E-|---Song:-Andante-(BWV1003)----------------------|
A-|---Author:-JSBach-------------------------------|
D-|---Transcription-by:Christian Liang-------------|
G-|---E-Mail:christian.liang@gmail.com-------------|
B-|---http://www.chrisliang.com--------------------|
E-|---Enjoy!---------------------------------------|
Andante BWV1003 by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
This serene and beautiful piece is taken from Sonata ii of Bach's six sonatas and partitas
for unaccompanied violin. It fits on the guitar fingerboard so well that it is unnecessary
to alter a single note of the original for this transcription. Only the tempo and fingerings
for guitar have been added.
The violin of Bach's day had a somewhat flatter bridge and was played with a slightly more
curved bow than the modern violin. These two factors made it easier for violinists of the
time to play chords on two, three or four strings of the instrument. This accounts for the
multi-voiced texture and full-sounding chords of this piece.
Technique
29 total bars. 8th notes in all measures except Bar[9] and [25]-[26].
Bar[9] and [27] 32nd note flourishes are either performed with slurs (hammer-ons and pull-offs)
or cross string-fingerings. A cross-string fingering is one in which stepwise notes are fingered
on different strings rather than along a single string. This is the easiest way to play
scales.
Bar[7] and [26] I have left the optional notes in brackets (3) on the 1st E string. I
for
the g note on the open g string (4th string). I have included the original fingering.
If you can reach the bass G note, go for it.
Tips
The most noticeable aspect of this work is the bass line in constant eighth notes, which is
present for all but four measures. To avoid sounding monotonous, try to play the bass line
in as musical and expressive as possible. To gain as much separation as possible between
the melody and the bassline, be sure to play all the bass notes with the thumb
Andante BWV1003 by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Part A (play twice)
[1]
II......
E|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
B|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------0-1-----------0-1-|
G|-------------------------|-0-----------2---0-------|---0-2---0-0-2-----2-----|
D|-2-----------2---3-2-0---|---0-3--(3)--------3-2-0-|-2-------------2-4---0---|
A|-3---3---3---3---3---3-3-|-2---2---2---2---2---2---|-3---3---0---0---5-------|
E|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
L 2 3 3 2 4 2 3 3 2 4 (4) 3 2 4 3 2 2 1 2 1 3 1 1
3 3 3 2 2 2 2 3 3 4
[4]
E|-------------0---0-------|---------------0---------|-----0-1-3---0-----0-5-3-|
B|-0-------------3---3-1-0-|-------------3---3-1-0---|-0-3-----3-3---0-1-------|
G|---2-0---0---0---0---0---|-2---------------------2-|-----------------2---2---|
D|-0-----------------------|-5---5---3---3---3---3---|-3---3---2---2-----------|
A|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
E|-3---3-------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
L 3 2 3 4 4 1 1 4 3 4 4 1 3 2 3 4 3 1 4 3 2 1 4 2
4 3 3 3 2 1
2
R p....... p...........
[7]
I.....
E|-1-------------0-1-5-3-1-|-0-----------------------|-------------------------|
B|-1-1-3---0-1-3---0---0---|-1---------3-1-0---------|----------0-1-3-5--3-----|
G|-------2-0---0---0---0---|-0---------------2-0--0--|---------0-2-4-5---0-----|
D|-0---0-----------0---0---|-------------2---3---4-2-|-4-0-2-4-----------------|
A|-------------------------|-3---3---3---3---3---3---|-3-----------------2-----|
E|----------------(3)-(3)--|-------------------------|-------------------------|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ||||||||| | | | |
L 1 1 4 2 1 4 1 4 3 1 1 3 3 4 1 2 4 4 2 4 212134 4
1 (2) (2) 3 2 1 3 3 2
3 3
[10]
E|--0---0------------------|------------------------||
B|---313--0---10-0-1-------|------------------------||
G|--------------2------2---|-0---------0-------2-0--||
D|--------0===============-|-------------3-2-0-----3||
A|-3-----------------------|---------0---0---2---2--||
E|-------------------------|-3---3------------------||
| ||||| | | |||||| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
L 3 414 1 2 1 2 3 3 4 2 1 2 1 4
Part B (play twice)
[ Tab from: https://www.guitartabs.cc/tabs/j/johann_sebastian_bach/andante_tab.html ]
[12]
I... I
E|-------------------------|-----------------0-------|-0-----------1---0-------|
B|-------------------------|-3-----------3-----3-1-0-|---0-3--(3)--3---0-3-1-0-|
G|-0======================-|-0---0---0---0---0---0---|-1---1---1---1---1---1---|
D|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
A|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
E|-3======================-|-------------------------|-------------------------|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
L 3 4 4 4 1 1 4 (4) 1 1 4 1
1 1 4 1
1
R p..............................................
