Beaumont Rag
Traditional (author unknown)
Drop D tuning

Commentary
This song is best played on a classical guitar, since the song was written for fiddles (note that's plural) and in translation to guitar requires a distinctly classical technique. Though you can play it on any guitar without too much difficulty, I still recommend nylon strings and a wide neck for this one (that would be a classical guitar). This is a traditional Southern song and will sound much more like a mix between Country and Western and Ragtime than anything else. Listen to any of the rags performed by, say, Chet Atkins, and that should give you some idea of what to expect.

The most difficult part will be coordinating your fingers and thumb to pick at the appropriate times, since the bass line (your thumb) is at a very regular pace, while the work done by your fingers is not as regular. Getting this down involves plain old practice. In particular, watch out for the second half of the song, where the higher voice plays very much like an odd meter piece while the bass voice continues in an even meter. Throughout the entire song, you should let your thumb play the bass line and your other fingers work on the rest. This goes for chords too. You can get away with strumming some of them if you want (some of the D chords, most particularly the ending D), but most will suffer or interfere with the timing of the piece if you strum across a muted string or strings.

For classical guitarists, this is actually a fairly simple song and you should be able to memorize it with no problems. For you other guitarists, this might be a fun and easy step towards learning to play classical guitar.

Legend
0 A number is a note. Play the corresponding fret on the corresponding string. If you don't understand, see Tablature. In this song, each individual note is an 8th note, unless otherwise specified.

^ Tied notes that are slurred together, either Hammer on or Pull off

= This symbol means the note is a quarter note. For example, 0 is an eighth and 0== is a quarter.

0(0) Don't strike the notes in parentheses; just hold them for a quarter instead of an eighth. The parentheses just mean the note is split across the beat, and represents two tied notes of the same value. Like 0==, 0(0) is also a quarter in length, but unlike 0==, 0(0) is off beat.

D. S. % al fin When you see this notation, look for the sign % at the beginning of the piece and play until you reach Fin.
Tablature
Common (4/4) time

     %     1
|----0^2-||--3==-3==-0==-0==-|---0--------------|
|-T------||.-2==-2==-2==-2==-|-2---2^0----------|
|-A------||--2==-2==-0==-0==-|---------2^0---2--|
|-B------||------2==-----2==-|-----2==-----4----|
|--------||.-0==-----0==-----|-0==-----0==------|
|--------||------------------|------------------|
      H                             P   P


 3
|-2==-2==---------|-----------------|-------0(0)--0---|
|-3==-3==-3==-3==-|-0---------0-----|---0-2-----2---2-|
|-2==-2==-2==-2==-|---2---2(2)--2---|-2---------------|
|---------4==-4==-|-----4---------4-|-----2==-----2==-|
|-----0==-----0==-|-----0==-----0==-|-0==-----0==-----|
|-0==-----0==-----|-0==-----0==-----|-----------------|


 6
|-2^0---0(0)-2-0---|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----2----------2-|-----------------|-0---------0-----|
|------------------|-------2(2)--2---|---2---2(2)--2---|
|-----2==------2==-|-0^2-4-----4---4-|-----4---------4-|
|-0==-----0==------|-----0==-----0==-|-----0==-----0==-|
|------------------|-0==-----0==-----|-0==-----0==-----|
   P                  H


 9
|-3==-3==-0==-0==-|---0--------------|-2==-2==---------|
|-2==-2==-2==-2==-|-2---2^0----------|-3==-3==-3==-3^2-|
|-2==-2==-0==-0==-|---------2^0---2--|-2==-2==-2==-2---|
|-----2==-----2==-|-----2==-----4----|---------4==-4---|
|-0==-----0==-----|-0==-----0==------|-----0==-----0==-|
|-----------------|------------------|-0==-----0==-----|
                         P   P                      P


 12
|-----------------|-------5(5)3(3==)-|-------7(7)5-----|
|-0---------0-----|-0---0------------|-7-6-7-------7---|
|---2---2(2)--2---|---3*-------------|---------------7-|
|-----4---------4-|-----0==-----0==--|-----0==-----0==-|
|-----0==-----0==-|------------------|-----------------|
|-0==-----0==-----|-5==-----5==------|-0==-----0==-----|
                       * let ring

                    _________           __________
 15                | 1.                | 2, 3.       FIN
|-----5-----7-----|-------------0^2--||-----------------||
|---5-----5-----5-|-3==-------------.||-3==-------------||
|-6-----6-----6---|-2==--------------||-2==-------------||
|-----7==-----7==-|-0==--------------||-0==-------------||
|-0==-----0==-----|-----0==---------.||-----0==---------||
|-----------------|---------0==------||---------0==-----||



  17
||------5-----7-----|-5-----7-----5==-|-----5-----7-----|
||.---5-----5-----5-|-----5-----5-----|---7-----7-----7-|
||--6-----6-----6---|---6-----6-------|-7-----7-----7---|
||------7==-----7==-|-----7==-----7==-|-----0==-----0==-|
||.-0==-----0==-----|-0==-----0==-----|-----------------|
||------------------|-----------------|-0==-----0==-----|



 20
|-5-----7-----5==-|-----5-----7-----|-5-----7-----5==-|
|-----7-----7-----|---5-----5-----5-|-----5-----5-----|
|---7-----7-------|-6-----6-----6---|---6-----6-------|
|-----0==-----0==-|-----7==-----7==-|-----7==-----7==-|
|-----------------|-0==-----0==-----|-0==-----0==-----|
|-0==-----0==-----|-----------------|-----------------|



 23
|-5^7-5------------|-5^7-5------------|-----5-----7-----|
|-------7(7)-5-----|-------7(7)-5-----|---5-----5-----5-|
|--------------7==-|--------------7==-|-6-----6-----6---|
|-----0==------0==-|-----0==------0==-|-----7==-----7==-|
|------------------|------------------|-0==-----0==-----|
|-0==-----0==------|-0==-----0==------|-----------------|
   H                  H


 27
|-5-----7-----5==-|-----5-----7-----|-5-----7-----5==-|
|-----5-----5-----|---7-----7-----7-|-----7-----7-----|
|---6-----6-------|-7-----7-----7---|---7-----7-------|
|-----7==-----7==-|-----0==-----0==-|-----0==-----0==-|
|-0==-----0==-----|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-0==-----0==-----|-0==-----0==-----|



 30
|-------5(5)3(3==)-|-------7(7)5-----|-----5-----7-----|
|-0---0------------|-7-6-7-------7---|---5-----5-----5-|
|---3*-------------|---------------7-|-6-----6-----6---|
|-----0==-----0==--|-----0==-----0==-|-----7==-----7==-|
|------------------|-----------------|-0==-----0==-----|
|-5==-----5==------|-0==-----0==-----|-----------------|
     * let ring

              ___
 33          | 2. D. S. % al Fin
|-----------------||
|-3==------------.||
|-2==-------------||
|-0==-------------||
|-----0==--------.||
|---------0==-----||

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