E-|---Song:-Prelude-in-D-minor-(BWV999)------------|A-|---Author:-JSBach-------------------------------|D-|---Transcription-by:Christian Liang-------------|G-|---E-Mail:christian.liang@gmail.com-------------|B-|---http://www.chrisliang.com--------------------|E-|---Enjoy!---------------------------------------|
Prelude in D minor by BWV999 by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Originally written for the lute in the key of C minor.
[1]E|-------5-----------------|-------5-----------------|-------6-----------------|B|-----6---6---6-----------|-----6---6---6-----------|-----8---8---8-----------|G|---7-------7---7---7---7-|---7-------7---7---7---7-|---7-------7---7---7---7-|D|-0---------------7-------|-0---------------7-------|-0---------------8---5---|A|---------------------8---|---------------------8---|-------------------------|E|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
L 3 2 1 2 3 2 3 2 3 4 3 3 2 1 2 3 2 3 2 3 4 3 2 4 1 4 2 4 2 3 2 1 2
R p i m a m i m i p i p i p i m a m i m i p i p i p i m a m i m i p i p i
[4]
E|-------6-----------------|-------3-----------------|-------3-----------------|B|-----8---8---8-----------|-----5---5---5-----2---2-|-----5---5---5-----2---2-|G|---7-------7---7---7---7-|---6-------6---6-3---0---|---6-------6---6-3---0---|D|-0---------------8---5---|-0-----------------------|-0-----------------------|A|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|E|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
R 2 4 1 4 2 4 2 3 2 1 2 3 2 1 2 3 2 3 3 2 2 3 2 1 2 3 2 3 3 2 2
L p i m a m i m i p i p i p i m a m i m i p i p i p i m a m i m i p i p i
[7]
E|-------1-----------------|-------1-----------------|-------1-----------------|B|-----3---3---3-----------|-----3---3---3-----------|-----3---3---3-----------|G|---2-------2---2---2---2-|---2-------2---2---2---2-|---2-------2---2---2---2-|D|-0---------------3---0---|-----------------3---0---|-----------------3---0---|A|-------------------------|-3-----------------------|-1-----------------------|E|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
L 2 4 1 4 2 4 2 3 2 2 3 2 4 1 4 2 4 2 3 2 2 1 2 4 1 4 2 4 2 3 2 2
R p i m a m i m i p i p i p i m a m i m i p i p i p i m a m i m i p i p i
[10] I..................E|-------1-----------------|-------1-----------------|-------1-----------------|B|-----3---3---3-----------|-----3---3---3-----------|-----3---3---3-----0---0-|G|---2-------2---2---2---2-|---4-------4---4---4---4-|---4-------4---4-1-------|D|-----------------3---0---|-----------------3---0---|---------------------2---|A|-0-----------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|E|-------------------------|-4-----------------------|-4-----------------------|
R 2 4 1 4 2 4 2 3 2 2 3 4 2 1 2 4 2 4 2 4 4 3 4 2 1 2 4 2 4 1 3
L p i m a m i m i p i p i p i m a m i m i p i p i p i m a m i m i p i p i
[13] *I..............
E|-------0-----------------|-------0-----------------|-------5-----------------|B|-----1---1---1-----------|-----1---1---1-----------|-----5---5---5-----1---1-|G|---4-------4---4---4---4-|---2-------2---2---2---2-|---5-------5---5-2-------|D|-----------------2-------|-------------------------|---------------------3---|A|-0-------------------3---|-0---------------3---0---|-------------------------|E|-------------------------|-------------------------|-1-----------------------|
L 4 1 1 4 1 4 2 4 3 4 2 1 1 2 1 2 3 2 2 1 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 2 1 3 1
R p i m a m i m i p i p i p i m a m i m i p i p i p i m a m i m i p i p i
[16] II................... II...................
