Last week someone asked for the tab for Bach's Prelude from BMV 999 (Praelude in C moll pour la Lute di J S Bach). It is one of Bach's most popular pieces for guitar. It was originally in Cm, but is trans-posed to Dm for guitar. I like to play it brisk and flowing with a slight accent on the the base notes. It is in 3/4 time; the |'s represent 8th notes. Let me know if you find any mistakes. *********************************************************************** left-hand fingering added + last note in measure 42 corrected Vincenzo Chiaravalle - 10 September 2001 - vincenzochiaravalle@yahoo.it *********************************************************************** see below tab for an alternative way of playing it with a dampened bass Erik Wernersson - 23 August 2003 - erik.wernersson@telia.com *********************************************************************** Prelude, BMV 999 Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) I use a picking pattern of : p i m a m i m i p i p m or p i m a m i m i p i p i 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | E-------5-----------------|-------5-----------------|-------6-----------------| B-----6---6---6-----------|-----6---6---6-----------|-----8---8---8-----------| G---7-------7---7---7---7-|---7-------7---7---7---7-|---7-------7---7---7---7-| D-0---------------7-------|-0---------------7-------|-0---------------8---5---| A---------------------8---|---------------------8---|-------------------------| E-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------| 0 3 2 1 2 3 2 3 2 3 4 3 0 2 4 1 4 2 4 2 3 2 1 2 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |-------6-----------------|-------3-----------------|-------3-----------------| |-----8---8---8-----------|-----5---5---5-----2---2-|-----5---5---5------2--2-| |---7-------7---7---7---7-|---6-------6---6-3---0---|---6-------6---6--3---0--| |-0---------------8---5---|-0-----------------------|-0-----------------------| |-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------| |-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------| 0 4 3 1 3 4 3 4_4 3 0 3 7 | | | | | | | | | | | | BI............... |-------1-----------------|-------1-----------------|-------1-----------------| |-----3---3---3-----------|-----3---3---3-----------|-----3---3---3-----------| |---2-------2---2---2---2-|---2-------2---2---2---2-|---2-------2---2---2---2-| |-0---------------3---0---|-----------------3---0---|-----------------3---0---| |-------------------------|-3-----------------------|-1-----------------------| |-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------| 0 2 4 1 4 2 4 2 3 2 0 2 3 1 10 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |-------1-----------------|-------1-----------------|-------1-----------------| |-----3---3---3-----------|-----3---3---3-----------|-----3---3---3-----0---0-| |---2-------2---2---2---2-|---4-------4---4---4---4-|---4-------4---4-1-------| |-----------------3---0---|-----------------3---0---|---------------------2---| |-0-----------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------| |-------------------------|-4-----------------------|-4-----------------------| 0 3 4 2 1 2 4 2 4 2 4 0 4 1 0 2 0 13 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |-------0-----------------|-------0-----------------|-------5-----------------| |-----1---1---1-----------|-----1---1---1-----------|-----5---5---5-----1---1-| |---4-------4---4---4---4-|---2-------2---2---2---2-|---5-------5---5-2-------| |-----------------2-------|-------------------------|---------------------3---| |-0-------------------3---|-0---------------3---0---|-------------------------| |-------------------------|-------------------------|-1-----------------------| 0 4 1 0 1 4 1 4 2 4 3 4 0 2 1 0 1 2 1 2 3 2 0 2 1 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 2 1 3 1 16 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |-------5-----------------|-------4-----------------|-------4-----------------| |-----6---6---6-----------|-----3---3---3-----------|-----3---3---3-----------| |---4-------4---4---4---4-|---4-------4---4---4---4-|---4-------4---4---4---4-| |-0---------------0-------|-----------------2-------|-----------------2-------| |---------------------2---|---------------------2---|---------------------2---| |-------------------------|-0-----------------------|-0-----------------------| 0 2 4 3 4 2 4 2 0 2 1 2 0 3 2 4 2 3 2 3 1 3 1 3 19 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |-------5-----------------|-------7-----------------|-------8-----------------| |-----5---5---5-----------|-----9---9---9-----------|-----10--10--10----------| |---5-------5---5---5---5-|---7-------7---7---7---7-|---9-------9---9---9---9-| |-------------------------|---------------------0---|-----------------7-------| |-----------------7-------|-----------------8-------|---------------------7---| |-0-------------------8---|-0-----------------------|-0-----------------------| 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 4 1 0 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 2 1 0 1 0 2 4 3 4 2 4 2 1 3 1 3 22 