Chords for Me and Bobby McGee (guitar lesson on rhythm and solo)

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ Here's a quick lesson on Janice Joplin's Me and Bobby McGee.
It was written of course by Chris Christopherson.
_ _ It's got a key change in it.
It starts out in the key of G, then it moves up to the key of A. _
So the introduction is just a G and a C. _
_ _ _ [G] _ _ _ _ [C] _
_ _ _ [G] _ _ _ _ [C] _
_ _ _ [G] _ _ _ _ [C] _
_ [E] _ _ _ [C] _ The first verse is G and D7 mostly, so you're [G] starting in G. _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [D] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [G] _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ Okay, [C] G, [G] C, _ G.
_ _ Second verse is a little bit different.
_ _ You've got G's, a G7 and C's and then a D7.
So you go _ _ G's. _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ There's your G7 when he hits the line, while Bobby sang the blues well.
Bobby _ sang [C] the blues. _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [G] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [D] _
_ Then do a D7. _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [C] _ _ _ Now, end of the chorus, freedom is just another word.
Go to a C. _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [G] _ _
To a _ _ _ _ _ _ [E] _
_ G. _ _ _ _ _
[G] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [C] _ Back to the C. _ _ _
_ _ _ [G] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ [E] _ _ [D] _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ [G] _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [Em] Now at [A] this point the song modulates, _ or just shifts to the key of A. _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [E] _ _ _ _ _ Okay, that's an E7.
Okay, _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ [A] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [N] _ and you just follow the same structure, only moved up a key for the rest of the song.
So that's, _ the chords are quite easy.
Now the solo is [Ab] _
pretty nifty.
It's short. _ _
There is a lead guitar that's playing in the background, _
but I've just focused on the solo part [D] that _ starts I think at four minutes and one second into the song.
_ _ _ [Ab] It's an overdriven _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ guitar, _ [Gbm] so I will [Gm] _ go on my drive channel. _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ [Gb] _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ So at this point you're in the key of A.
The solo is in _
_ _ _ [F] _ F sharp minor or A major.
_ _ _ _ _ [A] _
_ _ _ _ [E] _ _ _ _
_ _ [Bb] _ _ _ [D] _ _ _
_ [A] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[G] _ _ _ _ [E] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
So, _ you're on the fourth string.
There's different locations to play this,
but I find this is where I've kind of figured it out and where it's easiest for me.
So you're on the fourth string, gliss, [A] _ _ _ [Gm]
fifth to the seventh fret.
[A] _ _ _ _ [E] _
_ _ [N] Okay, that's a ninth fret, and then the ninth fret on the third string.
[A] _
_ _ _ _ [Em] _ _ _ [Ab]
And you're up to [Eb] the tenth position _ _ [Bb] on the second string. _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ [Gb] Okay, _ _ [Bb] _
_ _ that's _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ the _ _ E, _ _ _ 12th fret, first string. _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [B] _ _ [Gb] _ _
_ [G] Then _ [Ab] _ _ _ [Gm] _
_ [G] _ _ _ _ [Em] I _
_ [Bb] _ _ _ _ _ _ [Gb] _
_ _ _ _ _ [D] _ hop from, I use my middle finger here on the 11th fret, third string,
and then I hop it over to the [E] 10th fret, second string.
_ _ _ _ [Db] _ _ [A] _
_ _ _ _ [Dbm] _ _ _ [A] _
_ _ Okay, yeah. _ _
_ [E] _ _ _ _ _ [F] Okay, so _ _ [E] starting at 10th fret, second string, _ _ _ _ _ [Ebm] then you go to the third string, 11th to ninth.
[Am] _ _ [Dbm] _
_ [B] _ Then the [Gb] fourth string, same thing, 11th, [A] _ _ slide down to the seventh fret.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ [E] _ _ _ _ _
[Gb] _ This part gets pretty quiet on the track. _
_ _ [E] _ _ _ _ You can definitely hear this note, this [A] E.
_ _ Okay.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ [Gb] _ _ _ _ [E] _
[A] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [E] _ _ _ [Bb] _
Okay, what I'm doing _ is sliding the seventh fret, fourth [A] string _ [B] to the ninth.
[A] _ _ _ _ [Ab] _
_ _ Nine, and then immediately slide up to [A] 11.
_ _ _ _ _ [E] And then ninth fret, [A] third string. _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ You can play this with bends, too. _
[E] _ _ _ [Cm] _ _ _ [A] _ _
_ _ [Cm] _ _ _ _ _ [Gb]
I don't play it that well, obviously. _ _ _
_ [F] And listening to it, I think he actually is [A] sliding, but _ _ maybe he's bending. _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ [E] _ _ _ _ _ _
Now, _ third string, 11th fret, you're going to bend up to the 13th fret.
You've got to hit this G sharp here because the rhythm guitar is playing, _ _
[Gb] at this point, is playing an _ _ E7, _ and you've got a G sharp there.
You don't want to play a G over that chord.
_ _ [Ebm] _ _ [E] _
_ _ [Gb] _ _ _ [Em] _ _ [Bb] _
_ _ [Em] _ _ _ _ _ [Bb] _
_ _ _ [E] _ _ [Ebm] _ _ _
_ _ [Em] _ _ _ _ Okay, so he's bending up _ _ and then hitting _ _ these two strings, first and second, at the 12th fret.
_ [Gb] _ _ _ [B] _ _ _ _
[E] _ _ _ _ _ _ That's the end of the song.
He [Eb] ends on that bend. _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
Bend up to the G sharp, and then Janice comes in with, na-na-na-na-na-na-na.
So that's the solo.
It's pretty fun. _
Very short.
I think it's about 17 seconds. _
Anyway, hope that's handy.
_ _ [N] _ _ _