Prelude No 1 In C-major Well Tempered Clavier Chords & Tabs
Prelude No 1 In C-major Well Tempered Clavier Tab
WELL TEMPERED CLAVIER
PRELUDE 1 / C-major
by J.S. Bach
Piano arranged for guitar.
Reviewed and vastly improved version
Transcribed, tabbed and improved by Tom Mitterfellner
When I started playing the guitar I transcribed this piece originally
written for the piano to the guitar and submitted it to the Online Guitar
Archive (OLGA). This was many, many years ago. I must say, I did a lousy
job back then. The idea using a bass in addition to the guitar was quite
stupid. In this version, the sections where in the former version I had
indicated you'd need a bass guitar, are now transposed upwards, so you
can play everything on the guitar.
Also, I changed some fingerings. Now, using some barré technique, the fingerings
should be much easier than in the first version, although you need good stretching
for some measures (e.g. 15, 31).
Colon(s) : above a note will indicate that you should use your finger
barré-like (e.g. laying it over more than one string, much like a capo
[or a "partial capo"]). For some measures I indicated you should keep
the barré finger in that position for the following measure(s).
In one measure (#22), you should to use your thumb (T); this fingering is
quite awkward, but I couldn't find a better one in which you can have the
lowest note ringing, which I deem important there.
Additionally, I named the chords the plucked notes make up above the tab.
Dropped d-Tuning seemed suitable to me (low to high: d A d G B E)
All fingerings are suggestions I feel quite comfy with.
Funny tip: instead of rattling that piece off boringly like it's heard
everywhere (e.g. pronounced on 1 and 5, or not pronounced at
all), try pronouncing the notes on beats 1, 4 and 7, with a
pseudo-triplet feel. When doing this, prononce the two measures
before the last like indicated by >. Sounds really interesting!
Here we go ... hope you enjoy! (more than the previous version)
C Dm7/C G7/B C
e----||---------0-----0|-------:-1---:-1|---------1-----1|---------0-----0||
B----||-------1-----1--|-------1-----1--|-------3-----3--|-------1-----1--||
G----||-----0-----0----|-----2-----2----|-----0-----0----|-----0-----0----||
D----||---2------------|---0------------|---0------------|---2------------||
A----||-3--------------|-3--------------|-2--------------|-3--------------||
D----||----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------||
Finger: 3 2 - 1 - - 1 - 3 - 2 1 1 2 1 1 2 - - 4 1 - 4 1 3 2 - 1 - - 1 -
Note: C E G C E G C E C d A d f A d f B d G d f G d f C E G C E G C E
Measure:1 2 3 4
Am/C D7/C G/B Cmaj7/B
e----||-------:-5---:-5|----------------|---------3-----3|----------------||
B----||-------5-----5--|---------3-----3|-------3-----3--|---------1-----1||
G----||---:-2-----2----|-------2-----2--|-----0-----0----|-------0-----0--||
D----||---2------------|---0-4-----4----|---0------------|-----2-----2----||
A----||-3--------------|-3--------------|-2--------------|-2-3------------||
D----||----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------||
Finger: 1 2 2 4 4 2 4 4 2 - 4 1 3 4 1 3 2 - - 3 4 - 3 4 2 3 2 - 1 2 - 1
Note: C E A E A A E A C d f#a d f#a d B d G d G G d G B C E G C E G C
Measure:5 6 7 8
Am7 D7 G G°dim7
e----||----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------||
B----||---------1-----1|----------------|---------0-----0|----------------||
G----||-------0-----0--|---------5-----5|-------0-----0--|---------6-----6||
D----||-----2-----2----|-------4-----4--|-----0-----0----|-:-----5-----5--||
A----||-0-3------------|---0-5-----5----|---2------------|-:---7-----7----||
D----||----------------|-0--------------|-5--------------|-5-8------------||
Finger: - 3 2 - 1 2 - 1 - - 2 1 3 2 1 3 4 1 - - - - - - 1 4 3 1 2 3 1 2
Note: A C E G C E G C d A d f#c d f#c G B d G B d G B G a#e G c#e G c#
Measure:9 10 11 12
[ Tab from: https://www.guitartabs.cc/tabs/j/johann_sebastian_bach/prelude_no_1_in_c_major_well_tempered_clavier_tab.html ]
Dm/f f°dim7 C/E Fmaj7/E
e----||----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------||