[15]
II......VII........... V..................
E|-----0--(0)--0-----------|-5-2-4---------7-7-----0-|-5---------7-5-----------|
B|-1-3------------3-1-0----|-------------9-----9-9---|---------------8-7-5-4-5-|
G|-2---2----------------2--|-4---4---7---7---7---7---|-5---5---5---5---5---2---|
D|---------3---3--3---3----|-2---2-------------------|-------------------------|
A|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
E|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
L 1 4 2 3 3 4 1 3 2 4 1 4 1 3 1 1 3 3 1 1 1 3 1 4 3 1 3 4
2 3 3 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
1 1
R p..............................
[18]
IV...... II................ V................
E|-5-7-8--(8)--8-7-5-3-5-2-|-3-0---0-7---5---5-3-5-2-|-2---0-------------5-6---|
B|-4-----------------------|-0---4---5---------------|-5---5-------5-6-8-------|
G|---------8---8---4---4---|---------0---2---4---4---|---------7---7---7---7---|
D|-4-----------------------|-2---4-------------------|-2---4-------------------|
A|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
E|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
L 2 3 4 3 4 2 4 2 4 1 3 4 4 4 4 2 4 1 1 4 3 1 2 4 1 2
1 3 3 3 1 3 1 1 3 3 4 1 3 3 3
1 1
R p............... p............ p................
[21]
VI..V.......................
E|---5---------------------|---------------0-1-3-5---|-------------------------|
B|-------------8---8-6-8-5-|-5---6---------------0---|-----------------5-3-5---|
G|-6---6-------------------|-7---7-------3---2-------|-4---5-------5---------5-|
D|---------7---7---7---7---|-----------------0---0---|-2---2---4---4---4---4---|
A|-------------------------|---------0---0-----------|-------------------------|
E|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
L 1 1 2 3 4 4 2 4 1 1 2 3 1 4 4 3 4 2 3 4 1 4 3
3 3 3 3 3 2 1 1 2 2 2
R p......................
[24]
III...
E|-------------------------|-------------4-3-2-----2-|-3-53-013----------------|
B|-0---------0-1-0---------|---4-3-1-0-1-----1-101---|-1---6---1-10-0--0---0---|
G|-0---0---0---0---2-0-----|-------------------------|-0-----------2-----2-----|
D|---------------------3-2-|-3---------------0-------|-2-------0---------------|
A|-------------------------|-----------------0-------|(3)----------------------|
E|-----------------3---3---|-4-----------------------|---------3---------------|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ||| | | | ||||||| |||| | | | | |
L 1 2 4 2 1 4 3 1 1 4 2 4 1 1 4 4 414 141 1 2 2
3 3 2 1 1 3
2
(3)
[27] ending 1 ending 2
E|-------------------------|-----------------0------||-------------------------|
B|-1-----------------------|-0-1-3-------3-----3-1-0||-1======================-|
G|-------------------------|-0---0---0---0---0---0-*||-------------------------|
D|-2---2---2---2---4---4---|-----------------------*||-2======================-|
A|-3---3---3---3---0---0---|------------------------||-3======================-|
E|-------------------------|-3---3------------------||-------------------------|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
L 1 2 2 2 4 4 3 1 4 4 4 1 1
2 3 3 3 3 2
3 3
R p...............