Bach Johann Sebastian - Air On A G String Tabs

floyd1@waikato.ac.nz


Air On A G String by Johann Sebastian Bach
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Transcription by Grant Floyd <floyd11@waikato.ac.nz>

The timing is 4/4. I have used spacing to indicate the timing
so that the initial sequence is very strung out with four
beats to the bar and later as the notes become closer the
grouping of notes indicates which are to be played together.
Some bars have a single or very few  notes. If they're at the
start of the bar then allow them to ring throughout that bar
(ie everything is spaced according to time at playing)
All this stuff is pretty self-evident but timing is very
important in this piece, listen to it and you'll see what I
mean. 

Basic Bar Structure (smallest spacing = 1/16 note)
  -0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0-
   ^           ^           ^           ^     beats

: -0----------------------------------------------
:o-1-----------1-----------1-----------1----------
: -0-----------0-----------0-----------0----------
: ------------------------------------------------
:o-3-----------3-----------2-----------2----------
: ------------------------------------------------

  -0----------------------------------------------
  -1-----------1-----------1-----------1----------
  -2-----------2-----------0-----------0----------
  ------------------------------------------------
  -0----------------------------------------------
  ------------------------------------------------
   ^           ^           ^           ^
  -0-----------5-----1----------------------------
  -1-----------------------3-----1-----0---1------
  ------------------------------------------------
  -3-----------3-----------4-----------3----------
  ------------------------------------------------
  ------------------------------------------------

  ------------------------------------------------
  -0-----------0----------------------------------
  -0-----------------2-----0----------------------
  ------------------------------------------------
  ------------------------------------------------
  -------------3-----------1-----------1----------
   ^           ^           ^           ^
  -3----------------------------------------------
  -0-----------0-----------0-----------0----------
  -0-----------0-----------0-----------0----------
  -------------2-----------0-----------0----------
  ------------------------------------------------
  -0----------------------------------------------


  -3-----0-----------------------------3-----1----
  -------------------------3-----2----------------
  -------------3-----2----------------------------
  ------------------------------------------------
  -4-----------3-----------0-----------0----------
  ------------------------------------------------

  -1----------------------------------------------
  -3-----------3-----------3-----------3----------
  -2-----------2-----------2-----------2----------
  -0-----------0----------------------------------
  -------------------------3-----------3----------
  ------------------------------------------------
   ^           ^           ^           ^ 
  -1-----------------------------------1-----0----
  -------3-----------------1-----0----------------
  -------------2-----0----------------------------
  ------------------------------------------------
  -2-----------2----------------------------------
  -------------------------3-----------3----------

  -0-----------------------------------2-----3----
  -1-----------1-----------1-----------1----------
  -0-----------0-----------0-----------0----------
  ------------------------------------------------
  -3-----------3-----------2-----------2----------
  ------------------------------------------------
   ^           ^           ^           ^
  -------------0-----------0----------------------
  -1-----1--3--------------------3-----3-----1----
  -2----------------------------------------------
  -------------------------------------0----------
  -0----------------------------------------------
  -------------3-----------2----------------------

  ------------------------------------------------
  -0--------------0--1-----1-----------0----------
  -------2-----2-----------------------------2----
  -------------------------0-----------0----------
  -------------3----------------------------------
  -3----------------------------------------------

  ------------------------------------------------ :
  ------------------------------------------------o:
  -0---------------------------------------------- :
  -------------------------0-----3-----2---------- :
  -------0-----2-----3-----------------------0----o:
  -3---------------------------------------------- :
   ^           ^           ^           ^ 

  ------------------------------------------------
  -0-----------------------0--1--0-----0----------
  -------------0--------------------2--------0----
  -------------------------3-----------3----------
  ------------------------------------------------
  -3----------------------------------------------
   ^           ^           ^           ^

  -3----------------------------------------------
  ------------------------------------------------
  -------------------------------------3----------
  -2-----------2-----------0-----------0----------
  ------------------------------------------------
  ------------------------------------------------

  -------------0-----------------3-----1-----0----
  -------------------3-----2----------------------
  -2----------------------------------------------
  -------------------------2----------------------
  -4-----------3-----------------------0----------
  ------------------------------------------------
   ^           ^           ^           ^
  -0--1--------------------1--0-------------------
  -------------------------------3--1--0----------
  -------------------------------------------2----
  -0-----------0----------------------------------
  -------------------------3-----------3----------
  ------------------------------------------------

