I'm starting to make a collection of the easier fingerstyle songs I tend to teach my guitar students here at the Vancouver studio. This one I've been using a lot for lessons. James Bay is a really good singer and this guitar part is quite good. It's similar in style to Paul McCartney's "Blackbird," though the rhythms are different and the chords follow a different path.
James Bay tunes his guitar down and then plays higher up the fretboard. But to avoid having to do that, we can just CAPO 1, then play the tab as written below. You get the exact same notes so it's easier.
Note that the studio recording has two guitars. This tab is for the main guitar and indeed, when James Bay plays it solo he plays just the part that I've written out below.
Intro
e|---------------------------------|--------------3---3---3-----------|
B|-5---5---5--/10--10--10--10--10--|-\5---5---5---------------6---5---|
G|---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0-|----0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0-|
D|---------------------------------|----------------------------------|
A|-3----------/8-------------------|----------------------------------|
E|---------------------------------|--5-----------3-------------------|
e|---------------------------------|----------------------------------|
B|-5---5---5--/10--10--10--10--10--|-\5---5---5--\3---3---3---3---3---|
G|---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0-|----0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0-|
D|---------------------------------|----------------------------------|
A|-3----------/8-------------------|----------------------------------|
E|---------------------------------|--5----------\3-------------------|In that second measure, Bay uses his thumb for the G note on the bottom string (3rd fret). That might make it easier for you to stretch your fingers up to the 6th and 5th frets at the end of that bar.
Verse
The Verse is exactly the same as the Intro. If you plan to sing while playing, it's going to take quite some practice to get the part down. Just play it lots before you attempt singing along.
Alternatively, you could just strum the chords instead. These chords would work:
C F C G
Pre-Chorus
This section requires you to use a short bar on the 5th fret. Let the last notes in bar four ring out and hold as you sing the first words of the Chorus.
e|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
B|-5---5---5---5---5---5---5---5---|-5---5---5---5---5---5---5---5---|
G|---5---5---5---5---5---5---5---5-|---5---5---5---5---5---5---5---5-|
D|-7-----------5-------------------|-4-----------3-------------------|
A|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
E|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
e|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
B|-5---5---5---5---5---5---5---5---|-5---5---5---5~------------------|
G|---5---5---5---5---5---5---5---5-|---5---5---5---------------------|
D|-7-----------5-------------------|-4-----------3~------------------|
A|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
E|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|Chorus
Similar to the verse but has a more complex chord structure. The chords implied are:
F C Am G
F C G G
e|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
B|-10--10--10-\5---5---5---5---5---1---1---1---0---0---0---0---0---|
G|---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0-|
D|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
A|-8----------\3-------------------0-------------------------------|
E|---------------------------------------------3-------------------|
e|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
B|-6---6---6--\5---5---5---5---5---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---|
G|---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0-|
D|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
A|-5----------\3---------------------------------------------------|
E|---------------------------------3-----------3-------------------|
e|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
B|-10--10--10-\5---5---5---5---5---1---1---1---0---0---0---0---0---|
G|---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0-|
D|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
A|-8----------\3-------------------0-------------------------------|
E|---------------------------------------------3-------------------|
e|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
B|-6---6---6--\5---5---5---5---5---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---|
G|---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0-|
D|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
A|-5----------\3---------------------------------------------------|
E|---------------------------------3-----------3-------------------|Now, repeat everything again from the top: Intro, Verse, Pre-Chorus, Chorus.
Bridge
The Bridge of a song should be designed to keep the song from sounding too repetitive and this one certainly does. We have a different chord sequence here again. The chords implied would be:
Dm C G Am
e|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
B|-6---6---6---6---6---6---6---6---|-5---5---5---5---5---5---5---5---|
G|---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0-|---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0-|
D|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
A|-5-----------5-------------------|-3-----------3-------------------|
E|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
e|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
B|-12--12--12--12--12--12--12--12--|-13--13--13--13--13--13--13--13--|
G|---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0-|---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0-|
D|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
A|-10----------10------------------|-12----------12------------------|
E|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
e|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
B|-6---6---6---6---6---6---6---6---|-5---5---5---5---5---5---5---5---|
G|---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0-|---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0-|
D|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
A|-5-----------5-------------------|-3-----------3-------------------|
E|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
e|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
B|-12--12--12--12--12--12--12--12--|-13--13--13--13~-----------------|
G|---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0-|---0---0---0---------------------|
D|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
A|-10----------10------------------|-12----------12~-----------------|
E|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|Now play the Chorus again but just HOLD the first four chords. Then the chorus again normally, the Intro again, and finally you can end on this chord:
e|--------|
B|-----5~-|
G|---0~---|
D|--------|
A|-3~-----|
E|--------|
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