Paul Simon – The Late Great Johnny Ace (Guitar Acoustic Tab)

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--------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Written by: Paul Simon From: "Hearts and Bones" (1983) Tabbed by: maguri Tuning: D-G-C-F-A-d (2 steps down) Play: D Key: C This is a transcription of the “Original Acoustic Demo” of the song (a bonus track on the 2011 remaster of the album) – which still works well with the finished studio version. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
INTRO
  Bbmaj7  E        Bbmaj7  E        Bbmaj7  E        Bbmaj7  E
  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
d|--0-----------0-|--0-------------|--0-----------0-|--0-------------|
A|3---3-------0---|3---3-----------|3---3-------0---|3---3-----------|
F|2-----2-1-2-----|2-----2-1-------|2-----2-1-2-----|2-----2-1-------|
C|--------2-------|--------2-------|--------2-------|--------2-------|
G|1---------------|1---------------|1---------------|1---------------|
D|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|

VERSE 1 and 2 (= 2 times)
  Bbmaj7  E        Bbmaj7  E        Bbmaj7  E        A       A7
  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
d|--0-----------0-|--0-------------|--0-------------|----------------|
A|3---3-------0---|3---3-----------|3---3-------0---|2-3-5-3-2---2---|
F|2-----2-1-2-----|2-----2-1-------|2-----2-1-2-----|2-------0-------|
C|--------2-------|--------2-------|--------2-------|--------2-------|
G|1---------------|1---------------|1---------------|0-------0-------|
D|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|----------------|

  D   G/D D/A D7   G        C7      Bm7      Em      F#
  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
d|2---3---2-------|--------|0---0-----------|--0---0---------|
A|3---0---3---3---|0---0---|1---1---3---3---|----4-----3-2-3-|
F|2---0-0-2-2-5---|0---0---|3---3---2---2---|0------(3)------|
C|0---0-------0---|--0---0-|2-------4-------|2------(4)------|
G|--------0-------|--------|3-------2-------|----------------|
D|----------------|3-------|----------------|0-------2-------|

  B7sus2  Gmaj7    Bm7     Em7      A
  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 
d|----------------|----2-----------|------------|
A|2-3-2-3-------3-|--3---3---3---3-|3-2---2-----|
F|2-----------4---|--2---------0---|2---4-------|
C|4---------4-----|--4-------2-----|2-----------|
G|2---------------|2---------------|0--------(0)|
D|--------3-------|--------0-------|------------|

                                             (to MIDDLE PART only)
MIDDLE PART
     A7(no3rd)        A7(no3rd)        A7(no3rd)         A7(no3rd)
 D/A     D/A  G/A D/A     D/A  G/A D/A     D/A  G/A D/A     D/A  G/A
  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
d|----------------|------------0---|----------------|----------------|
A|3---5---3---0---|3---5---3----3--|3---5---3---0---|3---5---3---0---|
F|----------------|--------------X-|----------------|----------------|
C|4---5---4---0---|4---5---4-------|4---5---4---0---|4---5---4---0---|
G|--0---0---0---0-|--0---0---0-----|--0---0---0---0-|--0---0---0---0-|
D|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|

     A7(no3rd)        A7(no3rd)        A7(no3rd)         A7(no3rd)
 D/A     D/A  G/A D/A     D/A  G/A D/A     D/A  G/A D/A     D/A  G/A
  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
d|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
A|3---5---3---0---|3---5---3---0---|3---5---3---0---|3---5---3---0---|
F|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
C|4---5---4---0---|4---5---4---0---|4---5---4---0---|4---5---4---0---|
G|--0---0---0---0-|--0---0---0---0-|--0---0---0---0-|--0---0---0---0-|
D|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|

     A7(no3rd)        A7(no3rd)        Db/A          
 D/A     D/A  G/A D/A     C/A Dm/A D/A     C/A G/A   G#dim         G7
  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 
d|----------------|----------------|----------------|------------------------|
A|3---5---3---0---|3---5---8---6---|3---2---1---0---|------3-------3---------|
F|----------------|----------------|----------------|----4-------4-4-----4---|
C|4---5---4---0---|4---5---10--7---|4---3---2---0---|--3-------3---3---3-----|
G|--0---0---0---0-|--0---0---0---0-|--0---0---0---0-|------------------------|
D|----------------|----------------|----------------|4-------4-----3---------|

  A7-9
  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  
d|----------3-----|
A|------2---------|
F|----3-----------|
C|--2-------------|
G|0-------0-----0-|
D|----------------|

     A7(no3rd)        A7(no3rd)        A7(no3rd)         A7(no3rd)
 D/A     D/A  G/A D/A     D/A  G/A D/A     D/A  G/A D/A     D/A  G/A
  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
d|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
A|3---5---3---0---|3---5---3---0---|3---5---3---0---|3---5---3---0---|
F|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
C|4---5---4---0---|4---5---4---0---|4---5---4---0---|4---5---4---0---|
G|--0---0---0---0-|--0---0---0---0-|--0---0---0---0-|--0---0---0---0-|
D|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|

