Sail Away Ladies (Tutorial + Tab)

Sail Away Ladies is a traditional tune which has many different versions of it. This version is based on the one by John Fahey from the album - The Great San Bernardino Birthday Party Vol 4. Although there are multiple instruments playing in the Fahey version, including sitar sections, the version I have done merely covers the two main guitar sections.

These two guitar sections are both very similar with only a few different notes in each. However, the main difference between the two sections is the tempo. The first section is played much slower than the second

Sail Away Ladies is a fingerstyle piece played in 4/4 time, although there are a few bars in 2/4 time. It employs a travis picking pattern with the thumb playing the bass notes and alternating between different bass strings. It is a relatively easy piece to play but the second, faster section does have quite a fast tempo, so this does make it more tricky to play although many of the notes are the same as the first, slower section. The tune is in the key of C and is played on a guitar tuned to Open C. In the video above I just play through each section once, however in Fahey's recorded version there are more repeat sections. These repeat sections are shown in the tabs for the music below.

Sail Away Ladies Tab - Power Tab - PDF - TXT

Playing Advice

• The quick 2/4 - Although the tune is mostly in 4/4 time, there are a number of bars in 2/4. These occur at the end of the first main section of the tune. When listening through the music, these 2/4 sections are easy to miss as they are well integrated into the music, without any noticable change to the time signature. However, when playing the tune on the guitar, it is easy to add extra notes in and play these sections in 4/4 time. If you study the tab and are mindful of where these sections are, and how they sound, they shouldn't be too problematic.
  

• Picking vs Slurs (Hammer Ons and Pull Offs) -In the slower part of the song most of the notes are picked with little use of slurs. In the faster section, it is more tricky to pick each note at that tempo, so I use more slurs to make playing these notes slightly easier. This is shown in the tabs. However, it is really up to individual preference how you want to play these notes. The slurs will sound slightly differently to picked notes so its a case of finding your own preference, and striking a balance between finding the sound you like and making the tune playable for you.
  

• Subtle Differences - As I have said, the tune has two sections, the slower first section and the faster second. Mostly these sections comprise of the same notes. However, there are a few differences. The slower section has a more laid back feel incorporating bends and more 1/8 notes near the start. The faster section has a more direct and strident feel with 1/4 notes on each beat of the bar. These subtle differences suit the different tempo of each section and help them sound unique. However, it is very easy to get them mixed up and play the wrong notes at the wrong tempo. Although it is up to individual preference what you play in each section, it may be worth learning each of the two sections individually to help avoid getting mixed up.
  

That is probably about all I need to say on this piece. It is quite an easy tune to learn if you are confortable playing fingerstyle guitar and are used to travis picking patterns with alternating bass notes. Just be mindful of the 2/4 sections and the subtle differences between the slower and faster sections of the music and you should able to play this well.

Thanks for Reading,
Neil