Steely Dan - Dr Wu guitar tab
Date: Thu, 10 Jun 1999 18:19:09 +0100 (BST)
From: Howard Wright
Subject: s/steely_dan/dr_wu.tab
Dr Wu - Steely Dan
------------------
From the album "Katy Lied"
Transcribed/arranged by Howard Wright
Howard.Wright@ed.ac.uk
It's difficult to find a way to make all the chord changes of the original piano part work
smoothly on the guitar. I've written out the basic changes, with the chord names
above the tablature. In places where it's not too hard for the guitar to play some
of the piano fills and variations I've written in suggested changes. If you want
to keep things simple, you can just play the first chord written out for each chord
name and ignore the "extras".
On the original, for each chord there are often a lot of different chord voicings
used. Sometimes different voicings are used in succession to build parts of the song
up (e.g near the end of the first verse: "... the last piaster I could borrow" -
different C/D voicings are used that slowly rise in pitch). At other times, different
voicings are used to create more varied changes between chords.
The chord voicings I've written below aim for an authentic sound, and reasonably
smooth changes between shapes. You could try different voicings if you prefer a
slightly different sound, or if you find a way to play it that suits you better.
For the verses and choruses, I've just written out the chord shape once in the
tablature. Listen to the original for ideas for strumming patterns.
Intro:
------
D/E C/F G/C C/F
E-----------10-------------3-----3----3------8------------
B---7--7----10h12----------5-----3----5------8------------
G---7--7------------7------5-----4----5------9------------
D---7--7------------7h9----3-----5----3-------------------
A---7--7-------------------------3-----------8------------
E---------------------------------------------------------
Em11 D6/E
E------------------------------------7------------------
B-----8---8---8---------8---8---8-------7---------------
G-----7---7---7---------7---7---7----7------------------
D-----7---7---7---------7---7---7-----------------------
A-----7---7---7---------7---7---7-----------------------
E--0-----------------0----------------------------------
Verse 1:
--------
Em D/E C D/E C
E-------------------------------------------------------------
B---5-----------7----------5-----------7------------5---------
G---4-----------7----------5-----------7------------5---------
D---5-----------7----------5-----------7------------5---------
A---------------7----------3-----------7------------3---------
E---0---------------------------------------------------------
Em7 Am11 Bm7 Am7
E----------7-----------0------------------------------------------
B----------8-----------8----------7----5--------------------------
G----------7-----------7----------7----5--------------------------
D----------9-----------10---------7----5--------------------------
A----------7-----------0------------------------------------------
E---------------------------------7----5--------------------------
(you could also play Am7: x 0 10 9 8 0 instead of Am11)
G Am7 Cmaj7 Bm7
E---3---------------------------------------------------
B---3-----------5-----------8-----------7---7--8--7-----
G---4-----------5-----------9-----------7---7--------7--
D---5-----------5-----------9-----------7---------------
A---5---------------------------------------------------
E---3-----------5-----------8-----------7---------------
(Gadd9: 357433 sounds better than G above - it's what the piano actually
plays (that mu-major chord again), but it's harder to play on the guitar!)
Am7 Em7
E---------8------------7--------------------
B---5-----8------------8--------------------
G---5-----9------------7--------------------
D---5------------------9--------------------
A---------0------------7--------------------
E---5---------------------------------------
C/D
E------------------------8----8--------
B------------5------8----8--------8----
G------------5------9----9----9--------
D------------5------10---10-------10---
A------------5-------------------------
E-------------------10---10------------
Gmaj7 Dm7 Cmaj7 Bm7
E-------------------------------------------------------
B---12------------10------------8----------------7------
G---11------------10------------9----------------7------
D---12------------10------------9----------------7------
A---10--------------------------------------------------
E-----------------10------------8----------------7------
Am11 Em7 C Bm7 C/D
E-------------------7----------------------------------3-----------
B---3---------------8-------------------5-------7------5-----------
G---5---------------7-------------------5-------7------5-----------
D---5---------------9-------------------5-------7------0-----------
A-------------------7-------------------3--------------------------
E---5-------------------------------------------7------------------
Chorus:
-------
Here, the piano plays a different triad for each note in the melody implying
lots of subtle changes of hamony. There's really no way to do this on the
guitar, so I've just written out the basic chords.
