Tabbed by Jamie Phillips (jamiephillips22@hotmail.com)
Artist: Bert Jansch
Track title: The Blacksmith
Album: The River Sessions (and LA Turnaround)
Tuning: DADGAD
This is an absolutely stunning track - the guitar part alone is worth learning simply to
see how great the DADGAD tuning can sound. I tabbed it from the live version which is just
guitar and vocals. I think the guitar on the studio version is virtually the same though.
This tab is the guitar part from the first verse - the other verses are the same with a few
minor variations which you can check out yourself. He repeats the main riff a few times
before he sings. The thing about this tune is that you could refinger virtually every phrase
a different way to suit your fingers. This is how I think it's played, although the live
version is a little sketchy in places. You'll get the general idea though! I've given an
alternate fingering for one of the verses I thought some fingers might have trouble with.
Enjoy! :o)
Rhythm 4/4 (and 2/4, 3/4)
Beat:* * * * * * * *D||--------0-h2--0-----------0-h2--0-----|--------------------------------0-----|A||--------0-h3--0-----------0-h3--0-----|--------------------5--------7--------|G||-----2-----------2-----2-----------2--|--------0-h5--0--------5-----------5--|D||--0-----------------------------------|-----7-----------7--------7-----------|A||--------------------------------------|--0-----------------------------------|D||--------------------0-----------------|--------------------------------------|
* * * * * * *D-------------------------------|--------0-h2--0-----------0-h2--0-----|A----------------------0--------|--------0-h3--0-----------0-h3--0-----|G-/7----------------------0-----|-----2-----------2-----2-----------2--|D-----0-----10---------------2--|--0-----------------------------------|A--------8------7---------------|--------------------------------------|D------------------10-----------|--------------------0-----------------|
* * * * * * * *D--------0-h2--0-----------0-h2--0-----|--------------------------------0-----|A--------0-h3--0-----------0-h3--0-----|--------------------5--------7--------|G-----2-----------2-----2-----------2--|--------0-h5--0--------5-----------5--|D--0-----------------------------------|-----7-----------7--------7-----------|A--------------------------------------|--0-----------------------------------|D--------------------0-----------------|--------------------------------------|
* * * * * * * * D------------------7----------------------|--------2-h3--2-----------2-h3--2-----|A--0-----------10-----10-p7-----7---------|--------0-----------------0-----------|G-----------9----------------7-----7------|-----------------------------------0--|D-------------------------------------10--|-----2-----------2-----2--------------|A-----7--7--------------------------------|--0-----------------0-----------------|D-----7--7--------------------------------|--------------------------------------|
* * * * * *D--------0-h7-p0--------------|-----------------------------|A-----8-----------8-----0-----|-----0--------------0--------|G--------------------7--------|--------5-----4-/5-----5-----|D-----------------------------|-----------7--------------7--|A--------------------------8--|--7--------------------------|D--0--------------------------|-----------------------------|
* * * * * * * *D--------0-h2--0---------------------|--------0-h2--0-----------0-h2--0-----|A--------0-h3--0---------------------|--------0-h3--0-----------0-h3--0-----|G-----2-----------2------------------|-----2-----------2-----2-----------2--|D--0---------------------------0-----|--------------------0-----------------|A-------------------/5----3-------0--|--------------------------------------|D-------------------/5----3----------|--0-----------------------------------|
* * * * * * * *D--------0-h7-p0------------------------|--------0-h2--0-----------0-h2--0-----|A-----8-----------8-----0------------0--|--------0-h3--0-----------0-h3--0-----|G--------------------7---------7-\5-----|-----2-----------2-----2-----------2--|D--------------------------10-----------|--0-----------------------------------|A---------------------------------------|--------------------------------------|D--0------------------------------------|--------------------0-----------------|
* * * * * * D-----------0-----------------0--------|--------0-h2--0-----|A-----0--------0--------0--------0-----|--------0-h3--0-----|G--------0--------0--------0--------0--|-----2-----------2--|D-/9-----------------8-----------------|--0-----------------|A--------------------------------------|--------------------|D--------------------------------------|--------------------|
* * * * * * D-----------0-----------------0--------|--------0-h2--0-----|A-----0--------0--------0--------0-----|--------0-h3--0-----|G--------0--------0--------0--------0--|-----2-----------2--|D-/9-----------------8-----------------|--0-----------------|A--------------------------------------|--------------------|D--------------------------------------|--------------------|
* * * * * * * * D--------------0-----2h3p2p0--|--------0-h2--0-----|--------------0--------------|A--------0-h3-----------------|--------0-h3--0-----|--------0-h3--------2h3p2p0--|G-----0-----------------------|-----2-----------2--|-----0-----------------------|D-----------------------------|--0-----------------|-----------------------------|A-----------------------------|--------------------|-----------------------------|D-/5--------------3-----------|--------------------|-/5--------------3-----------|
* * * * * * *D--------0-h2--0-----|--------------0-----2h3p2p0--|--------0-h2--0-----|A--------0-h3--0-----|--------0-h3-----------------|--------0-h3--0-----|G-----2-----------2--|-----0-----------------------|-----2-----------2--|D--0-----------------|-----------------------------|--0-----------------|A--------------------|-----------------------------|--------------------|D--------------------|-/5--------------3-----------|--------------------|
* * * * * * * D--------------0--------------|--------0-h2--0-----------0-h2--0-----|A--------0-h3--------2h3p2p0--|--------0-h3--0-----------0-h3--0-----|G-----0-----------------------|-----2-----------2-----2-----------2--|D-----------------------------|--0-----------------------------------|A-----------------------------|--------------------------------------|D-/5--------------3-----------|--------------------0-----------------|
* * * * D--------0-h2--0-----------0-h2--0-----||A--------0-h3--0-----------0-h3--0-----||G-----2-----------2-----2-----------2--||D--0-----------------------------------||A--------------------------------------||D--------------------0-----------------||
Alternative fingering for bar 3:
D||-----------------------------|----||A||--5--------3--------0--------|----||G||-----------------------0-----|----||D||-----0--3-----2-----------2--|----||A||-----------------3-----------|----||D||-----------------------------|----||
