Subject: TAB: Sweet Potato, John Renbourn (spelled Renbourne by OLGA), transcribed by anonymous and Allyn Dimock
Sweet Potato
guitar arrangement by John Renbourn
original by Jones / Cropper / Jackson (Boker T and the MGs)
For free educational use only!
This is as I learned the first section of Sweet Potato in the '70s.
My playing has drifted from the handwritten transcription of the A
section that I learned the piece from. I have included the B section
and first part of the C section as best I can decipher them from the
record. There is plenty of C section left to try your own
transcription skills on.
Renbourn has recently released an instructional video ("Folk, Blues,
and Beyond" available from Stefan Grossman's Guitar Workshop), which
supposedly contains a substantially different version of this piece.
>From what I have been able to gather, the video contains a version of
the piece, with many variations, none of which are on the album, and
all fitting into a 16 bar form (as opposed to the 12 bar B section on
the album). This seems a worthwhile investment for any serious
student (now if only I had a VCR and TV...)
notation:
The beat is indicated by vertical strokes.
"q" "e" "s" are rhythmic notations "quarter" "eighth" "sixteenth"
"ww" is vibrato or small bend. "b" and "r" are "bend" and "release"
notes between a b and an r show the pitch, not the actual fret.
"/" (or "\") before a note is a slide up (or down) to the note from an
unspecified fret.
"/" (or "\") between notes is a slide between specified notes.
"h" and "p" stand for "hammer-om" and "pull-off".
Intro:
1 repeat 3x 4 5 6
| e | 3 | 2 |
| B | 3 | 3 |
| G | 4 | 2 | repeat |
| D 0 0 | 0 0 | 0 0 | ms 4 5 |
| A 0 2 | | 0 2 |
| D 0 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
8 q e e s se q
| e 7 |
| B 5/7 7p5 5 |
| G 7 4 |
| D 0 0 |
| A |
| D 0 0 |
| | | |
Part A:
1D q e e s se q
| e | | | 7 |
| B 3 | 3 6s5 | 3 | 5/7 7p5 |
| G 2 | 2s4 | | 7 4 2 |
| D 0 | 0 6s5 | 3ww 0 | 0 0 |
| A 0 2 | | 0 2 | |
| D 0 0 0 0 | 0 0 | 0 0 0 0 | 0 0 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
5G D
| e 0 | | | |
| B 3 | 3 6s5 | 3 | 0 |
| G 2/4 | 0 2s4 | | 2 2 2 |
| D 0 0 2 | 6s5 | 3ww 0 | 0 0 |
| A 3/5 | | 0 2 | |
| D 3/5 0 0 | 0 0 | 0 0 0 0 | 0 0 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
first ending:
9C G D
| e | | | |
| B 1 1 1 1 1 | 0h1 0 | 0h1 1 0h1 | 0h1 1 0h1 1 0h1 |
| G 0 0 0 0 0 | | 2 2 2 2 2 | (2) |
| D 2 2h3 3 3 2 | 0h2 0 | 3ww 0 | |
| A 3 3 3 | 3 | | |
| D | 5 5 | 3ww 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 0 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
13 e ss q e e s se q
| e | | | 7 |
| B | | | 5/7 7p5 5 |
| G 2 | 0 | | 7 4 |
| D 0 | 0 2b3r2 | 0 0 | 0 0 |
| A 0h2 | 0h2 | 0 2 | |
| D 0 0 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 0 | 0 0 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
repeat mm 1-8, then second ending:
9C G D
| e | | | |
| B 1 1 1 1 1 | 0h1 0 | | |
| G 0 0 0 0 0 | | 2 2 4 | 5 5 4 |
| D 2 2h3 3 3 2 | 0h2 0 | 3ww 0 5 | 7ww 7ww 5 |
| A 3 3 3 | 3 | | |
| D | 5 5 | 3ww 0 0 0 5 5 | 7ww 7 7ww 7 5 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
13
| e | | | |
| B | | | |
| G 2 2 4 | 5 5 4 | 2 2 4 | 5 5 4 |
| D 3ww 0 5 | 7ww 7ww 5 | 3ww 0 5 | 7ww 7ww 5 |
| A | | | |
| D 3ww 0 0 0 5 5 | 7ww 7 7ww 7 5 5 | 3ww 0 0 0 5 5 | 7ww 7 7ww 7 5 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
repeat all 32 measures of A, then on to
B section (12 bars):
1 e. s s se e. s s se s ss s s se
| e | | | |
| B 6 3 3 1 | 6 3 3 1 | 6 6 3 1 | |
| G 5 2 2 0h2 | 5 2 2 0h2 | 5 2 0h2 2 | 1p0 |
| D | | | 3p0 0 3p0 0 3 |
| A | | | 3 3 |
| D 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 0 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
5 s sss e s ssse s sss e s ssse
| e | | | |
| B | | 3 6 8 6 | 3 3 1 3 |
| G 0 0 | 0 0 | 2 5 7 5 | 2 2 0 2 |
| D 3s5 3s5 5 | 3s5 3s5 | | |
| A | 5 3 | 0 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 0 |
| D 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 3 | 0 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 0 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
9
| e | | | |
| B 1 | 0 1 0 | | |
| G 0 | 0 2 0 | 2 2 4h5 5 4h5 | 5s7 7 5h7 7 7 |
| D 0h2 3 3 2 | 0 | 3w 0 | |
| A 3 3 3 | | | |
| D | 5 5 | 3w 0 | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Part C:
1 e e e s s
| e 1h2 1h2 | 3s5 | 5 3 |
| B 3 | | 6w |
| G 2h4 4 1h2 1h2 | 3s5 | 5 4 5w 7 |
| D | 5/7 5/7 5/7 0 | 7 |
| A | 0 0 | |
| D 0 0 0 0 | 0 0 | 0 0 0 |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
4 e e e e
| e | 1h2 1h2 | 12b |
| B | 3 3 | |
| G 2s | 4 4 1h2 1h2 | |
| D 5/7 5/7 5/7 0 | | 5/7 5/7 5/7 0 |
| A 0 0 | 0 | 0 0 |
| D 0 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 0 |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
7 e s s s se
| e 13 13r12 10 | 8 | 8 |
| B 10 s3 | 8b9r8p6 6w 8w | 8b9r8 6w |
| G | 7 7 | 7 |
| D | | 0 |
| A | 0 | 0 |
| D | 0 0 | 0 0 0 |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
10sse sse sse sse e ss
| e | | | |
| B /6 /5 /3 1 | 1/3 3 1 | 0h1 1 0h1 1 0h1 | 1h3 3 3 3 |
| G | 2 2h4 | | |
| D /7 /5 /3 2 | 2/3 3 2 0 | | |
| A 0 0 | 0 0 0 | | 0 0 0 0 |
| D 0 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 0 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
14 prebend 9.......... s ss s s se
| e 8 | | |
| B 10b11 10b11 10b11 | 1h3 3 | |
| G | 10 (7h8p)7 | 1p0 |
| D | | 3p0 0 3p0 0 3 |
| A | | 3 3 |
| D | 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 0 |
| | | | | | | | | | | |
17
... quite a few more measures, please post them as you figure them out ...