Joni Mitchell - HARLEM IN HAVANA guitar tab
HARLEM IN HAVANA - Joni Mitchell
--------------------------------
From the album "Taming The Tiger"
Transcribed by Howard Wright
Howard@jmdl.com
This is one of my all-time favourite Joni songs - the layers of different
guitar parts are just wonderful, the rhythm is so heavy and intoxicating, and
the way the song builds up in the chorus is truly awesome. I love it!
I've written out the opening riff, and the chords played by the main guitar
part. The way the VG8 is set up, it sounds like the bottom string of the main
guitar produces the nicely strange sound used on the intro riff, and all the
other strings give the clear, bright sound used for the chords. The open bottom
string is played for a lot of the chords, giving that kind of unpitched, soft,
metallic, clanking sound in the background. On a regular guitar you get a
regular sounding low E note, but it works just as well!
Tuning:
-------
In Joni notation: E 55545
Note names (low to high) : EADGBE
In other words ... standard tuning!
(This is Joni's third song written in standard tuning).
N.B If, like me, you have trouble reaching the chords at the 16th fret, you can get (almost)
the same notes with these two shapes:
0 x 11 11 12 11 (instead of 0 16 16 16 16 0)
0 x 11 11 x x (instead of 0 16 16 x x x)
Intro:
------
Bottom string riff:
E--12--12-----12--12-----12--12--15--17--17-----12--12-----12--12-----12--12------5--5-6-7----0--
(Repeat this once)
The main guitar then enters:
0 12 12 12 12 0 0 12 12 0 0 0 077770 099990 (repeat this line once)
077770 099990 077770 099990 077770 099990
x0222x 3x3000 0 16 16 16 16 0 0 16 16 x x x 0 16 16 16 16 0 0 16 16 x x x
0 16 16 16 16 0 0 16 16 x x x 0 16 16 16 16 0 0 16 16 x x x
Verse 1:
--------
0 12 12 12 12 0 0 12 12 0 0 0
At the far end of the midway by the double ferris wheel
077770 099990
There's a band that plays so snakey you can't help how you feel
0 12 12 12 12 0 0 12 12 0 0 0
Emmie May ran away with a man as black as night
077770 099990
You can see him, if you go there, second trumpet to the right
077770 099990
They play "Night Train" so snakey
077770 099990
Black girls dancing, long and lanky
077770 099990
Barkers barking, step right up, folks!
Chorus:
-------
x0222x
The show is about to begin
3x3000
It's Harlem in Havana time
0 16 16 16 16 0 0 16 16 x x x
Step right in!
0 16 16 16 16 0 0 16 16 x x x 0 16 16 16 16 0
Silver spangles, see 'em dangle in the farm boy's eyes
0 16 16 x x x 0 16 16 16 16 0 0 16 16 x x x
Hoochie coochie, Auntie Ruthie would've cried
If she knew we were on the inside.
(No chord) x02220 x00000
(No chord) x02220 x00000
Same chords for all verses/choruses.
Verse 2:
--------
When Emmie May ran away
She came back a bottle blonde
God! The gossips had a gourmet feast
Chomping on how she went wrong
But miracle of miracles
Cause we were underage
She got us nearly front row seats
To the right side of the stage
See that tall girl?
That's a man
That one, too
With a yellow feather fan
Barkers barking
Step right up, folks!
Chorus:
-------
The show is about to begin
It's Harlem in Havana time
Step right in!
Silver spangles, see 'em dangle in the farm boy's eyes
Hoochie coochie, Auntie Ruthie would've died
If she knew we were on the inside.
