The song is played with a flatpick in open D tuning
(DADF#AD low to high). The basic technique is to
pick the melody while strumming the chords. If
you have trouble finding the chords in open D, let
me know and I'll try to find some more time for this.
It's such a great guitar tune I didn't want the
request to go unanswered.
Intro:
Where there is a full chord, you go into a strumming
pattern...you'll have to listen to the record if
you want to duplicate the Cat Stevens sound.
h s
D :4-5-|7-------|------54|575-----|--------|-
A :----|0-------|--------|555-----|--------|-
F#:----|0-------|--------|555-----|--------|-
D :----|0-------|--------|555-----|--------|-
A :----|0-------|--------|--------|--------|-
D :----|0-------|--------|--------|--------|-
D :7--97---|5--75---|--50--40|202-----|-
A :7---7---|5---5---|--5---0-|0-0-----|-
F#:7---7---|5---5---|-5---3--|1-1-----|-
D :7---7---|5---5---|5---4---|2-2-----|-
A :--------|--------|--------|--------|-
D :--------|--------|--------|----0---|-
The song:
The song starts out like the intro and stays in
a strumming pattern while picking out the melody
on the high strings.
Interlude:
This should be played with a flatpick, alternating
up and down strokes on each successive note even
though each note is on a different string. This
is a *very* useful technique - and this is a nice
piece to practice it on. So, for the first two
measures below, the first note of each "group" of
notes (the normal D string) is picked down, the
second note (the G string tuned down to F#) is
picked with an up stroke, and so on. At the end,
you end up flowing into the strumming thing you
did at the end of the intro.
D :---0---0|---0---0|---0---0|--------|-
A :--2---2-|--4---4-|--2---0-|---0---0|-
F#:-1---1--|-3---3--|-1---0--|--0---0-|-
D :2---2---|4---4---|2---0---|-2---1--|-
A :--------|--------|--------|3---2---|-
D :--------|--------|--------|--------|-
D :---0---0|---0---0|---0---0|---0---0|-
A :--2---2-|--4---4-|--2---2-|--4---4-|-
F#:-1---1--|-3---3--|-1---1--|-3---3--|-
D :2---2---|4---4---|2---2---|4---4---|-
A :--------|--------|--------|--------|-
D :--------|--------|--------|--------|-
D :---0---0|---0---0|---0---0|---7---5|-
A :--2---2-|--4---4-|--2---0-|--7---5-|-
F#:-1---1--|-3---3--|-1---0--|-7---5--|-
D :2---2---|4---4---|2---0---|7---5---|-
A :--------|--------|--------|--------|-
D :--------|--------|--------|--------|-
D :--50--40|202-----|-
A :--5---0-|0-0-----|-
F#:-5---3--|1-1-----|-
D :5---4---|2-2-----|-
A :--------|--------|-
D :--------|----0---|-
Dave
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