Chords for Traffic – John Barleycorn Must Die – Lesson 1 of 2
Tempo:
87.675 bpm
Chords used:
Em
A
G
D
B
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
Welcome to Vanderbilt.com and this lesson on John Barleycorn Must Die which is from
Traffic's album of the same name that came out in 1970.
Traffic had basically broken up about two years before when Dave Mason had left the
band and Steve Wynwood went off to join Blind Faith.
But Blind Faith lasted less than six months and after that Wynwood decided to get the
remaining members of Traffic back together and they made this album.
So this song itself is an English folk song which is about barleycorn and basically the
beer and whiskey that's made from it.
The earliest versions of this actually go back to the 17th century which is pretty cool.
Wynwood played and he actually continues to play this song, capoed up on the 7th fret
and he flat picks it.
So let's take a look at the key elements.
[A] [Em]
[A] [D] [Em]
[A] There were [Em] three men from out of the west [A] Their [G] fortunes thought [Em] to try
[A] And these [Em] three men [G] took a [Em] solemn vow [A] John Barleycorn [Em] must die
[G] They ploughed their [Em] sown land And old women [G] threw [A] cloths upon [B] his hand
[Am] And these [Em] three men [D] took a solemn [Em] vow [A] John Barleycorn [Em] must die
[A] [G] [Em]
[A] [Em]
[A] [G] [D]
[E]
[A] Okay we're capoed up at the 7th fret.
I'm going to call out the chords as if they're open.
The first part of the introduction goes and [G]
[Em] [F] what we're doing is we're playing the D chord
and you're going to play [A] the D string, the G string and then skip up to E string and
the B and the G.
And then the rhythm is so what it's downstroke, downstroke, upstroke, downstroke and then
you [G] can either use a [F#] downstroke or an upstroke for this one, whichever you're more comfortable [A] with.
[C] And then [G] you play this part [D] [B] and so you're [G] just playing the bottom part of the C chord.
It's just the A string.
It's the A string, the D string and the G string.
So [G#] I'm just playing this alternate [G] picking.
Downstroke, upstroke, downstroke.
[D] And then you move over and make a G, the bottom part of a G and it's the same pattern.
You just cut it off there.
You don't play it just.
[G] So so far [A] we've got [D] and then [G] you play an A chord to an A5, an A minor chord I'm sorry
to an A5.
So all that is is just this [Em] is A, an A minor and then you pick this finger [B] off.
And that's probably [F] the trickiest flat picking part of it.
[Em] It's just so [C#]
[B] you're just going straight up [Em] from D string to G string to B string.
Then you take your finger off and [F#] come down B, [Em]
G, D.
So [B] so I do [Em] downstroke, downstroke,
[B] upstroke, downstroke, [Em]
upstroke, downstroke.
[F#] [Em] [G] You repeat that [Em] twice.
[Gm] And that's the introduction.
You repeat that twice.
And then [N] you also repeat that figure four times in between the various [Em] verses.
[A] [Em] [A]
[G] [Em] [Bm]
Traffic's album of the same name that came out in 1970.
Traffic had basically broken up about two years before when Dave Mason had left the
band and Steve Wynwood went off to join Blind Faith.
But Blind Faith lasted less than six months and after that Wynwood decided to get the
remaining members of Traffic back together and they made this album.
So this song itself is an English folk song which is about barleycorn and basically the
beer and whiskey that's made from it.
The earliest versions of this actually go back to the 17th century which is pretty cool.
Wynwood played and he actually continues to play this song, capoed up on the 7th fret
and he flat picks it.
So let's take a look at the key elements.
[A] [Em]
[A] [D] [Em]
[A] There were [Em] three men from out of the west [A] Their [G] fortunes thought [Em] to try
[A] And these [Em] three men [G] took a [Em] solemn vow [A] John Barleycorn [Em] must die
[G] They ploughed their [Em] sown land And old women [G] threw [A] cloths upon [B] his hand
[Am] And these [Em] three men [D] took a solemn [Em] vow [A] John Barleycorn [Em] must die
[A] [G] [Em]
[A] [Em]
[A] [G] [D]
[E]
[A] Okay we're capoed up at the 7th fret.
I'm going to call out the chords as if they're open.
