
|---|---|---|---|---
|---|-1-|---|---|---
|---|---|-2-|---|---
F major [F]
|-1-|---|---|---|--- |-1-|---|---|---|---
|-1-|---|---|---|--- |-1-|---|---|---|---
|-1-|-2-|---|---|--- or |---|-2-|---|---|---
|-1-|---|-4-|---|--- |---|---|-4-|---|---
|-1-|---|-3-|---|--- |---|---|-3-|---|---
|-1-|---|---|---|--- |---|---|---|---|--- x
F major 4 [F4]
|-1-|---|---|---|--- |-1-|---|---|---|---
|-1-|---|---|---|--- |-1-|---|---|---|---
|-1-|---|-4-|---|--- or |---|---|-4-|---|---
|-1-|---|-3-|---|--- |---|---|-3-|---|---
|-1-|---|---|---|--- x |---|---|---|---|--- x
|-1-|---|---|---|--- |---|---|---|---|--- x
Intro: C, C, Am7, Am7, G, G, F, F
Lyrics:
1. [C] I never meant to cause you any [Am7] sorrow.
[G] I never meant to cause you any [F] pain. [F4]
[C] I only want one time see you [Am7] laughing.
I [G] only want to see you laughing
in the purple [C] rain.
R. Purple rain, purple [F] rain. [F4]
[F] Purple rain, purple [C] rain.
[Am7] Purple rain, purple [G] rain.
I only want to see you baby
In the purple [C] rain.
2. I never wanted to be your weekend [C] lover. [Am7]
[G] I only wanted to be some kind of [F]friend, hey. [F4]
[C] Baby I could never steal you from an[Am7]other.
[G] Such a shame our friendship has to [C] end.
R. Purple rain, purple [F] rain. [F4]
[F] Purple rain, purple [C] rain.
[Am7] Purple rain, purple [G] rain.
I only want to see you underneath
In the purple [C] rain.
3. Honey I know, I know, I know times are [C] changin'. [Am7]
[G] It's time we all reach out for something [F] new.
That means you too. [F4]
[C] You say you want a leader,
[Am7] But you can't seem to make up your mind.
I think you better close [G] it.
And let me guide you to the purple [C] rain.
R. Purple rain, purple [F] rain. [F4]
[F] Purple rain, purple [C] rain.
(Whew! If you know what I'm singin' about,
Help me and [Am7] come on raise your hand.)
[Am7] Purple rain, purple [G] rain.
I only want to see you, I only want to see you
In the purple [C] rain.
A simple playing technique:
C Am7 G
|-------0|-----0--|-------0|-----0--|-------3|-----3--|
|1---1--1|1-1--11-|1---1--1|1-1--11-|-------0|-----0--|
|0---0---|0-0---0-|0---0---|0-0---0-|0---0---|0-0---0-|
|2---2---|2-2---2-|2---2---|2-2---2-|0---0---|0-0---0-|
|3---3---|3-3---3-|0---0---|0-0---0-|2---2---|2-2---2-|
|--------|--------|--------|--------|3---3---|3-3---3-|
F F4 G C
|-------1|------0-|---3----|---3----|---3----|--------|--------|
|1---1--1|1-1---11|---0----|---0----|---0----|1-------|--------|
|2---2---|2-2----3|0---0---|0---0---|0---0---|0-------|--------|
|3---3---|3-3----3|0---0---|0---0---|0---0---|2-------|--------|
|3---3---|3-3-----|2---2-2-|2---2-2-|2---2-2-|3-------|--------|
|--------|--------|3---3-3-|3---3-3-|3---3-3-|--------|--------|
|_______________|
A picking pattern
C Am7 G F F4
|-----0--|-----0--|-----3--|-----1--|-----1--|
|----1-1-|----1-1-|----0-0-|----1-1-|----1-1-|
|---0---0|---0---0|---0---0|---2---2|---3---3|
|--2-----|--2-----|--0-----|--3-----|--3-----|
|3-------|0-------|--------|--------|--------|
|--------|--------|3-------|1-------|1-------|
The original technique used by PRINCE:
You need the following additional chords:
C major 9 [C9]
|---|---|---|---|---
|-1-|---|---|---|---
|---|---|---|---|---
|---|---|---|---|---
|---|---|-3-|---|---
|---|---|---|---|---
A minor 7/4 [Am74]
|---|---|---|---|---
|-1-|---|---|---|---
|---|---|---|---|---
|---|---|---|---|---
|---|---|---|---|---
|---|---|---|---|---
F major 9 [F9]
|-1-|---|---|---|---
|-1-|---|---|---|---
|-1-|---|---|---|---
|-1-|---|-4-|---|---
|-1-|---|-3-|---|---
|-1-|---|---|---|---
C9 Am74 Am7 Am74 G
|--------|--------|-------0|-----0--|-------3|-----3--|
|1-------|--------|1---1--1|1-1--11-|-------0|-----0--|
|0-------|--------|0---0---|0-0---0-|0---0---|0-0---0-|
|0-------|--------|02--2---|2-2---0-|0---0---|0-0---0-|
|3-------|--------|0---0---|0-0---0-|2---2---|2-2---2-|
|--------|--------|--------|--------|03--3---|3-3---3-|
|_______________|
F9 F F4 F G C
|-------1|---1-1--|-------3|-------3|-------3|--------|
|1------1|1--1111-|-------0|-------0|-------0|1-------|
|0-------|02--2-2-|0---0-0-|0---0-0-|0---0-0-|0-------|
|3-------|3---3-3-|0---0-0-|0---0-0-|0---0-0-|2-------|
|3-------|3---3-3-|2-2-2---|2-2-2---|2-2-2---|3-------|
|--------|--------|3-3-3---|3-3-3---|3-3-3---|--------|
Refrain:
C F F4 F F C9
|--------|-------1|-----1--|--------|--------|-------0|-----0--|
|1-------|1---1--1|1-1--11-|1---1---|1---1---|1---1--1|1-1--11-|
|0-------|2---2---|3-3---3-|2---2---|2---2---|0---0---|0-0---0-|
|2-------|3---3---|3-3---3-|3---3---|3---3---|0---0---|0-0---0-|
|3-------|3---3---|--------|3---3---|3---3---|3---3---|3-3---3-|
|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
{------3x-------}
Am7 G C
|-------0|-----0--||-------3|-----3--||--------|--------|--------|
|1---1--1|1-1--11-||-------0|-----0--||--------|1-------|--------|
|0---0---|0-0---0-||0---0---|0-0---0-||0---0---|0-------|--------|
|2---2---|2-2---2-||0---0---|0-0---0-||0---0---|2-------|--------|
|0---0---|0-0---0-||2---2---|2-2---2-||2---2---|3-------|--------|
|--------|--------||3---3---|3-3---3-||3---3---|--------|--------|
|_______________|
Hint: Prince plays this in B major. If you want to play it together
with the LP, you should tune your guitar down one step.
Taken from "Rock Ballads" by Peter Bursch.
Reprinted without permission.
