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]