     A7(no3rd)        A7(no3rd)        Db/A          
 D/A     D/A  G/A D/A     C/A Dm/A D/A     C/A G/A   G
  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 
d|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
A|3---5---3---0---|3---5---8---6---|3---2---1---0---|----0-----------|
F|----------------|----------------|----------------|----0-------0---|
C|4---5---4---0---|4---5---10--7---|4---3---2---0---|--0---0---0---0-|
G|--0---0---0---0-|--0---0---0---0-|--0---0---0---0-|----------------|
D|----------------|----------------|----------------|3-------3-------|

  C7/9             Fmaj7        Bbmaj7       Fmaj7        C7-9
  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 +  1 + 2 + 3 +  1 + 2 + 3 +  1 + 2 + 3 +
d|----------------|0-----------|------------|0-----------|------------|
A|----3-------3---|1-----------|3-----------|1-----------|----2-------|
F|----3-------3---|2-----------|2-----------|2-----------|----3-------|
C|--2---2---2-----|------------|------------|------------|------------|
G|3-------3-------|------------|1-----------|------------|3-----------|
D|----------------|1-----------|------------|0-----------|------------|

INTRO
  Bbmaj7  E        Bbmaj7  E        Bbmaj7  E        Bbmaj7  E
  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
d|--0-----------0-|--0---------0---|--0-----------0-|--0---------0---|
A|3---3-------0---|3---3-----------|3---3-------0---|3---3-----------|
F|2-----2-1-2-----|2-----2-1-------|2-----2-1-2-----|2-----2-1-------|
C|--------2-------|--------2-------|--------2-------|--------2-------|
G|1---------------|1---------------|1---------------|1---------------|
D|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|

VERSE 3 (2 times)
  Bbmaj7  E        Bbmaj7  E        Bbmaj7  E        A       A7
  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
d|--0-----------0-|--0---------0---|--0-----------0-|----------------|
A|3---3-------0---|3---3-----0---0-|3---3-------0---|2-3-5-3-2---2---|
F|2-----2-1-2-----|2-----2-1-------|2-----2-1-2-----|2-------0-0---0-|
C|--------2-------|--------2-------|--------2-------|--------2-------|
G|1---------------|1---------------|1---------------|0-------0-------|
D|--------0-------|--------0-------|--------0-------|----------------|

  D   G/D D/A D7   G        C7      Bm7      Em      F#
  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
d|2---3---2-------|--------|0---0-----------|--0---0---------|
A|3---0---3---3---|0---1-3-|3---3---3---3---|----4-----2-3---|
F|2-2-0-0-2-2-5---|0---0-0-|3-----3-2---2---|0---------3-----|
C|0---0-------0---|--------|--------4-----4-|2---------------|
G|--------0-------|----0-2-|3-------2-------|----------------|
D|----------------|3-------|----------------|0-------2-------|

  B7sus2  Gmaj7    Bm7     Em7      A
  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 
d|----------------|----2-----------|------------|
A|2-3-2-3-------3-|--3---3---3---3-|3-2---2-----|
F|2-----------4---|--2---------0---|2---4-------|
C|4---------4-----|--4-------2-----|2-----------|
G|2---------------|2---------------|0---------0-|
D|--------3-------|--------0-------|------------|

ENDING (freely)
  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
d|------------3---|--0---1---0-----|----------------|----------------|
A|3---5---3\--0---|--1---1---1---3-|--0---1---0---2-|--3---5---3-----|
F|------------0---|--0---2---0---3-|--0---0---0---2-|----------------|
C|4---5-----------|--2---3---2---3-|--0---2---0---2-|--4---5---4-----|
G|--0---0-5\------|3-------3---1---|------------0---|0---0---0-------|
D|---------/3-----|----1-----------|3---3---3-------|----------------|
--------------------------------------------------------------------------- On the finished recording there is a change in the picking pattern of the MIDDLE PART. It is a mix of the original tabbed above and this one here:
     A7(no3rd)        A7(no3rd)     
 D/A     D/A  G/A D/A     D/A  G/A 
  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +  
d|----------------|----------------|
A|-3---5---3---0--|-3---5---3---0--|
F|----------------|----------------|
C|--4---5---4---0-|--4---5---4---0-|
G|0---0---0---0---|0---0---0---0---|
D|----------------|----------------|
--------------------------------------------------------------------------- VERSE I was reading a magazine And thinking of a rock and roll song The year was nineteen fiftysix And I hadn't been playing that long When a man came on the radio And this is what he said He said I hate to break it to his fans But Johnny Ace is dead, yeah, yeah, yeah VERSE Well, I really wasn't Such a Johnny Ace fan But I felt bad alI the same So I sent away for his photograph And I wait untill it came It came all the way from Texas With a sad and sim-ple face And they signed it on the bottom sponsored links From the Late Great Johnny Ace, yeah, yeah, yeah MIDDLE 8 It was the year of The Beatles It was the year of The Stones It was nineteen sixtyfour I was living in London With the girl from the summer be-fore It was the year of The Beatles It was the year of The Stones A year after J.F.K. We were staying up all night And giving the days away And the music was flowing amazing And blowing my way VERSE On a cold December evening I was walking through the Christmas tide When a stranger came up and asked me If I'd heard John Lennon had died And the two of us went to this bar And we stayed to close the place And every song we played Was for The Late Great Johnny Ace, yeah, yeah, yeah