Chan Chan Tab - Buena Vista Social Club
Chan Chan Tab
The Buena Vista Social Club is the legendary band in which Ry Cooder gathered some of the greatest names from the history of Cuban music, including Ibrahim Ferrer, Compay Segundo and Ruben Gonzales. They got a Grammy for their album and featured in Wim Wender's docupic "Buena VIsta Social Club". Chan Chan is their most famous song, and it perfectly creates the laid-back, smooth Cuban atmosphere they are known for. Check http://www.bvsocialclub.com/ for more info. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Well this song is impossible to tab out correctly - it's all improvisation, on TWO guitars - but I thought I'd give you a few things to start with. The basic pattern of the song is a Dm / F / C7 / Gm / A layout. Don't strum the chords, you get the best sound when you pluch three or four strings together. Dm F C7 Gm A e[--1----1------3---3---0--] _ B[--3----1------5---3---2--] G[--2----2------3---3---2--] |---> B,G and D plucked give the best sound. D[--0----3------5---5---2--] _/ A[-------3------3---5---0--] E[-------------------------] I've tabbed out a couple of the fills used throughout the song. Applied on the basic pattern, you get this (quite accurate) version: Dm F C7Gm A Dm etc... e[--1-------------1-----------------------1---] B[--3--3----1-------1---1-5-3--2----------3---] G[--2-------2---------2---3-3--2--2-0-----2---] D[--0-0-----3---3---------5-5--2------3-2-0---] A[------------3-------------------------------] E[--------------------------------------------] _________/ _______/ "up fill" "down fill" Vary by using the high e string a bit more, skipping a few notes in the fill or plucking a chord a few times instead. Which could look like this: Dm F C7Gm A Dm etc... e[--1-------1-----1----------------------1----] B[--3-------1---------1---5-3--2-2--2-2--3----] G[--2-------2-------------3-3--2-2--2-2--2----] D[------0--------3--------5-5--2-2--2-2-------] A[------------3-------------------0-----------] E[--------------------------------------------] You get the point :) Now besides at the top of the neck there are some other places you can play around with the basic pattern. The e and B strings around the 10th fret are very suitable: Dm F C7 A e[------10-10-10/12-10-8~~-(8)--10-8-----------------12-10-----------] B[-(10)-10-10-10-------10~-(10)-----(10)-11--11--11-------(11)-10~~--] G[--------------------------------------(10)(10)(10)-----------------] D[-------------------------------------------------------------------] To get back up the neck use this: (the same as the "down fill") Dm F C7 Gm A e[-------------------0-------] B[-10-8-6-5-3~--1~-----3-----] G[-----------------------2---] D[---------------------------] You can do the same on the G and D strings around the 7th fret. Start with G[-7-7-7/9-] and you'll work the rest out easily... D[-7-7-7---] Get back up the neck with D[--7-5-3-2-0~----2-0----] A[-------------3~-----3--] After a while a trumpet enters to complete the Cuban atmosphere. You can keep doing the basic pattern, but here's a small part of the trumpet solo to get you going on that one too. e[--5~-------5~------6~-----------] B[-----6-5-3----6-5-3---6-5-3-----] G[----------------------------3~--] D[--------------------------------] And then the most difficult part: the solo. Kevin Futhey tabbed this one out already and I think it's very accurate. e[-10--10~--8-10--8~---10-8---------------------------------8~-] B[-10--10~--------10~-------11---------10~----------10-11-12---] G[-----------------------------9-10-12------9-10-12------------] D[-------------------------------------------------------------] e[----------------------10-10-10-10-10/12-10-8--8~--10-8--------8------] B[-6p5---8-8--[Outline-]10-10-10-10----------10-10~------11-8-11-11-10-] G[-----7------[---A----]-----------------------------------------------] D[------------[-Chord--]-----------------------------------------------] e[--------------6-7-8/10-86----------------------------] B[--------6-8/10-------------10-8-6----8----------------] G[-7-7-7-9-------------------------9-7--10-9-7----------] D[---------------------------------------------10-8-7~--] Now back to the Dm / F / C7 / Gm / A scheme, and end on Dm. That's it! Mail any comments to driesgevaert@pandora.be.
Tablature player for this song:
Chan Chan tabs @ 911Tabs
About the artist behind Chan Chan Tab:
The recording, named Buena Vista Social Club after the Havana institution, became an international success, and the ensemble was encouraged to perform with a full line-up in Amsterdam in 1998. German director Wim Wenders captured the performance on film, followed by a second concert in Carnegie Hall, New York City for a documentary that included interviews with the musicians conducted in Havana. Wenders's film, also called Buena Vista Social Club, was released to critical acclaim, receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary feature and winning numerous accolades including Best Documentary at the European Film Awards.
The success of both the album and film sparked a revival of international interest in traditional Cuban music and Latin American music in general. Some of the Cuban performers later released well-received solo albums and recorded collaborations with international stars from different musical genres. The "Buena Vista Social Club" name became an umbrella term to describe these performances and releases, and has been likened to a brand label that encapsulates Cuba's "musical golden age" between the 1930s and 1950s. The new success was fleeting for the most recognizable artists in the ensemble: Compay Segundo, Rubén González, and Ibrahim Ferrer, who died at the ages of ninety-five, eighty-four, and seventy-eight respectively; Segundo and González in 2003, then Ferrer in 2005.
Indexed at Wikipedia.