Mobiusbandwidth.com Morphine transcriptions.

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"A Good woman is hard to find" by Mark Sandman, as recorded by his band Morphine
This is an academic, but not exact note for note transcription in tablature form, for 2 string slide bass guitar, by James Möbius. This Page is still a work in progress but I thought I'd post what I had now, since it's enough information to learn the song from, I just need to format it in the same detailed way as the other transcriptions I have posted to complete it.

As of publication date, you can view this video at this url:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6TvY0nQOUI you can also see the video embedded further down this page.

This is posted for music education purposes and the promotion of Morphine music only, no copyright infringement is intended. If you like this song enough to read this transcription and don't already own a legally obtained copy, please purchase one, you can find it on iTunes, or in record stores if there are any of those left. Transcript © mobiusbandwidth.com 2012. Song © Mark Sandman 2012 hi-n-dry.com

Tuning: CG Slide bass played with a pick, and a metal slide, for best effect. If you don't own a 2 string bass, you can play this on a 4 or 5 using the 2 highest strings, retuned, you will find the action too low to use a slide without fret buzz, to solve this problem some people dedicate an old 4 string bass for slide, moving the D and G strings to the center position and installing something to raise the nut 1/4". I made my own 2 string slide bass from scratch, you can see that project on this page: the Bat Bass


/ = slide up \ = slide down
CG tuning, the song is basically all played on the low C string. Holding the pick closer to the neck than the bridge will get you closer to the tone Mark had on this recording. This transcription is a work in progress.

opening riff
G-----------------------------------------------------------------|
C--0--2-3--7----0--2-3--7--6--5-6--2--5--3-5--3-(alt is 7)-----|

transition riff before verse
G-----------------------------------------------------------------|
C-0--/3--2-0--2--5-3---0--/3--2-0--2--5-3---------------------|

verse 1
G-----------------------------------------------------------------|
C--5---0-----5-----0-----5------0-------------------------------|

chorus
G-----------------------------------------------------------------|
C--0---(2)--0----------------------------------------------------|

verse 2
G-----------------------------------------------------------------|
C--5---0-----7-----0-----5------0-------------------------------|

extra bit
G-----------------------------------------------------------------|
C--0--2----5-5---3-----0--2----5-5---3------------------------|

there are variants to the intro at the outro. roughly:
G------------------------------------------------------------------|
C-0--/3--7-6---5-3-0--/3--7-6---5-3----------------------------|

A good woman is hard to find

Lyrics:

She painted a bull's eye on my mind
No matter how I moved her aim was never high
I guess that was what I needed at the time

A good woman is hard to find
A good woman is hard to find
A good woman is hard to find
A good woman is hard to find

She was heavy, on the back beat
See played me just like a tambourine
Well, she took me to church, prayed till it hurt

A good woman is hard to find
A good woman is hard to find
I'll live to love another one more time
A good woman is hard to find

She was a helluva woman, from a helluva town
She took me all the way, it was a long way down
She makes me wonder, wonder, all day long
Can a good woman ever be found? Can a good woman never be found?

She was beauty and adventure
She seemed so glad to be alive
I want to be happy but not all the time

A good woman is hard to find
A good woman is hard to find
I'll live to love another one more time
A good woman is hard to find

She wrapped me up, saved me for later
Left me no way to penetrate her
Guess that was what I needed at the time

A good woman is hard to find
A good woman is hard to find
I'll live to love another one more time
A good woman is hard to find

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