of course I will give my own e-mail the best rating

here are the explanatory notes. They would have all been posted together, but I couldn't get it to post.

Notes to tablature of Ballad of Serenity
As played by Joss Whedon (supposedly) at the end of the movie (transcribed by Kate Kirk)

ABOUT MAIN PART -- This song is basically the melody played over an alternating bass. Nonetheless, to me, this song is based upon this classic pattern: (if this is too basic for you, sorry, just ignore)

This first diagram is FINGER NUMBERS!!)

2----2--
---1---1
--------
--t---t-
--------
T---T---

1+2+3+4+




Notice there is nothing on the "and" of 1. Thumb and second finger played together on one, leaving nothing for the "and." Then, in the second half. the Thumb is on 3 and the second finger is on the the "and" That's the only difference notice that the two halves are somewhat symmetrical. (Big T is the ROOT of the chord (i.e., G for G, D for D, A for Am -- these notes are already there somewhere if you just put the chord down, G is on the 6th string, C on the 5th string, A for Am on the 5th string -- and little t is an alternate note also played in the chord.)

YES, I KNOW, TOO SIMPLE -- (sorry)

Some old examples of this pattern that are very clear that you can hear -- Helplessly Hoping by Crosby Stills and Nash, and Dust in the Wind by Kansas

Based on this pattern, then, extra notes, when they fall will fall within this pattern. Also, the 1st and 2d fingers shift from string to string, but the pattern of the fingers continues.

Another little pattern that also happens in this song is:

(This second diagram is also FINGER NUMBERS!!)

-----2--
--1----1
--------
--t---t-
--------
T---T---

1+2+3+4+

Now there is nothing on either the "and" of one or the "and" of two. Notice that the second half of this second pattern is the same as the second half of the first pattern. An old example of this pattern occurs in about every other measure of the original studio version of "Kathy's Song" by Simon and Garfunkel.

Actually, it’s a matter of getting so you can play the little melody against the bass notes and then the pattern(s) just sort of emerge when you try to add frills. Note that the first time through the main part it’s more bare, fewer notes. Then, the second time, more notes -- it is building up. Third time through, after the middle part, it really builds up because a dobro or other type of slide guitar comes in over the middle part. At that point I can't hear it well enough to really tab it out, so I just hit the high points that last time through.

If you can't play D with the F# on the bottom, you need to learn. Play it with your middle finger 2nd fret 6th (top) string, ring finger 2nd fret 3rd (G) string, and pinky finger on the 3rd fret of the 2d string. Really, if you like this style of guitar and you can't do this, you should work on this. Leave your 1st finger free. It will have other interesting things to do, although not on this song. (Also see in the middle part discussion -- how to play G in this song -- also with 2d 3d and 4th fingers only.)

NOTE ABOUT MIDDLE PART. (previously posted on a website, sorry if you saw this before or if it reads repetitively. Also, the tab is slightly different in the second measure of D because I didn’t properly write down what I was playing when I tabbed it out the first time. I have looked at this over and over, but there are probably mistakes anyway!)

First measure of C is simply the first pattern I talked about. For the second measure of C, thumb and second finger played together on one as they normally do in this pattern, and in the space of the "and" of one, the little finger which has been placed on the first string third fret then pulls off to get the E open note. But the RH fingers STILL MOVE IN THE EXACT SAME PATTERN

Now for the G. I'm not sure about the second measure since the dobro/slide lick covers up the end of it and this is not the best recording in the world, pretty watery.

The first measure of G, the pattern changes. The "pinch" falls on the beat of two instead of the beat of one, and the fourth beat COULD be "pinch" as well, but is probably a hammer-on by the first finger, which makes the second part of the measure fit the pattern, and so it is more easily played that way. (Note that this assumes you are playing G with your second third and fourth fingers, which I know some people don't do, but you should. If I can do it since I have a hand the size of a 10 year old boy, then so can you.)

As for the bass note that hits when the hammer-on hits on four in the first measure, I am tempted to put down the 2nd fret note on the fourth string, giving a "C" flavor for a minute, but I don't really hear that there. It just kinda sounds like a place where it should do that. In that case, probably both the 1st and 2nd fingers would hammer on, like (for example) the original studio version of "Kathy's Song" by Simon and Garfunkel.

For the end of the G chord, I cannot hear it and I am not sure what to play. What I have written here, in the first string, is the dobro/slide part coming in -- to try to play both parts at once. This totally removes the second measure from the pattern. Also, it's a pull off on "three and" from the G note to the E open note. And that note is a half a beat earlier than it is in the dobro/slide part coming in -- it sounded too stilted otherwise

If you can play two guitars at once :-) -- or if you want to ignore the dobro/slide part, just play the pattern over the G chord for the second four beats of G.

And the D part -- I can't really hear where the alternate note is, but since I can't hear it low, I assume it is high. Your right hand is kind of cramped since you are only playing on the 4 highest strings

that's it! have fun!

Also note, when I play this song, it is not necessarily like this. I play more notes that Joss, I always forget the hammer on the C note at the beginning of the second C chord, it's just my version, is all. Let it just flow out of you after you learn it a bit. Make it your own. The notes don't HAVE to be just like this. Just get the melody out against the alternating bass.

I'm also singing along with it and making up my own arrangement.

Mistakes you found, questions or comments, e-mail ladybluexxx@yahoo.com

And have fun with it.

Kate Kirk

Wow. Wish I understood that and played guitar. :)

Bugger. Looks like a lot of work though! Cool.

