This is a great Andersonian study song, since it contains many of his
idioms, and, the studio recording (Aqualung) is uncluttered enough to
hear where these idioms occur and how they sound.
pt
Wond'ring Aloud
===============
Ian Anderson
(transcribed by Paul Tarvydas, tarvydas@tsctrl.guild.org)
Capo 3rd fret. 6/8 time.
Nylon string guitar, flatpicked (alternate picking).
All tablature written wrt 3rd fret open (e.g. written D chord is
musically an F, C chord written is musically Eb, Em is musically Gm,
etc). Tuning is actually G-C-F-Bb-D-G.
Chord positions are written at the top, followed by beats, followed by
picking direction (V=downpick, ^=uppick, /=downstrum, \=upstrum).
Note that I've tried to reduce the visual density of the tab by not
showing the strums as notes - you'll have to follow the picking &
strumming directions above the tab staff to see where the strums takes
place.
Hint (Idiom Alert): The song is played with a "waltz" feel. IA strums
5 times per "waltz" measure (half of the 6/8 measure):
down-(hold)-down-up-down-up, down-(hold)-down-up-down-up
/ / \ / \ / / \ / \
accent accent
and the pick-up notes and melody tid-bits fall into this pattern.
Fingering highlights are shown below the tab. The fingering is meant
to point out that many of the single note bridges are actually smooth
transitions between chords, where one finger is lifted and replaced.
Anderson keeps one fingered rooted at the original chord as he morphs
to the next chord. For example, during the Am to Gsus4 to G shift, he
keeps the first finger pinned on the 1st fret of the 2nd string. He
then finally resolves the Gsus4 to G by lifting the first finger on
the 4th beat of the measure.
The letters down the right hand side are index marks to facilitate
discussion and .WAV/.MID files.
First, the chords, then the tablature...
C Am Gsus4 G D D6 D Dsus2 D Dsus2 D
Wond'ring aloud how we feel today?
C Am
Last night sipped the sunset
Gsus4 G D D6 D Dsus2 D Dsus2 D
My hand in her hair
C D
We are our own saviours
G Em D
As we start both our hearts
Em G D D6 D Dsus2 D Dsus2 D
Beating life into each other.
C Am Gsus4 G D D6 D Dsus2 D Dsus2 D
Wond'ring aloud will the years treat us well?
C Am
As she floats in the kitchen
Gsus4 G D
I'm tasting the smell.
C C
Of toast as the butter runs
G Em D Em
then she comes spilling crumbs on the bed
G D
And I shake my head.
D Dm C G
And it's only the giving that makes you
Em D
What you are.
C
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 6 &
V ^ / / \ V V ^ V ^
--|--------0-----0--0--------------------|--
--|--------1-----1--1--------------------|--
--|--------0-----0--0--------------------|-- A
--|-----2--------------2-----0-----------|--
--|--3--------------------------3--2--0--|--
--|--------------------------------------|--
Wond' ring a--------
Last night sipped the
Am Am
/ / \ / \ V ^ V ^ V ^
--|--0-----------------------------------|--
--|--1-----------------------------------|--
--|--2-----------------------------------|-- B
--|--2-----------------0--2-----------0--|--
--|--0-----------------------0--2--3-----|--
--|--------------------------------------|--
--loud How we
sun---set My
0 0 - - - -
1 1 1 1 1 1
3 3 - - - -
0 2 - - - 0
0 0 0 2 3 0
- - - - - -
Gsus4 G
/ / \ / \ / V ^ V ^
--|--3-----------------3-----------------|--
--|--1-----------------0-----------------|--
--|--0-----------------0-----------------|-- C
--|--0-----------------0-----------------|--
--|--2-----------------2-----2--0-----0--|--
--|--3-----------------3-----------3-----|--
feel to--
hand in her
4 4 4 4 4 4
1 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0
2 2 2 0 0 0
3 3 3 3 3 0
Dsus2
D D6 D
/ / \ / \ / / \ / \
--|--2-----2--2--2--0--2-----2--2--2--2--|--
--|--3-----3--3--3--3--3-----3--3--3--3--|--
--|--2-----2--4--2--0--2-----2--2--2--2--|-- D
--|--0-----0--0--0--0--0-----0--0--0--0--|--
--|--------------------------------------|--
--|--------------------------------------|--
day.
hair.