E|-------5-----------------|-------4-----------------|-------4-----------------|B|-----6---6---6-----------|-----3---3---3-----------|-----3---3---3-----------|G|---4-------4---4---4---4-|---4-------4---4---4---4-|---4-------4---4---4---4-|D|-0---------------0-------|-----------------2-------|-----------------2-------|A|---------------------2---|---------------------2---|---------------------2---|E|-------------------------|-0-----------------------|-0-----------------------|
L 2 4 3 4 2 4 2 2 1 2 3 2 4 2 3 2 3 1 3 1 3 3 2 4 2 3 2 3 1 3 1 3
R p i m a m i m i p i p i p i m a m i m i p i p i p i m a m i m i p i p i
[19] V.................... VII.................... VII....................E|-------5-----------------|-------7-----------------|-------8-----------------|B|-----5---5---5-----------|-----9---9---9-----------|-----10--10--10----------|G|---5-------5---5---5---5-|---7-------7---7---7---7-|---9-------9---9---9---9-|D|-------------------------|---------------------0---|-----------------7-------|A|-----------------7-------|-----------------8-------|---------------------7---|E|-0-------------------8---|-0-----------------------|-0-----------------------|
R 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 4 1 1 4 1 4 1 4 1 2 1 1 3 4 2 4 3 4 3 1 3 1 3
L p i m a m i m i p i p i p i m a m i m i p i p i p i m a m i m i p i p i
[22] IX................... VIII.................
E|-------10----------------|-------8-----------------|-------7-----------------|B|-----9---9---9-----------|-----10--10--10----------|-----6---6---6-----------|G|---9-------9---9---9---9-|---8-------8---8---8---8-|---7-------7---7---7---7-|D|-----------------9-------|-------------------------|-----------------6-------|A|---------------------11--|-----------------12--9---|---------------------7---|E|-0-----------------------|-0-----------------------|-0-----------------------|
L 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 1 3 1 3 1 3 1 4 1 2 1 3 2 1 2 3 2 3 1 3 2 3
R p i m a m i m i p i p i p i m a m i m i p i p i p i m a m i m i p i p i
[25] V...................... III................... II...................E|-------5-----------------|-------5-----------------|-------4-----------------|B|-----7---7---7-----------|-----3---3---3-----------|-----3---3---3-----------|G|---5-------5---5---5---5-|---4-------4---4---4---4-|---4-------4---4---4---4-|D|-----------------4-------|-----------------3---0---|-----------------2-------|A|---------------------6---|-------------------------|---------------------2---|E|-0-----------------------|-0-----------------------|-0-----------------------|
R 1 4 1 4 1 4 1 1 2 3 2 2 1 3 1 2 1 3 1 2 2 3 2 4 2 3 2 3 1 3 1 3
L p i m a m i m i p i p i p i m a m i m i p i p i p i m a m i m i p i p i
[28] I....................
E|-------2-----------------|-------1-----------------|-------0-----------------|B|-----1---1---1-----------|-----0---0---0-----------|-----1---1---1-----------|G|---2-------2---2---2---2-|---1-------1---1---1---1-|---2-------2---2---2---2-|D|-----------------1-------|-----------------0-------|-------------------------|A|---------------------3---|---------------------2---|-----------------3---0---|E|-0-----------------------|-0-----------------------|-0-----------------------|
L 2 1 3 1 2 1 2 1 2 4 2 1 2 1 1 1 3 1 2 1 1 2 1 2 3 2 2
R p i m a m i m i p i p i p i m a m i m i p i p i p i m a m i m i p i p i
[31] ** see below for easier alternative
E|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|B|-------3-----------------|-------3-----------------|-------3-----------------|G|-----4---4---4-----2---2-|-----4---4---4-----1---1-|-----4---4---4-----1---1-|D|---7-------7---7-3---0---|---6-------6---6-2-------|---6-------6---6-3---0---|A|-------------------------|---------------------2---|-0-----------------------|E|-0-----------------------|-0-----------------------|-------------------------|
L 4 2 1 2 4 2 4 3 2 2 4 2 1 2 4 2 4 3 1 2 1 4 2 1 2 4 2 4 3 1 1
R p i m a m i m i p i p i p i m a m i m i p i p i p i m a m i m i p i p i
[34] II............ III................... VII....................E|-------------------------|-------4-----------------|-------7-----------------|B|-------3-2---2-----------|-----3---3---3-----------|-----9---9---9-----------|G|-----4-----2---2---2---2-|---4-------4---4---4---4-|---7-------7---7---7---7-|D|---7-------------2-------|-----------------3---0---|---------------------0---|A|-0-------------------4---|-0-----------------------|-0---------------8-------|E|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
R 4 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 2 1 3 1 2 1 2 1 2 2 1 4 1 4 1 4 1 2 1 1
L p i m a m i m i p i p i p i m a m i m i p i p i p i m a m i m i p i p i
[37]V.......................