B----||---------3-----3|----------------|---------1-----1|----------------||
G----||-------2-----2--|---------4-----4|-------0-----0--|----------------||
D----||-----0-----0----|-------3---.-3--|----------------|---------3-----3||
A----||---0------------|-----5-----5----|-----3-----3----|-----0-3---0-3--||
D----||-3--------------|-3-6------------|-2-5------------|-2-3------------||
Finger: 2 - - 1 3 - 1 3 1 4 - 1 - - 1 - 1 4 2 - 1 2 - 1 1 2 - 3 4 - 3 4
Note: f A d A d d A d f g#d f B d f B E G C G C C G C E f A C f A C f
Measure:13 14 15 16
Dm7 G7 C Cmaj7
e----||----------------|---------1-----1|---------0-----0|---------0-----0||
B----||----------------|-------0-----0--|-------1-----1--|-------1-----1--||
G----||----------------|-----0-----0----|-----0-----0----|---0-4-----4----||
D----||---------3-----3|---0------------|---2------------|----------------||
A----||-----0-3---0-3--|----------------|-3--------------|-3--------------||
D----||-0-3------------|-5--------------|----------------|----------------||
Finger: - 1 - 2 3 - 2 3 4 - - - 1 - - 1 3 2 - 1 - - 1 - 3 - 4 1 0 4 1 0
Note: d f A C f A C f G d G B f G B f C E G C E G C E C G B C E B C E
Measure:17 18 19 20
Transposed upward from here
Fmaj7 F#°dim7 G#°dim7b11 G7
e----||---------0-----0|----------------|----------------|----------------||
B----||-------1-----1--|---------4-----4|---:-----3-----3|---:-----3-----3||
G----||-----2-----2----|-----2-5---2-5--|---:-4-5---4-5--|---:---4-----4--||
D----||---3------------|----------------|---3------------|---3-5-----5----||
A----||----------------|---3------------|----------------|----------------||
D----||-3--------------|-4--------------|-6--------------|-5--------------||
Finger: 3 4 2 1 - 2 1 - T 2 1 4 3 1 4 3 4 1 2 3 1 2 3 1 3 1 4 2 1 4 2 1
Note: f f A C E A C E f#c A C d#a C d# g#f B C d B C d G f G B d G B d
Measure:21 22 23 24
Keep barré for next measure
C/G G7sus4 G F#°dim7b9/G
e----||----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------||
B----||---------5-----5|---------6-----6|-------0-3---0-3|---------7-----7||
G----||-:-----5-----5--|-:-----5-----5--|-----0-----0----|-:-----5-----5--||
D----||-:---5-----5----|-:---5-----5----|---0------------|-:---7-----7----||
A----||-:-7------------|-:-5------------|----------------|-:-6------------||
D----||-5--------------|-5--------------|-5--------------|-5--------------||
Finger: 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 2 4 - - - 1 - - 1 1 2 3 1 4 3 1 4
Note: G E G C E G C E G d G C f G C f G d G B d G B d G d#a C f#a C F#
Measure:25 26 27 28
Keep barré fnm. Keep barré fnm.
C/G G7sus4 G7 C7
e----||----------------|----------------|---------1-----1|-:------12----12||
B----||---------8-----8|---------6-----6|-------0-----0--|-:----11----11--||
G----||-:-----5-----5--|-:-----5-----5--|-----0-----0----|-:--12----12----||
D----||-:---5-----5----|-:---5-----5----|---0------------|-:10------------||
A----||-:-7------------|-:-5------------|----------------|-:--------------||
D----||-5--------------|-5--------------|-5--------------|10--------------||
Finger: 1 2 1 1 4 1 1 4 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 2 4 - - - 1 - - 1 1 1 3 2 4 3 2 42
Note: G E G C G G C G G d G C f G C f G d G B f G B f C C G a#e G a#e
Measure:29 30 31 32
Keep barré fnm. Keep barré fnm.
> > > > > >
F/C Dm7/C
e----||------------13-----------------------||
B----||--:----10-13--13-10-13-10--10--------||
G----||--:--10------------------10--10--10--||
D----||--:10--------------------------12--12||
A----||--:----------------------------------||
D----||-10----------------------------------||
Finger: 1 1 1 1 4 4 4 1 4 1 1 1 1 3 1 3
Note: C C f A C f C A C A f A f d f d
Measure:33
> > > > >
G4 C
e----||-----------1---------------------|-----||
B----||-------0-3---3-0-3-0---0---------|--1--||
G----||-----0---------------0-----------|--0--||
D----||-------------------------0-3-2-0-|--2--||
A----||-3-2-----------------------------|--3--||
D----||---------------------------------|-----||
2 2 - - 4 1 4 - 4 - - - - 3 2 -
C B G B d f d B d B G B d f E d
Measure:34 35
