Artist: John Martyn
Song: Solid air
Album: Solid air
Tabbed by: DJ
6th Oct 2014
The key to playing this song is getting the open tuning.
Once you hear that beautiful chord on open strings you're half- way there.
The chords are pretty much all one finger shapes, straight barres
across all the strings. Getting to the open tuning is the trickiest part,
a chromatic tuner is very useful, unless you've the keen ear that John had:
Top E string - Down to D
B string - Down to A#
G string - Down to F
D string - Up to D#
A string - Down to G
Bottom E string - Down to C
TUNING: C G D# F A# D
Light gauge strings would not be advisable for this very low tuning.
Playing with a low C on the 6th string requires a real lightness of
left -hand technique to avoid pushing the slackest strings off of
the fretboard, you will also need to re-check the tuning more often than
usual too if you play this tune repeatedly while practising it.
Cm11 = 000000 or 050000
Fm11 = 555555 (Occasionally adding a high note - 555558)
F11sus2 = 557555
Gm11 = 777777
Fm7 = 555756
Cm11 * = 0 0 0 0 12 12 (*Harmonics)
Try this little run at the beginning of the 1st & 2nd lines of the verses.
[Cm11 riff]
You've been (tak -ing your...)
D |-------------------------------|
A#|-------------------------------|
F |-------------------------------|
D#|-------------------------------|
G |-------0----0-----h3---h5---0--|
C |--0----------------------------|
John Martyn live duet with Danny Thompson:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kg_Utj4Aljc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohmSPv-rtSQ
Live solo performance in Germany video(1978)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8Blccc0PM0
Here John tunes even lower to: A# F C# D# G# C with, generally, the same
chord shapes, but sounding a full tone lower. He busts a D string in the
first part of the clip, so the song begins at [3:24]
John constantly improvised on his songs, never playing or singing them
exactly as his records. There is plenty of room for experimenting and
adding your own subtleties, which is what his songs are all about.
Use plenty of slides, hammer-ons and percussive slaps to add more life.
***************************************************************************
[Intro]
Fm11 Cm11 Fm11 F11sus2 Fm11
D |---------------|----5-----5--5--|-----------------|-----5----5--5---5--|
A#|---------------|----5-----5--5--|-----------------|-----5----5--5---5--|
F |---------------|----5-----5--5--|-----------------|-----5----5--5---5--|
D#|---------------|----5-----5--5--|-----------------|-----5----5--h7--5--|
G |---------------|-------5--------|-----0-h3-h5--0--|--------5-----------|
C |--0--0--12\-0--|--5-------------|--0--------------|--5-----------------|
[Verse 1]
Cm11 Fm11 F11sus2 Cm11
You've been taking your time, and you've been living on ...solid air,
Cm11 Fm11 F11sus2 Cm11
You've been walking the line, you've been living on ...solid air,
Fm11
Don't know what's going wrong inside,
Gm11
And I can tell you that's it's hard to hide,
Cm11 Fm11 Fm7 Fm11 Cm11
When you're living on------ ...solid air----------------------!
[Verse 2]
Cm11 Fm11
You've been painting it blue,
F11sus2 Cm11
And you've been looking through ...solid air,
Cm11 Fm11
You've been seeing it through,
F11sus2 Cm11
But you've been looking through ...solid air,
Fm11
Don't know what's going wrong in your mind,
Gm11
And I can tell you don't like what you find,
Cm11 Fm11 Fm7 Fm11 Cm11
When you're moving through ...solid air-----------, solid air!
[Verse 3]
Gm11
I know you, I love you, and I can be your friend,
Fm11
I could follow you ...anywhere------,
Cm11 Fm11 F11sus2 Fm11 Cm11
Even----- through----- ...so - lid air-------------!
[Verse 4]
Cm11 Fm11 F11sus2 Cm11
You've been stoning 'em cold, you've been living on ...solid air,
Cm11 Fm11 F11sus2 Fm11 Cm11
You've been finding them cold, you've been liv - ing on ...solid air,
Fm11
I don't know what's going wrong inside,
Gm11
I can tell you that's it's hard to hide,
Cm11 Fm11 Cm11
When you're living on ...solid air, ...solid air!
[Verse 5]
Cm11 Fm11 Fm7 Fm11 Cm11
You've been getting too deep, you've been living on ...solid air,
Cm11 Fm11
You've been missing your sleep,
F11sus2 Cm11 Cm11 *
And you've been moving through ...solid air,
Fm11
I don't know what's going wrong in your mind,
Gm11
But I know you don't like what you find,
Cm11 Fm11 Fm7 Fm11 Cm11
When you're moving through ...solid air, ...solid air!
[Verse 6]
Gm11
I know you, I love you, I will be your friend,
Fm11
I could follow you ...anywhere,
Cm11 Fm11 F11sus2 Fm11 Cm11
Even------- through ...solid ...air-------------!
[Verse 7]
Cm11 Fm11 F11sus2 Cm11
You've been walking your line, you've been walking on ...solid air,
Cm11 Fm11
You've been taking your time,
Fm7 Fm11 Cm11 Cm11 *
But you've been walking on ...solid air,
Fm11
Don't know what's going wrong inside,
Gm11
But I can tell you that's it's hard to hide,
Cm11 Fm11 F11sus2 Fm11 Cm11
When you're living on ...solid ...air----------------!
[Verse 8]
Cm11 Fm11 F11sus2 Fm11 Cm11
Been painting it blue, you've been living on ...solid air,
Cm11 Fm11
And you've been seeing it through,
F11sus2 Cm11
And you've been moving through ...solid air,
Fm11
I don't know what's going on in your mind,
Gm11
But I can tell you don't like what you find,
Cm11 Fm11 Fm7 Fm11 Cm11
When you're living on ...solid air----------, solid air!
[Verse 9]
Gm11
I know you, I love you, and I will be your friend,
Fm11 Fm7 Fm11
I could follow you ...anywhere------------,
F11sus2 Fm11 Cm11 Fm11 F11sus2 Fm11 Cm11
Even---- through------- ...solid air--------------!
[Coda]
Cm11 Fm7 Fm11 Cm11 Fm7 Fm11
Ice cool------ ...solid air----!
Cm11 Fm11 Cm11 Fm11 Cm11 Fm11 Cm11 Fm7 Fm11
Nice--------- cool----- ...so---------lid air!
Cm11 Fm11 Cm11 Cm11 *
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