Contradiction Blues

Contradiction Blues is a short fingerstyle blues piece I wrote. I called it 'Contradiction Blues' because of the contradiction between the mellow, laid back section at the start and the more punchy and bluesy second part of the tune.

The piece is written for a guitar tuned to Open D and predominantely uses a travis picking pattern with a regular alternating bass line. 


Below is a text version of the tab, a link to a powertab version, and a detailed walkthrough giving tips on how to play the tune. 



Contradiction Blues

 Tuning (D A D F# A D)

4/4

||-----------5--4-|-(4)-0----------|------------5--|-(5)--4-------0---|
||o-2s4---4-------|----------------|-2s4--4--5-----|------------------|
||----------------|----------------|---------------|------------------|
||------0----0----|-------0-----0--|------0-----0--|------0-------0---|
||o---------------|----------------|---------------|------------------|
||--0-----0-------|--0-------0-----|-0-------0-----|--0------0--------|


|-----------5---4-|-(4)-0----------|---------------|-5--4-0-------|
|-2s4---4---------|----------------|-7----7---7----|--------------|
|-----------------|----------------|-7----7---7----|--------------|
|-----0-------0---|-------0-----0--|----7-------7--|----0---------|
|-----------------|----------------|---------------|--------------|
|-0-------0-------|--0-------0-----|-7------7------|-5------0--4--|


|----3--------3-|-(3)------3-----------|-0--0--0--0----|
|---------------|----------------------|-0--1--2--3----|
|--------5------|-------5------5-------|-0--0--0--0----|
|----0------0---|----------0-------0---|---------------|
|---------------|----------------------|---------------|
|-5------5------|-----5--------5-------|-0-------------|


|-3--2-0-------|----3--------3-|-(3)-----3--------|-0--0--0--0--|
|--------------|---------------|------------------|-0--1--2--3--|
|--------------|---------5-----|-----5-------5----|-0--0--0--0--|
|----0---------|----0------0---|-------0-------0--|-------------|
|--------------|---------------|------------------|-------------|
|-0------0---4-|-5-----5-------|--5--------5------|-0-----------|


|-5--4-0--------|-----2---------3-----|-(3)--3----2----0---|
|---------------|---------------0-----|-(0)--0----0----0---|
|---------------|-----------1---------|--------------------|
|----0----------|-----2-------2-------|--------2---------2-|
|-----------2---|--0-----0------------|--0----------0------|
|-0------0------|---------------------|--------------------|


                1.                2.
|-------------|----------------||---------!0-----|----|
|-------------|---------------o||---------!0-----|----|
|-------------|----------------||---------!0-----|----|
|-0-----------|----------------||---------!0-----|----|
|----2--0-----|---------------o||---------!0-----|----|
|----------3--|-2b2.5---0------||-2b2.5---!0-----|----|


General Playing Advice

The tune is written for a guitar tuned to Open D and it is in the key of D. It uses the chords D, G, G7, A and A7.

The tune employs an alternating bass picking pattern played with the thumb on either strings 6 and 4 or string 5 and 4. All notes on strings 4, 5 and 6 should be played using the thumb.

The melody sections can be played either with the index and middle fingers or the index, middle and ring fingers. However, bars 11 and 15 will require the use of all three of these fingers to play it fully.

Walkthrough

Bars 1-6: In these bars the thumb alternates between the open 6th and 4th string to form the bass pattern. The melody section is just single notes which I play using the index and middle fingers on my left hand.

Bar 7: The left hand index finger makes a full barre across the 7th fret forming an A chord. The bass picking pattern remains the same and the melody notes are played using the index and middle fingers of the left hand simultaneously.

Bar 8: A bit trickier here. The barre on the 7th fret from the last bar drops down 2 frets to fret 5 for the first beat of this bar. This forms a G chord. The barre is then released for the second beat and the 4th fret of the 6th string fretted (I use my index finger for this). On the forth beat the bar the bass picking pattern changes and walks up into the next bar. I fret this new bass note with ring finger of my left hand as it leads into the new chord shape in the next bar.

Bars 9 and 10: A G7 chord is formed and the regular alternating bass pattern resumes.

Bar 11: I use the index, middle and ring fingers on my left hand to play this small ascending section.

Bar 12: Again a small section with the alternating bass line and a few treble notes. The bass then walks up into the G7 chord as in bar 8

Bars 13-16: Mostly the same as bars 9-12.

Bars 17 and 18: An A7 chord is now formed with the index, middle and ring fingers which leaves the pinkie finger free to fret the 3rd fret on the 1st string at the end of bar 17. Also, the bass picking pattern shifts from alternating between the 6th and 4th strings to between the 5th and 4th strings.

Bars 19 and 20: A simple turnaround employing a descending bassline and played with the thumb of the right hand.



And thats it. A small and fairly easy to play blues piece in Open D. The tune can be repeated with variations put in so, like most blues music, its worth experimenting and playing around with it a bit. 



Thanks for reading,
Neil


 



 

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