Night In The City - Joni Mitchell ----------------------------------- from the album Song To A Seagull Transcribed by Howard Wright howardw (at) jmdl (dot) com Tuning ------- Low to high: DADF#AD Joni notation: D75435 You need to use a capo at the 5th fret, bringing the guitar tuning up to the key of G (tune the open strings to the open D tuning above *before* adding the capo). NB: All fret numbers in the tablature and chord shapes are relative to the capo at the 5th fret. I've used a few clues from a video performance of Joni playing this song to fill in some chord shapes that I wasn't sure about. This transcription is for the CD version of the song though (the version from the video is slightly different). Strumming pattern ------------------ There is quite a busy strumming pattern for this song, using triplet patterns. Each bar has 4 strong beats, each of which is broken up into three triplets. Try counting: * * * * 1 2 3 2 2 3 3 2 3 4 2 3 (the asterisks mark the four strong beats). The basic strumming pattern is written below, where an "x" indicates a strum, and "X" indicates an accented (strong )strum: X x X x x X x X x x 1 2 3 2 2 3 3 2 3 4 2 3 ^ ^ | | | | The two arrows mark where down-strokes are used on the bottom strings. All the other strums are on the middle and upper strings, using alternate down- and up-strokes. An example of the strumming pattern is given below for the intro. INTRO: ------ D----------------------0----4---0--------------------- A-----------0-------0-------0-----0----0-------0---0-- F#------0--------1-------0--3---------------1--------- D-----0---0------0----------4-------4-------2--------- A-------------0--2--------------------------0--------- D---0---------------------------------------0--------- Strumming pattern starts: D----------0-0-0-------0-0-0---------0-0-0-------0-0-0---- A----------0-0-0-0-----0-0-0-0-------0-0-0-0-----0-0-0-0-- F#---------6-6-6-6-----5-5-5-5-------6-6-6-6-----3-3-3-3-- D----------7-7-7-7-----6-6-6-6-------7-7-7-7-----4-4-4-4-- A------0-----------0-------------0-----------0------------ D------0-----------0-------------0-----------0------------ * * * * * * * * Count: 1 2 3 2 2 3 3 2 3 4 2 3 | 1 2 3 2 2 3 3 2 3 4 2 3 d d u d u d d u d u d d u d u d d u d u (d and u indicate down and up-strokes) Use this strumming pattern throughout most of the song. VERSE 1: -------- Note: Joni uses a hammer-on from the open strings whenever she plays the 022100 chord ("Moon's up...", "Taking the town" etc). 007600 006500 007600 004300 Light up light up 007600 006500 004300 Light up your lazy blue eyes 022100 020100 040300 000000 Moon's up, night's up 022100 x02100 (x02102) Taking the town by surprise 007600 006500 007600 004300 Night time, night time 007600 006500 004300 Day left an hour ago 022100 020100 040300 000000 City light time 022100 x04304 x02102 x02100 Must you get ready so slow? There are 000000 020100 040300 020100 000000 places to come from and pla - ces to go D---0---0--0-0-0---0--0--0--0--0-0---0-0---0--0-0-0----- A---0---0--0-0-0---0--0--0--0--0-0---0-0---0--0-0-0----- F#--3---3--3-3-3---0--1--0--3--0-1---0-0---0--0-0-0----- D---4---4--4-4-4---0--2--0--4--0-2---0-0---0--0-0-0----- A---4---4--4-4-4---0--2--0--4--0-2---0-0---0--0-0-0----- D---0---0--0-0-0---0--0--0--0--0-0---0-0---0--0-0-0----- CHORUS: ------- For some of the 002100 chords I think that Joni sometimes adds a note on the top string at the 2nd fret. In particular, after the x04304 chord, I think Joni often moves this chord down 2 frets to x02102 before playing x02100, but the x02102 chord is played only very briefly. It's hard to make it out from the CD, but for the last line ("... time") I think she plays both 002100 and 002102. 040300 004304 002100 000000 Night in the city looks pretty to me 040300 004304 x02100 Night in the city looks fine 040300 004304 002100 000000 Music comes spilling out into the street 040300 004304 002100 Colors go flashing in time VERSE 2: -------- Take off, take off Take off your stay at home shoes Break off, shake off Chase off those stay at home blues Stairway, stairway Down to the crowds in the street They go their way Looking for faces to greet But we run on laughing With no one to meet CHORUS: ------- Night in the city looks pretty to me Night in the city looks fine Music comes spilling out into the street Colors go waltzing in time OUTTRO: ------- D-----0--0-0----0--0---0--0-0----0----------- A-----0--0-0-0--0------0--0-0----0----------- F#----6--6-6-6--5------6--6-6-6--3----------- D-----7--7-7-7--6------7--7-7-7--4----------- A--0-----0---0--0----0----0---0--0----------- D--0-----0------0----0----0------0-----------