Shiny. This is too awesome. Thank you so much for tabbing this out.

hey, anon, no prob. From the minute I heard it in the theatre I know it was for me -- it;s just the style I love and love to play, and there it was. So I'm reaally excited about it. In fact, I think I will go play it now. Just came home from a Trans Siberian Orchestra concert, and I'm pumped about playing for sure

Kate

Oh, and just one question. What did you tab this from? I don't imagine you were sitting there at the theater with a pocket guitar... did you record the end credits, or were you able to find an MP3 rip somewhere online? I vaguely remember the way this goes and can figure out most of it just by playing, but I'm wondering if there's an audio template I could model after...

anon, someone sent it to me in an email after I had been looking for it since the day I saw the movie, the Saturday of the first weekend. I think it was maybe about a week later that my husband gave me the soundtrack and I went . . . DAMN! not on there! Because really I liked the TV music much more than the movie music -- they didn';t need that big orchestra, IMHO, but anyway, I asked around and no one had it and then someone sent it to me by email. I have no idea where they got it. And it sounds terrible, so bad some of it was pretty hard to hear after the slide guitar came in . . . so I think it must have been a handheld recorder in the theatre or something. It sounds really watery. It's an MP3. My recording of myself playing it is MUCH better quality even with my hesitations and fluffs and I'd only been playing it, like 48 hours. Except I don't play it totally exactly the same, so it's not good for learning.

anon, someone sent it to me in an email after I had been looking for it since the day I saw the movie, the Saturday of the first weekend. I think it was maybe about a week later that my husband gave me the soundtrack and I went . . . DAMN! not on there! Because really I liked the TV music much more than the movie music -- they didn';t need that big orchestra, IMHO, but anyway, I asked around and no one had it and then someone sent it to me by email. I have no idea where they got it. And it sounds terrible, so bad some of it was pretty hard to hear after the slide guitar came in . . . so I think it must have been a handheld recorder in the theatre or something. It sounds really watery. It's an MP3. My recording of myself playing it is MUCH better quality even with my hesitations and fluffs and I'd only been playing it, like 48 hours. Except I don't play it totally exactly the same, so it's not good for learning.

well, where did my comment go?????

ah, now I see, it disappeared for a moment. . .must be magic.

So who the heck are you, Anon? I mean, do you have an e-mail?

and for some reason, sometimes I am anonymous, too!!

well someone over on Browncoats just alerted me that there is a boo boo in this tab.

go here

http://browncoats.serenitymovie.com/serenity/index.html?fuseaction=forum.viewtopic&t=25406

because browncoats actually lets you edit your old posts. I was able to fix it, I can't do it here.

What it is, is in the fourth line (not counting the intro), I reversed what the two bass notes should have been for the D and the G chords, Actually, it;s pretty obvious, but I missed it

remember paste into Courier 12

C G D(F# bass) A Em rest
-------- 0------- -----0-- -------- --------
01---1-- --3-3--- 3------- 3-2-0--- --------
---0---0 -------- ---2---- ----0--- --------
--2---2- --0---0- --0---0- ----2--- --------
3---3--- -------- -------- 0---2--- --------
-------- 3---3--- 2---2--- ----0--- --------
h
1+2+3+4+ 1+2+3+4+ 1+2+3+4+ 1+2+3+4+ 1+2+3+4+


As I said to the WONDERFUL person that caught my mistake, I am SUCH a lousy proofreader. English or music, either language. And I'm sure I'd be bad in Chinese as well, but of course, I don't know any Chinese . . .

Kate

and I am anonymous AGAIN!!!!!

and now not. HOW weird

Such a tiny mistake; I can't believe people can pick up on such little stuff. I'm still working my way through the tab and figuring out the song a step at a time.

I've been playing guitar on and off for a couple years; I was actually inspired by Joss Whedon when I read about his work in the Buffy musical and when I saw Christian Kane's "LA Song" performance on Angel. (if you haven't heard/seen it, definitely check it out)

I'm a recent Firefly fan--my sister passed her DVDs on to me and listed off the Buffy/Angel characters that star in Firefly. It's great seeing these minor Buffy bad guys come to life in the Firefly verse.

But yeah, if you could send me those MP3s that'd be awesome. My email is muskido at gmail dot com. Thanks tons.

The key this song is played in on the opening title of the tv series is actually F. Also, the Am should just be A, or so it seems to my ear when I'm playing along with the show. To make it easier I just play these chords (with the Am's changed to A's) with my capo on fret 3.

yes, thanks to anonymous on Jan 3, but this is not a transcription of the TV series theme -- this is a transcription of the version at the very end of the end credits of the movie "Serenity," which is in Am/C [instead of D(Dm)/F (in a dropped D tuning) as the TV show is (but then in the TV show theme the guitar is detuned a whole step more, which makes the entire TV show theme actually played in a "dropped C tuning")}

Also, you will note that this version sometimes has an A and sometimes an Am, while (if you listen to the TV show theme) the equivalent "D" is actually not really a D or a Dm, it has no third, so you can't tell if it is D or Dm. That's one of the things that gives it the droning tone. But this version, to give it the indeterminate can't decide if it's major or minor sound instead alternates between actually playing a an Am and then playing an A

Go ahead and rent the movie and listen to this version. It's really great. You have to sit through all the credits though.

Kate

any chance that someone transcribed the other songs they play at end credits of the movie? i just got the dvd and watched it like 6 times it's so awesome

anyone know any drum solos? great reaver beats