Dun Ringill Chords

Dun Ringill
Ian Anderson
(transcribed by Paul Tarvydas, tarvydas@netcom.ca)

Capo: 3rd fret

Chords first, then patterns in tablature...

Am Am7 Am+11/F# Em11 D Dsus2 Dsus2/C Em11
Clear light on a slick palm

Am Am7 Am+11/F# Em11 D Dsus2 Dsus2/C Em11
As I mis-deal the day

Am Am7 Am+11/F# Em11 D Dsus2 Dsus2/C Em11
Slip the night from a shaved pack

Am Am7 Am+11/F# Em11 D Dsus2 Dsus2/C Em11
make the marked card play

Am Am7 Am+11/F# Em11 D Dsus2 Dsus2/C Em11
Call twilight hours down

Am Am7 Am+11/F# Em11 D Dsus2 Dsus2/C Em11
from a hea-ven home

Am Am7 Am+11/F# Em11 D Dsus2 Dsus2/C Em11
high above the highest bidder

Am Am7 Am+11/F# Em11 D Dsus2 Dsus2/C Em11
for the good Lord's throne

C D
In the wee hours I'll meet you

G F
down by Dun Ringill

Am Am7 Am+11/F# Em11 D Dsus2 Dsus2/C Em11
watch the old gods play

Am Am7 Am+11/F# Em11 D Dsus2 Dsus2/C Em11
by Dun Ringill

--- Tablature ---

This song is quite monotonous (!) - it has only three distinct
patterns - the verse, the chorus and the ending.

For me, the hardest part was getting the timing right and figuring out
what was happening in the down-up strum parts, for example at beats 10
through 12 (switch between Am+11/F#, Em11 and D). Finally, I realized
that something simple and natural was happening - when I got it, the
song snapped into focus and started sounding like Dun Ringill. Here's
what I think happens:

- Beats 1-9 consist of single note variations of an Am chord (I
watched a video to get Ian's fingering)

- On Beat 10, you strum Am+11/F# hard and hold it for two beats, 10
and 11. In fact, if you strum the chord hard enough, your hand can't
make it back to the strings on the next beat anyway, so you are
"naturally" inclined to hold the chord for at least two beats.

- On Beat 12, you lift your fingers completely off the fretboard and
start moving them to the D position. While your fingers are off of
the fretboard, you strum backwards lightly - thereby getting your pick
ready for the next down-pick.

- The accented strum on beat 4 of the bar (beat 10 of the song),
followed by the light up-strum gives the song that odd feel, and
reminds me of waves smashing on the rocks.

The other "hard" part of the song is the chorus. The feel of the song
changes to what I perceive to be a waltz, where the second and third
chords are played on the off-beats (2-AND, 3-AND).

1st line: count (beat), 6/8 time
2nd line: chord (as determined by gnu emacs' tablature mode)
3rd line: picking
v downstroke
^ upstroke
/ down strum
\ up strum
// accented down strum

next six lines: tablature
next line: lyrics

next six lines: fingering
highest string first
"-" means this string not fretted
1 means 1st finger (index), etc.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Verse - These four bars repeat continuously throughout the verse.

1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6
Am Am7 Am+11/F# Em11 D Dsus2

: v v ^ v v ^ v v ^ // \ v v ^ // \
--|--------------------|-----------0-----0--|-----------2-----0--|--
--|--------------------|-----------1-----0--|-----------3-----3--|--
--|--------2--------2--|--------2--2-----0--|--------2--2-----2--|--
--|-----2--------------|-----------0-----0--|-----0-----0-----0--|--
--|--0-----------0-----|-----0-----0-----0--|--0-----------------|--
--|-----------3--------|--2--------2-----0--|--------------------|--

Clear light on a slick palm

- - - - - 2 -
1 1 1 1 - 3 3
3 3 3 3 - 1 1
2 2 - - - - -
- - - - - x x
- 4 2 2 - x x

1 2 3 4 5 6
D7sus2/C Em11

v v ^ // \
:
--|-----------0-----0--|--
--|-----------3-----0--|--
--|--------2--2-----0--|--
--|-----0-----0-----0--|--
--|--3--------3-----0--|--
--|--------------------|--

- -
3 -
1 -
- -
2 -
x x

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Chorus - 3/4 time

Watch the time here - the up-strums come inbetween the beats.

1 & 2 & 3 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 1 & 2 & 3 &
C D D
/ \ \ / h \ \ / h \ \
--|--0-----------------|--0--2--------------|--0--2--------------|--
--|--1-----------------|--3--3--------------|--3--3--------------|--
--|--0-----------------|--0--2--------------|--0--2--------------|--
--|--2-----------------|--0--0--------------|--0--0--------------|--
--|--3-----------------|--------------------|--------------------|--
--|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|--

In the wee hours I'll meet you

- - 2 - 2
1 3 3 3 3
- - 2 - 2
2 - - - -
3 x x x x
- x x x x

1 & 2 & 3 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 1 & 2 & 3 &
D G F
/ h \ \ / / \ / / / \ / \
--|--0--2--------------|--3-----------------|--1-----------------|--
--|--3--3--------------|--3-----------------|--1-----------------|--
--|--0--2--------------|--0-----------------|--2-----------------|--
--|--0--0--------------|--0-----------------|--3-----------------|--
--|--------------------|--2-----------------|--3-----------------|--
--|--------------------|--3-----------------|--1-----------------|--

down by Dun Ringill

- 4 1
3 3 1
- - 2
- - 4
x 1 3
x 2 1

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Ending
v v ^ / \ v v ^ / \ v v ^ / \
D7sus2/C Em7 Em7b5
--|-----------0--------|-----------0--------|-----------0--------|--
--|-----------3--------|-----------3--------|-----------3--------|--
--|--------2--2--------|--------0--0--------|--------0--0--------|--
--|-----0-----0--------|-----0-----0--------|-----0-----0--------|--
--|--3--------3--------|--2--------2--------|--1--------1--------|--
--|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|--

- - -
3 3 3
1 - -
- - -
2 1 1
x x x

v v v v v v v /
Dm11
--|--------------0--------------|--1-----------------|--
--|-----------3-----3-----------|--3-----------------|--
--|--------0-----------0--------|--0-----------------|--
--|-----0-----------------------|--0-----------------|--
--|--0--------------------------|--------------------|--
--|-----------------------------|--------------------|--

- 1
3 3
- -
- -
- x
x x