The first part of the introduction goes and [G]
[Em] [F] what we're doing is we're playing the D chord
and you're going to play [A] the D string, the G string and then skip up to E string and
the B and the G.
And then the rhythm is so what it's downstroke, downstroke, upstroke, downstroke and then
you [G] can either use a [F#] downstroke or an upstroke for this one, whichever you're more comfortable [A] with.
[C] And then [G] you play this part [D] [B] and so you're [G] just playing the bottom part of the C chord.
It's just the A string.
It's the A string, the D string and the G string.
So [G#] I'm just playing this alternate [G] picking.
Downstroke, upstroke, downstroke.
[D] And then you move over and make a G, the bottom part of a G and it's the same pattern.
You just cut it off there.
You don't play it just.
[G] So so far [A] we've got [D] and then [G] you play an A chord to an A5, an A minor chord I'm sorry
to an A5.
So all that is is just this [Em] is A, an A minor and then you pick this finger [B] off.
And that's probably [F] the trickiest flat picking part of it.
[Em] It's just so [C#]
[B] you're just going straight up [Em] from D string to G string to B string.
Then you take your finger off and [F#] come down B, [Em]
G, D.
So [B] so I do [Em] downstroke, downstroke,
[B] upstroke, downstroke, [Em]
upstroke, downstroke.
[F#] [Em] [G] You repeat that [Em] twice.
[Gm] And that's the introduction.
You repeat that twice.
And then [N] you also repeat that figure four times in between the various [Em] verses.
[A] [Em] [A]
[G] [Em] [Bm]
Key:
Em
A
G
D
B
Em
A
G
_ _ Welcome to Vanderbilt.com and this lesson on John Barleycorn Must Die which is from
Traffic's album of the same name that came out in 1970.
Traffic had basically broken up about two years before when Dave Mason had left the
band and Steve Wynwood went off to join Blind Faith.
_ But Blind Faith lasted less than six months and after that Wynwood decided to get the
remaining members of Traffic back together and they made this album.
So this song itself is an English folk song which is about barleycorn and basically the
beer and whiskey that's made from it.
The earliest versions of this actually go back to the 17th century which is pretty cool.
_ Wynwood played and he actually continues to play this song, capoed up on the 7th fret
and he flat picks it.
So let's take a look at the key elements. _ _
[A] _ _ _ _ [Em] _ _ _ _
[A] _ _ [D] _ _ [Em] _ _ _
[A] There were [Em] three men from out of the west _ [A] Their _ [G] fortunes thought [Em] to try
_ _ [A] And these [Em] three men [G] took a [Em] solemn vow _ [A] John _ Barleycorn [Em] must die
_ [G] They ploughed their [Em] sown land And old women [G] threw [A] cloths upon [B] his hand _ _ _ _ _
[Am] And these [Em] three men [D] took a solemn [Em] vow _ _ [A] John Barleycorn [Em] must die
_ _ [A] _ _ [G] _ _ [Em] _ _
_ _ [A] _ _ _ _ [Em] _ _
_ _ [A] _ _ [G] _ _ [D] _ _
[E] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[A] Okay we're capoed up at the 7th fret.
I'm going to call out the chords as if they're open.
The first part of the introduction goes and [G] _ _
[Em] _ _ _ _ _ [F] _ what we're doing is we're playing the D chord
and you're going to play [A] the D string, the G string and then skip up to E string _ and
the B and the G.
_ _ _ _ And then the rhythm is _ _ _ _ _ so what it's downstroke, downstroke, upstroke, _ _ downstroke and then
you [G] can either use a [F#] downstroke or an upstroke for this one, whichever you're more comfortable [A] with.
_ [C] _ And then [G] you play this part _ [D] _ _ [B] and so you're [G] just playing the bottom part of the C chord.
It's just the A string. _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ It's the A string, the D string and the G string.
_ _ So [G#] I'm just playing this alternate [G] picking.
_ Downstroke, upstroke, downstroke.
_ _ [D] And then you move over and make a G, the bottom part of a G and it's the same pattern. _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ You just cut it off there.
You don't play it just.
_ _ [G] So so far [A] we've got [D] and _ _ then [G] you play an A chord to an A5, an A minor chord I'm sorry
to an A5.
So all that is is just this [Em] is A, an A minor and then you pick this finger [B] off.