If you're playing with a bass player or another guitarist, you could try the
more complete version: get them to play the bass notes as you try out the
pattern of triads that follows the melody. Here's the first line:
Two-guitar version:
-------------------
First guitar or bass plays bass notes: G, Bb etc. 2nd guitar plays:
Bass note: G Bb Eb
E-------------------------------------------------------------------
B---3---5---7--7--7--8--7----3---5---6--6---6---8--10--6--6--10---6-
G---4---5---7--7--7--9--7----4---5---7--7---7---8--10--7--7--10---7-
D---4---5---7--7--7--9--7----4---5---7--7---7---8--10--7--7--10---8-
A-------------------------------------------------------------------
E-------------------------------------------------------------------
The "one guitar" version is:
D/G Bbmaj7
E--------2------------------------------------------------
B--------3----------------------6-------------------------
G--------2----------------------7-------------------------
D-------------------------------7-------------------------
A---------------------------------------------------------
E--------3----------------------6-------------------------
Bb/Eb Gm7 Cm7 F/C
E--------------------------------------------------------
B--6---------------3--------------8------------8---------
G--7---------------3--------------8------------8---------
D--8---------------3--------------8------------8---------
A--6-------------------------------------------8---------
E------------------3--------------8----------------------
D/G Bm7 G/C Gmaj7
E-------------2---------------------------------------------
B-------------3------7--------------8--------------3--------
G-------------2------7--------------7--------------4--------
D--------------------7--------------9--------------4--------
A-----------------------------------------------------------
E-------------3------7--------------8--------------3--------
C/F D/E C/F G/C C/F
E-----------------------------3--------3--------3--------
B---------5---------7---7-----5--------3--------5--------
G---------5---------7---7-----5--------4--------5--------
D---------5---------7---7-----3--------5--------3--------
A---------8---------7---7--------------3-----------------
E--------------------------------------------------------
Sax Solo:
---------
Gmaj7 Fmaj7 Em7 D/G Cmaj7 Bm7
E--------------------------------------------------
B---12------10------8-----7-----8------7-----------
G---11------9-------7-----7-----9------7-----------
D---12------10------9-----7-----9------7-----------
A---10------8-------7-----10-----------------------
E-------------------------------8------7-----------
Am7 Bm7 Cmaj7 Am7 D/G C/F
E-----------------------------5-----3---------------
B---5-----7----8--------5-----7-----5---------------
G---5-----7----9--------5-----7-----5---------------
D---5-----7----9--------5-----5-----3---------------
A---------------------------------------------------
E---5-----7----8--------5---------------------------
D/E C/F G/C C/F
E----------------3----3----3------------------
B---7--7---------5----3----5------------------
G---7--7---------5----4----5------------------
D---7--7---------3----5----3------------------
A---7--7--------------3-----------------------
E---------------------------------------------
Em11 D6/E
E------------------------------------7--------
B-----8---8---8---------8---8---8-------7-----
G-----7---7---7---------7---7---7----7--------
D-----7---7---7---------7---7---7-------------
A-----7---7---7---------7---7---7-------------
E--0-----------------0------------------------
Verse 2:
--------
(Same chords as Verse 1)
Chorus
------
D/G Bbmaj7
E---------2-------------------------------------------
B---------3-----------------------6-------------------
G---------2-----------------------7-------------------
D---------------------------------7-------------------
A-----------------------------------------------------
E---------3-----------------------6-------------------
Bb/Eb Gm7 Cm7 F/C
E------------------------------------------------------
B--6---------------3-------------8--------------8------
G--7---------------3-------------8--------------8------
D--8---------------3-------------8--------------8------
A--6--------------------------------------------8------
E------------------3-------------8---------------------
D/G Bm7 G/C Gmaj7
E---------------2------------------------------------------
B---------------3------7-------------8-------------3-------
G---------------2------7-------------7-------------4-------
D----------------------7-------------9-------------4-------
A----------------------------------------------------------
E---------------3------7-------------8-------------3-------
C/F D/E C/F D/E
E---------------------------------------------------------
B---------5-----------7---7---------5-----------7---7-----
G---------5-----------7---7---------5-----------7---7-----
D---------5-----------7---7---------5-----------7---7-----
A---------8-----------7---7---------8-----------7---7-----
E---------------------------------------------------------
Repeat above line to fade
