Ain't No Sunshine, how he plays it

[LiveMusic]

At about 2:00, you can see Bill Withers' fretting hand. I can't figure out what he's doing. In essence, the whole song is onscreen in that section, as it just repeats.

 

------0-

------0-

------5-

------5-

-----0--

-0-3-X-

 

That's what I got for the first part. I don't know what chord X05500 is exactly but it's some derivation of Am. That part is basically Am, Em, Em/G, Am. But when he does the X05500 part, then he goes down to what appears to be the third fret. In the next passage, he goes UP to about fret 7. Anyone know? I assume he is in standard tuning, which is always a dumb assumption.

 

Of course, he's got a band backing, so, I don't know if what he's doing will work solo.

 

I can play the song fine but I'd like to know exactly what he's doing, might be better his way, haha.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlAgwd5JGPo

[Hudman]

You won't get the same full sound because he has a lead player playing fills over his chords.

 

I don't know if I play it right, but this is how I play it:

 

I play the main progression Am - Em G Am - like this:

 

Am........................................... Am....... Em-G -Am

....Ain't no sunshine when she's gone.

 

I play this line (and the variations of it) like this:

............................................Em......................................... Dm

Ain't no sunshine when she's gone, and she's always gone too long

[LiveMusic]

That's pretty much how I play it but I wondered if he plays it solo like he's doing with the band. I can't even figure out what he's doing.

[eor]

eor tunes down two steps, plays it as such:

(all barre chords)
2nd fattest string, second fret (like b, i guess)
fattest string, second fret (f?)
2nd fattest string open fret (a major shape)

then later it goes up to the 9th fret on the 2nd fattest string, down to the 7th (same string), and then repeats. i like playing in it this tuning because i can use the open fat strings (all 3), and the 5th & 7th frets on the 2nd fattest string as passing/color notes.

hope that made sense.

love,
eor

that video was super badass.