_ _ _ And that's probably [F] the trickiest flat picking part of it.
[Em] It's just so _ _ [C#] _
_ [B] _ you're just going straight up [Em] from D string to G string to B string.
Then you take your finger off and [F#] come down B, [Em]
G, _ D.
So _ _ _ _ [B] so I do [Em] downstroke, downstroke, _
_ _ _ _ [B] upstroke, downstroke, [Em] _
upstroke, _ downstroke. _ _ _
_ [F#] _ _ [Em] _ _ _ [G] You repeat that [Em] twice. _ _ _ _ _ _
[Gm] And that's the introduction.
You repeat that twice.
And then [N] you also repeat that figure four times in between the various [Em] verses.
[A] _ _ _ _ _ [Em] _ _ _ _ [A] _ _
[G] _ _ [Em] _ _ _ _ _ [Bm] _
Traffic's album of the same name that came out in 1970.
Traffic had basically broken up about two years before when Dave Mason had left the
band and Steve Wynwood went off to join Blind Faith.
_ But Blind Faith lasted less than six months and after that Wynwood decided to get the
remaining members of Traffic back together and they made this album.
So this song itself is an English folk song which is about barleycorn and basically the
beer and whiskey that's made from it.
The earliest versions of this actually go back to the 17th century which is pretty cool.
_ Wynwood played and he actually continues to play this song, capoed up on the 7th fret
and he flat picks it.
So let's take a look at the key elements. _ _
[A] _ _ _ _ [Em] _ _ _ _
[A] _ _ [D] _ _ [Em] _ _ _
[A] There were [Em] three men from out of the west _ [A] Their _ [G] fortunes thought [Em] to try
_ _ [A] And these [Em] three men [G] took a [Em] solemn vow _ [A] John _ Barleycorn [Em] must die
_ [G] They ploughed their [Em] sown land And old women [G] threw [A] cloths upon [B] his hand _ _ _ _ _
[Am] And these [Em] three men [D] took a solemn [Em] vow _ _ [A] John Barleycorn [Em] must die
_ _ [A] _ _ [G] _ _ [Em] _ _
_ _ [A] _ _ _ _ [Em] _ _
_ _ [A] _ _ [G] _ _ [D] _ _
[E] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[A] Okay we're capoed up at the 7th fret.
I'm going to call out the chords as if they're open.
The first part of the introduction goes and [G] _ _
[Em] _ _ _ _ _ [F] _ what we're doing is we're playing the D chord
and you're going to play [A] the D string, the G string and then skip up to E string _ and
the B and the G.
_ _ _ _ And then the rhythm is _ _ _ _ _ so what it's downstroke, downstroke, upstroke, _ _ downstroke and then
you [G] can either use a [F#] downstroke or an upstroke for this one, whichever you're more comfortable [A] with.
_ [C] _ And then [G] you play this part _ [D] _ _ [B] and so you're [G] just playing the bottom part of the C chord.
It's just the A string. _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ It's the A string, the D string and the G string.
_ _ So [G#] I'm just playing this alternate [G] picking.
_ Downstroke, upstroke, downstroke.
_ _ [D] And then you move over and make a G, the bottom part of a G and it's the same pattern. _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ You just cut it off there.
You don't play it just.
_ _ [G] So so far [A] we've got [D] and _ _ then [G] you play an A chord to an A5, an A minor chord I'm sorry
to an A5.
So all that is is just this [Em] is A, an A minor and then you pick this finger [B] off.
_ _ _ And that's probably [F] the trickiest flat picking part of it.
[Em] It's just so _ _ [C#] _
_ [B] _ you're just going straight up [Em] from D string to G string to B string.
Then you take your finger off and [F#] come down B, [Em]
G, _ D.
So _ _ _ _ [B] so I do [Em] downstroke, downstroke, _
_ _ _ _ [B] upstroke, downstroke, [Em] _
upstroke, _ downstroke. _ _ _
_ [F#] _ _ [Em] _ _ _ [G] You repeat that [Em] twice. _ _ _ _ _ _
[Gm] And that's the introduction.
You repeat that twice.
And then [N] you also repeat that figure four times in between the various [Em] verses.
[A] _ _ _ _ _ [Em] _ _ _ _ [A] _ _
[G] _ _ [Em] _ _ _ _ _ [Bm] _