  ------------------------------------------------
  -------------0-----------0-----1-----3----------
  -1-----2----------------------------------------
  ------------------------------------------------
  -2-----------2-----------0-----------0----------
  ------------------------------------------------

  -------0-----1-----------1-----------0----------
  -3----------------------------------------------
  ------------------------------------------------
  ------------------------------------------------
  -------------0-----------2----------------------
  -4-----------------------------------3----------
   ^           ^           ^           ^
  ------------------------------------------------
  -3-----1-----0-----------0-----1--3--1-----0----
  -------------------2----------------------------
  -------------3-----------0----------------------
  -0----------------------------------------------
  ------------------------------------------------

  ------------------------------------------------
  ------------------------------------------------
  -2----------------------------------------------
  ------------------------------------------------
  -0-----------0----------------------------------
  -------------------------3-----------3----------
   ^           ^           ^           ^ 
  -------------------------------0----------------
  -1-----------------------1-----------3-----1----
  -2-----------------------2----------------------
  -0-----------------------0-----------2----------
  ------------------------------------------------
  -2-----------1-----------0----------------------

  -5-----------------------------------3-----1----
  ------------------------------------------------
  ------------------------------------------------
  -0-----------0----------------------------------
  -------------------------3-----------3----------
  ------------------------------------------------

  -0-----------3----------------------------------
  -------3-----------------------------------0--1-
  -------------------0-----2-----------2----------
  -------------------------------------0----------
  -2-----------2-----------3----------------------
  ------------------------------------------------
   ^           ^           ^           ^
  ------------------------------------------------
  -0-----------0----------------------------------
  -------------------2-----0----------------------
  ------------------------------------------------
  ------------------------------------------------
  -3-----------3-----------1-----------1----------

  -------------------------------------0----------
  -1-----------------------------------------3----
  -0-----------------------2----------------------
  ------------------------------------------------
  ------------------------------------------------
  -0-----------0-----------1-----------1----------

  -------------------------------------1-----0----
  -3-----------------------0----------------------
  -2-----------------------0----------------------
  -0----------------------------------------------
  ------------------------------------------------
  -2-----------1-----------3-----------3----------
   ^           ^           ^           ^         

  -------0-----------------------------3-----1----
  -3-----------------------1----------------------
  -4-----------------------2----------------------
  ------------------------------------------------
  -------------------------0-----------0----------
  -4-----------3----------------------------------
   ^           ^           ^           ^
  -1----------------------------------------------
  -3----------------------------------------------
  -2----------------------------------------------
  -0-----------0----------------------------------
  -------------------------3-----------3----------
  ------------------------------------------------

  -------------------------------------------1----
  -------------------------------0-----3----------
  -0-----------------------0----------------------
  ------------------------------------------------
  -2-----------2-----------------------2----------
  -------------------------3----------------------

  -1-----------0-----------0-----------0-----1--3-
  -------3----------------------------------------
  -0-----------------------0----------------------
  ------------------------------------------------
  -3-----------3-----------1-----------2----------
  ------------------------------------------------
   ^           ^           ^           ^
  -------------------------------0-----3-----6----
  -1-----------------------1----------------------
  -2-----------------------0-----------0----------
  ------------------------------------------------
  -0-----------0----------------------------------
  -------------------------3----------------------

  -6-----------5----------------------------------
  -------------------------------------1----------
  ------------------------------------------------
  -3-----------3-----------2-----------2----------
  ------------------------------------------------
  ------------------------------------------------

  -------------1----------------------------------
  -0-----3----------------------------------------
  -------------------------------------2----------
  -0-----------0----------------------------------
  -------------------------3-----------3----------
  ------------------------------------------------
   ^           ^           ^           ^

  -------------------0--1--1--0-------------------
  -------------3--------------------------------3-
  -0-----------------------0-----------2----------
  ------------------------------------------------
  -2-----------------------3----------------------
  -------------3-----------------------1----------
   ^           ^           ^           ^
  ------------------------------------------------
  -1--0--------------0-----0--1--0-----0-----1----
  -------2-----2--------------------2-------------
  ------------------------------------------------
  ------------------------------------------------
  -3-----------1-----------3-----------3----------

  ------------------------------------------------
  -1----------------------------------------------
  -0----------------------------------------------
  -2----------------------------------------------
  -3----------------------------------------------
  ------------------------------------------------
                                             Fine