E|-------5-----------------|-------3-----------------|-------1-----------------|B|-----5---5---5-----------|-----5---5---5-----2---2-|-----3---3---3-----------|G|---6-------6---6---6---6-|---6-------6---6-3---0---|---2-------2---2---2---2-|D|-----------------7-------|-------------------------|-----------------3---0---|A|-0-------------------7---|-0-----------------------|-0-----------------------|E|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
L 2 1 1 1 2 1 2 4 2 3 2 3 2 1 2 3 2 3 3 2 2 2 4 1 4 2 4 2 3 2 2
R p i m a m i m i p i p i p i m a m i m i p i p i p i m a m i m i p i p i
[40]I....................... I.......................
E|-------1-----------------|-------1-----------------|-------------------------|B|-----3---3---3-----------|-----3---3---3-----------|-------5-------5/6-----9-|G|---1-------1---1---1---1-|---1-------1---1---1---1-|-----6---6---6-----7-----|D|-----------------3---0---|-----------------3---0---|---7-------7---------9---|A|-0-----------------------|-0-----------------------|-0-----------------------|E|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
R 1 4 1 4 1 4 1 3 1 1 1 4 1 4 1 4 1 3 1 1 3 2 1 3 3 2 1 1 2 3 4
L p i m a m i m i p i p i p i m a m i m i p i p i p i m a m i m a m i a
[43]II....................
E|--5=====================-||B|--2=====================-||G|--2=====================-||D|-------------------------||A|--0=====================-||E|-------------------------||
L 4,1,1
R a,m,i,p
----
Tips
----
* Bar [15]
This one is a toughy and may take some practice. This is actually a double barre
chord with the index holding a full barre and the pinky produces a half barre.
When you double barre, make sure you press down hard on the top bass string
(index) and the 3 treble strings (pinky). If you find this bar difficult,
try to experiment with thumb position on the back of the neck during barre delivery.
*I..............E|-------5-----------------|B|-----5---5---5-----1---1-|G|---5-------5---5-2-------|D|---------------------3---|A|-------------------------|E|-1-----------------------|
L 1 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 2 1 3 1
R p i m a m i m i p i p i
** Alternative bars Bar[31]-Bar[34]
If you have large hands with wide finger "wing span" coverage, your right hand
will be playing (pima-mimi-pipi) throughout the whole prelude. For smaller hands,
Bar[31]-Bar[34] will be a problem. But there's hope! Try playing Bar[31]-Bar[34]
with the following measures. Please note that although the alternative bars are
much easier to play-open strings and less finger stretches-it does not maintain
the integrity of the right hand pattern. A new unique right hand pattern is
required exclusively for these 4 bars (pimi-mimi-pipi). So the challenge is to
keep in time when switching the 2 plucking patterns back and forth.
[31]E|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|B|-----0-3-0---0-----------|-----0-3-0---0-----------|-----0-3-0---0-----------|G|---2-------2---2---2---2-|---1-------1---1---1---1-|---1-------1---1---1---1-|D|-----------------3---0---|-----------------2-------|-----------------3---0---|A|-------------------------|---------------------2---|-0-----------------------|E|-0-----------------------|-0-----------------------|-------------------------|
L 2 4 2 2 3 2 2 1 4 1 1 3 1 2 1 1 4 1 1 3 1 1
R p i m i m i m i p i p i p i m i m i m i p i p i p i m i m i m i p i p i
[34] II...........E|-------------------------|B|-----0-3-0---2-----------|G|---2-------2---2---2---2-|D|-----------------2-------|A|-0-------------------4---|E|-------------------------|
R 2 4 1 1 1 1 1 3 1
L p i m i m i m i p i p i
