Maple Leaf Rag Chords & Tabs
Scott Joplin - Maple Leaf Rag
Standard Tuning E A D G B E
-----0-----0---0-----0---------0-----0---|0-----0--0------1---0-0------1---0--0|------------
---2-----2---------0---------2-----2-----|----0---------1------------1---------|------------
-2-----2-----1---1---------2-----2------1|--1---------2------------2-----------|-------2----
-----2-------------------2-----2---------|--------------------2-2----------2--2|-----1------
-0-------0-1---2-------2---0-------0--1--|2------2-----------------------------|-0-3----3-6-
-------------------0-----0---------------|----0----0-1------0-----1------0-----|------------
---------------------5-5-5-5-5--------------------------------------------------------------
------------------7--4-4-4-4-----5-7---5-7------0-1---0-2----2---0--------------------------
---5------8-----5----5-5-5-5---------6-------2------2------2---2---2------------------------
-4------7---4-7------4-4-4-4-------7-------7------3------2-----------2----------------------
----6-9------------------------0-------0--------------0------0-----0------------------------
-----------------------------------------------1-----------------0---0-0--------------------
This section is a bit longer. Don't be intimidated by the length. Mms. 1-3 are exactly the same as mms. 9-11 and 3 is the same as 7, so once you get the pieces together, a lot of them repeat. Again, play it slowly to get it under your fingers and slowly crank up the tempo till you're a striding musical guitar genius...
----12-------11------10-----9------7--------5-----------5-----------------12------11------10--9----9--12-------9------9---------------------5-7---------5-7-----7---9----9-12-------9---------------------------9--------9---9----6---6-------6---6-------6-----------------------------9-----------9---------9--------9--------7-------7-------5-------7-----9----------9---------------------------------------------0----------------------------------------------------
0---------0----------0--------0-----------------0-------0-------0-----0--------0----------0-
-----9-----7-------5------------5-4-3-------2-----------2-----------------0---0---0------------9-------------------5-7------5-4-3-----2-----2-----3-----3-2--2--0------------------------9-------9---9---6---6-------6--6-5-4---3--------3--4-------4-2-----1---2----------------------9-------9-------7-------7--------------2------2----4-----4---1-----0------------------------------------0-----------------------------4-----2----------2---------0-2-------2---------------0----------------0--------5-4-3-2-------------------2-------0-----------0-------------
Here's the third section of the piece. For the first four measures, we move from the A chord in the 5th position to the open D, and then repeat the whole thing in mms 5-8. At the end of measure 8, we hit the F#7 chord to get us to the B chord in measure 9. The pattern for the B chord in measure 9 is pretty much the same pattern as measure 1, it's just 2 frets higher. We hit the full chords in measure 12, and then the nice syncopated ending...
[ Tab from: https://www.guitartabs.cc/tabs/j/joplin_scott/maple_leaf_rag_tab.html ]
----9-----7------5----------|-5---------------0-4-------2---0-4-----2-----2--|----5---------
--9------------------5-7----|-----5-7-----7--------0--3---------0-3-----3---3|--------5-7---
9-------9---9--6---6-------6|---6-------6--------1--------1-------1-------1--|--6---6-------
--9-------9------7-------7--|-----7-------7----------------------------------|----7-------7-
-------------0--------------|-0----------------------------------------------|0-------------
------0--------------0------|---------0-----0---------0-------0-------0------|--------0-----
---5----------------12------11-----|10-----9-----7-------5-----------5--5-4-3-|-------2-----
-------5-7----7---9----9-12-------9|-----9-------------------5-7--------5-4-3-|-----2-----2-
-6---6------6----------------------|---9-------9---9---6---6-------6----6-5-4-|---3---------
-------7------7------9---------9---|-----9-------9-------7-------7------------|-----2-------
---0-------------------------------|-----------------0---------------0--------|---------4---
-----------0----0--------0---------|0--------0---------------0----------5-4-3-|-2-----------
----------2-----------------|---0-0-0|-5----5-------5---5-----------------2-----2|----2-----
--------3-----3-2----2---0--|--------|----------5-----------5---5---3-0-3-----3--|0-3-------
-3----4-------4-2--------1--|2-------|------------6-----------6---2---2-----2-2--|----2-2---
-2------4-----4----1-------0|---2---2|----5-------5---5-------5---0--------------|0---------
----2-----------2-----------|0-------|------------------------------------0------|----------
------------2----------0----|-----0--|-5------5-----5-----5----------------------|----------
---2---2-5---5---------5---5--------|--------2-----2-----2-----2-7---7------|7---7---------------0------------5------------5---5|--3-0-3-----3---0-3-----------------7--|--------7---7-------2--------------6------------6--|2---2-----2-2-------2-2---3-----------8|----------8---------------5--------5----5-------5--|0---------------0---------2---7-------7|--7-------7-----0----------------------------------|--------0---------------0--------------|------------------------5------5------5-----5------|----------------------------7-----7----|7-----7--------
-----7------7------7------7-------7--10-10-9--7-2---0-3----2---2---0-2-----0--|--5---2-5-2-5----------8-------------8------8-----9--9--9--6---3--------------3-------2---3|----------------9---9--------9-----9--------------10-10-10-7--------------2-----1-------0--|----2-------2-----9--------9---------9---------9--9--9--9--6-0------------1----------------|0----------------------------------------------------------------0---2--------------0------|--------0----0---------7--------0---------7---------------------------------0--------------|-------------
In the last section, we move primarily between the D major chord that starts it off, A major, which is the key, and E major. There's some really nice syncopation happening in mms 13-15, which leads us through the D Major-D Minor-A Major progression before we conclude the section.
-5--2--5--2--5--7--9----7--5---0---2---------|---0---2----0--2------0-2---0-2----5--2-5-2----------------7--7------------7-2------2------|---------2--------2-------2-----------------------2-----2----------------------------------|--------------------------------------2---2----0-----------0-------0-----0-------2--------2|-------2--------2-------2-------2--0-----------------0--------0--------------0-------------|0-------------------0-------------------0----------------------------------------------0---|------------0---------------0-----------------
-5-7-9----7--5----5--2---5--------0--2----0-2-----|------------------------------------------7-7-----------7--2----5-----2---------2----------|---0-----0-----0-2---0-2--------0-2-------------------------------------------------------2|-----2-2---2-------2--------2-------2-----0-----0-----0-------2-----2---------2--------2--4|-----4-3---2-----2-------2--1-----1---------0--------------0------------0------------------|5------5-5---0----------------2---------------------------------0------------------0-------|---------------------0-----------------0-
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