2 2 2 2 0
3 3 3 3 3
2 2 4 2 0
0 0 0 0 0
- - - - -
- - - - -
1st time:
Dsus2 D Dsus2 D
/ \ / \ / \ / / \ :] (repeat)
--|--0--2--2--2--0--0--2-----------2--2--|--
--|--3--3--3--3--3--3--3-----------3--3--|--
--|--0--2--2--2--0--0--2-----------2--2--|-- E
--|--0--0--0--0--0--0--0-----------0--0--|--
--|--------------------------------------|--
--|--------------------------------------|--
2nd time: (NOTE: start 2nd beat with back-pick, as shown)
(this section is harder to write/read than it is to
play - listen to the record until it oozes from your
pores, then it will be easy to get the timing right)
Ds2 D C
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 6 &
V h ^ V ^ V ^ V ^ V
---3---
--|--0-h2-----------------------------------|--
--|--3-h3-----------------------------------|--
--|--0-h2-----------0-----------------------|-- F
--|--0-h0--0--2--4--2-----2--0-h2-p0-----0--|--
--|-----------------------------------3-----|--
--|-----------------------------------------|--
------------ incidental strums
D D6 D Ds2 D D D D D down stroke on beat
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 6 & up stroke inbetween
/ \ / \ / \ / / \ / \
--|--2-----2--2--2--0--2----(2-(2-(2-(2--|--
--|--3-----3--3--3--3--3----(3-(3-(3-(3--|--
--|--2-----2--4--2--0--2----(2-(2-(2-(2--|-- G
--|--0-----0--0--0--0--0----(0-(0-(0-(0--|--
--|--------------------------------------|--
--|--------------------------------------|--
------------ incidental strums
Ds2 D D Ds2 D Ds2 D D D Ds2 D
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 5 & 6 &
/ \ / \ / \ / / \ / \
--|--0--2--2--0--2--0--2----(2-(2-(0-(2--|--
--|--3--3--3--3--3--3--3----(3-(3-(3-(3--|--
--|--0--2--2--0--2--0--2----(2-(2-(0-(2--|-- H
--|--0--0--0--0--0--0--0----(0-(0-(0-(0--|--
--|--------------------------------------|--
--|--------------------------------------|--
C C C C C C C C C C
waltz 2 & 3 & waltz 2 & 3 &
/ / \ / \ V \ / \ / \
--|--0-----------------------------------|--
--|--1-----------------------------------|--
--|--0-----------------------------------|-- I
--|--2-----------------------------------|--
--|--3-----------------3-----------------|--
--|--------------------------------------|--
We are our own
D D D D D Ds2 D D D D D
/ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \
waltz 2 & 3 & waltz 2 & 3 &
--|--2-----------------0--2--------------|--
--|--3-----------------3--3--------------|--
--|--2-----------------0--2--------------|-- J
--|--0-----------------0--0--------------|--
--|--------------------------------------|--
--|--------------------------------------|--
saviours as we
G Em
V ^ V / \ V ^ V / \
--|--------3-----------------0-----------|--
--|--------0-----------------0-----------|--
--|--------0-----------------0-----------|-- K
--|--------0-----------------2-----------|--
--|-----2-----------------2--------------|--
--|--3-----------------0-----------------|--
start both our
D D D D D Ds2 D D D D D
/ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \
waltz 2 & 3 & waltz 2 & 3 &
--|--2-----------------0--2--------------|--
--|--3-----------------3--3--------------|--
--|--2-----------------0--2--------------|-- L
--|--0-----------------0--0--------------|--
--|--------------------------------------|--
--|--------------------------------------|--
hearts beating
Em Em morph-to-G
/ / \ / \ V ^ V ^ V ^
--|--0-----------------------------------|--
--|--0-----------------------------------|--
--|--0-----------------------------------|-- M
--|--2-----------------------------------|--
--|--2-----------------0--2-----------0--|--
--|--0-----------------------0--2--3-----|--
life
G G
/ / \ / \ V V V
---3---
--|--3--------------------------------------|--
--|--0--------------------------------------|--
--|--0--------------------------------------|-- N
--|--0--------------------------------------|--
--|--2-----------------2-----0-h2-p0--------|--
--|--3--------------------------------3-----|--
in----to each
D D D6 D Ds2 D
/ / \ / \ / / \ / \
--|--2----(2-(2-(2-(0--2-----------------|--
--|--3----(3-(3-(3-(3--3-----------------|--
--|--2----(2-(4-(2-(0--2-----------------|-- O
--|--0----(0-(0-(0-(0--0-----------------|--
--|--------------------------------------|--
--|--------------------------------------|--
other.
...
And it's
Dm C
/ / \ / \ / \ / \
--|--1-----------------0-----------------|--
--|--3-----------------1-----------------|--
--|--2-----------------0-----------------|-- P
--|--0-----------------2-----------------|--
--|--------------------3-----------------|--
--|--------------------------------------|--
only the giving that makes
G
/ / \ / \ / \ / \
--|--3-----------------------3-----------|--
--|--0-----------------------0-----------|--
--|--0-----------------------0-----------|-- Q
--|--0-----------------------0-----------|--
--|--2-----------------0--2--2-----------|--
--|--3-----------------------3-----------|--
you
Em D
/ / \ / \ ---3--- /
--|--0--------------------------------------|--2-----||-
--|--0--------------------------------------|--3-----||-
--|--0--------------------------------------|--2-----||- R
--|--2--------------------------------------|--0-----||-
--|--2-----------------2-----0-h2-p0--------|--------||-
--|--0--------------------------------3-----|--------||-
what you are.
|