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |-------10----------------|-------8-----------------|-------7-----------------| |-----9---9---9-----------|-----10--10--10----------|-----6---6---6-----------| |---9-------9---9---9---9-|---8-------8---8---8---8-|---7-------7---7---7---7-| |-----------------9-------|-------------------------|-----------------6-------| |---------------------11--|-----------------12--8---|---------------------7---| |-0-----------------------|-0-----------------------|-0-----------------------| 0 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 0 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 4 1 1 1 0 3 2 4 2 3 2 3 1 3 2 3 25 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |-------5-----------------|-------5-----------------|-------4-----------------| |-----7---7---7-----------|-----3---3---3-----------|-----3---3---3-----------| |---5-------5---5---5---5-|---4-------4---4---4---4-|---4-------4---4---4---4-| |-----------------4-------|-----------------3---0---|-----------------2-------| |---------------------6---|-------------------------|---------------------2---| |-0-----------------------|-0-----------------------|-0-----------------------| 0 2 4 3 4 2 4 2 1 2 4 2 0 3 2 4 2 3 2 3 1 3 0 3 0 3 2 4 2 3 2 3 1 3 1 3 28 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |-------2-----------------|-------1-----------------|-------0-----------------| |-----1---1---1-----------|-----0---0---0-----------|-----1---1---1-----------| |---2-------2---2---2---2-|---1-------1---1---1---1-|---2-------2---2---2---2-| |-----------------1-------|-----------------0-------|-------------------------| |---------------------3---|---------------------2---|-----------------3---0---| |-0-----------------------|-0-----------------------|-0-----------------------| 0 2 1 3 1 2 1 2 1 2 4 2 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 1 0 1 3 1 0 2 1 0 1 2 1 2 3 2 0 2 31 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------| |-------3-----------------|-------3-----------------|-------3-----------------| |-----4---4---4-----2---2-|-----4---4---4-----1---1-|-----4---4---4-----1---1-| |---7-------7---7-3---0---|---6-------6---6-2-------|---6-------6---6-3---0---| |-------------------------|---------------------2---|-0-----------------------| |-0-----------------------|-0-----------------------|-------------------------| 0 4 2 1 2 4 2 4 3 2 0 2 0 4 2 1 2 4 2 4 3 1 2 1 0 4 2 1 2 4 2 4 4 2 0 2 34 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |-------------------------|-------4-----------------|-------7-----------------| |-------3-2---2-----------|-----3---3---3-----------|-----9---9---9-----------| |-----4-----2---2---2---2-|---4-------4---4---4---4-|---7-------7---7---7---7-| |---7-------------2-------|-----------------3---0---|---------------------0---| |-0-------------------4---|-0-----------------------|-0---------------8-------| |-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------| 0 4 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 0 3 2 4 2 3 2 3 1 3 0 3 0 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 2 1 0 1 37 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |-------5-----------------|-------3-----------------|-------1-----------------| |-----5---5---5-----------|-----5---5---5-----2---2-|-----3---3---3-----------| |---6-------6---6---6---6-|---6-------6---6-3---0---|---2-------2---2---2---2-| |-----------------7-------|-------------------------|-----------------3---0---| |-0-------------------7---|-0-----------------------|-0-----------------------| |-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------| 0 2 1 1 1 2 1 2 4 2 3 2 0 3 2 1 2 3 2 3 3 2 0 2 0 2 4 1 4 2 4 2 3 2 0 2 40 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |-------1-----------------|-------1-----------------|-------0-------0-------4-| |-----3---3---3-----------|-----3---3---3-----------|-----2---2---2--/6-------| |---1-------1---1---1---1-|---1-------1---1---1---1-|---2-------2-------7-----| |-----------------3---0---|-----------------3---0---|---------------------9---| |-0-----------------------|-0-----------------------|-0-----------------------| |-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------| 0 1 4 1 4 1 4 1 3 1 0 1 0 1 2 0 2 1 2 0 2 3 4 1 43 CV |--5----------------------|| |--5----------------------|| |--6----------------------|| |--7----------------------|| |--7----------------------|| |--5----------------------|| ****************************************************************************** From: Erik Wernersson - erik.wernersson@telia.com Subject: Bach's prelude bwv 999 Date: Fri, 8 Aug 2003 15:08:31 -0700 There is another way of playing this prelude where you damp the bass at every measure. I don't which is correct but i think it sounds better when you damp the bass. 1 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | E-------5-----------------|-------5-----------------|-------6-----------------| B-----6---6---6-----------|-----6---6---6-----------|-----8---8---8-----------| G---7-------7---7---7---7-|---7-------7---7---7---7-|---7-------7---7---7---7-| D-0-------D-------7---3---|-0-----D---------7---3---|-0-------D-------8---5---| A-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------| E-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------| 0 4 2 1 2 4 2 4 2 3 1 3 0 2 4 1 4 2 4 2 3 2 12 3 3 [and so on]