Blueberry Hill - Tutorial + Tab

 

 

This is my blues version of the classic song 'Blueberry Hill'. Although the song is most often associated with Fats Domino's version released in 1956, it was actually written over 10 years earlier in 1940 and first sung by Gene Autry in the film The Singing Hill. A number of other versions were also recorded in 1940 (source:www.jazziz.com). However, it wasn't until 1956 that Fats Domino released his own version of it which, over time, has come to be the most recognised recording of the song. Fats Domino's version had a more upbeat rock n roll feel to it, indicative of the predominant msuical style of the time, and used a 12/8 rhythm to give it that distinctive sound. The notes used in the melody itself were largely unaltered from the original, but the timing and phrasing in Domino's version were markedly different. 

My version that I have written can probably be best described as a hybrid between the original and Domino's version. It is in 4/4 time giving it a more country, bluesy feel to it. But it also employs phrasing more akin to Domino's version. It is played in the key of G on a guitar in standard tuning. Although the main body of the song is relatively straightforward to play, the bridge section can be quite tricky incorporating barre chords, which have to be fretted quickly. Below is the free downloadable tab of my version, and also some tips on playing the song.

Blueberry Hill Tab - Power Tab - PDF - TXT

Playing Advice

• Finding the fingerings - The song is played in the Key of G and mostly uses the chords G, C and D. To make smooth transitions between these chords, especially into and out of the G, you will have to use the most efficient fingerings for these chords. I find the best way to play the G is with the ring finger on the 6th string, leaving the other 3 fingers free to play the melody notes. This hand position also allows a quick change into the C chord shape. This shape for the G chord can feel awkward if you dont usually play it like this, but with a bit of practise it should be ok. If you watch the video, you will see my fingerings throughout the music. I find these the easiest for me, but you may prefer to use different fingerings that are more comfortable for you.
  

• The 6 string barre - The most difficult part of the music is the bridge section. This section shifts between a F# chord and a Bm chord. To play these chords in standard tuning you will have to barre the strings. The F# chords requires a full barre over all six strings on fret 2, so the F# bass note on the 6th string can be fretted. The Bm chord only requires a barre over 5 strings of fret 2 as the 6th string is not played. Although you could switch between a 6 string barre and a 5 string barre when alternating between these chords, I would recommend just leaving the full 6 string barre over fret 2 for this whole section as it is easier that way. You may find alternative ways to fret these strings but I have found this way the most efficient.
  

• Alternating bass strings to single bass string -The bridge section again provides another problem when playing the F# chord. Throughout the music a picking pattern which uses alternating bass strings is employed. However, to do this with a full barre F# chord, and play the melody notes at the same time, is very difficult. Thus to make it easier, when playing the F# chord I do not alternate between bass notes and play the bass notes only on the 6th string. This is because it frees up more fingers to play the melody line. Again, you may find another way of doing this that allows you to play an alternating bass pattern. Switching between these bass line picking patterns can be tricky so be mindful of it when playing the music, because it is easy to forget and play the wrong bass notes.
  

 
This is about all I need to say about this piece. Apart from the bridge section which is trickier, the rest of this tune is quite straightforward to play if you are comfortable with fingerstyle guitar. If you have real difficulty with the bridge section, it can always be left out when playing it.

Thanks for Reading,
Neil