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Solid Air by John Martyn - Guitar Chords

Version 1
            Song: Solid air
Artist: John Martyn
Composer John Martyn
Album: Solid air
Tabbed by: DJ
6th Oct 2014

Light gauge strings would not be advisable for this 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, the slack
strings will go out of tune much quicker than standard tuning.

John Martyn live duet with Danny Thompson:
--.-/watch?ds49aKg_Utj4Aljc
--.-/watch?ds49aohmSPv-rtSQ

Live solo performance in Germany video(1978)
--.-/watch?ds49aO8Blccc0PM0
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.

The key to playing this song is the beautiful open tuning.
Once you hear that 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

OPEN TUNING: C-G-D#-F-A#-D

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----------------------------|

N.B.
Please IGNORE ANY POP-UP CHORD BOXES the website might automatically suggest
and use the typed shapes shown below:

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)

h = Hammer-on note   p = pull-off note   \ = Slide note down

Please select a star rating for this tab, many thanks

==========================================================================

[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 *
|  /  /  /  / |  /  /  /  / |  /  /  /  / | /  /  /  / | /  /  /  / |  /  ||
We also have 7 songs by John Martyn

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