Click here for Two Part Invention No. 13 audio [725 kB]
Composed by J S Bach
Arranged for guitar duet by R. Manabe
Adopted for Flatpick solo guitar by C. Noda
October 1996
Key: E minor
Time: 4/4
Tuning: Standard
J S Bach wrote a series of pieces called Two-part Inventions for piano, in which two voices move against each other. No. 13 (originally in A minor) was arranged for duet guitar by R. Manabe and I essentially stole his guitar 1 here as solo flatpicking tune.
This is in key of E minor, a lovely tune, I should say. Once you play a few measures, you'll probably recognize the melody.
Suggested speed is 96 beats per minute - 132 bpm. I would opt for 104 bpm so that I can get nice ringing sound and sustain melody. (At this speed, this tune is about one minute long).
Since there are so many sixteenth notes, I put one measure in each line. In TAB below, vertical line above (|) indicates where the down-beat is (4 per measure) and I also put : to indicate the locations of up-beat. "R" is used to denote a rest so that the length of each note is proportional to the column width on screen. The first measure will sound like
1 2 3 4
| : | : | : | :
um-ta-ta-ta ta-ta-ta-ta tah - tah tah - tah
Remember to use a mono-spaced font like COURIER to align things.
Fingerings are of my own and you may find other fignersing that work better for you. Towards the end, I used "ss" to indicate slide that I use to facilitate some fast position changes.
| : | : | : | :
---R-----0--3--2-----2--5--3-----7-----------7-----|
------0-----------0--------------------4-----------|
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| : | : | : | :
---0-----0--3--2-----2--5--3-----0-----------------|
------0-----------0--------------------------------|
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| : | : | : | :
---R--7-----7-----3--------------0-----5-----8-----|
---------8-----5-----0--3--1-----------------------|
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| : | : | : | :
---R--5-----5-----2-------------------(3)----7-----|
---------7-----3--------1--0-----3-----8-----------|
---------------------2-----------------------------|
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| : | : | : | :
---R--3-----3--------5-----R--2-----2--------3-----|
---------5-----------------------3-----0-----------|
---------------5-----------------------------------|
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| : | : | : | :
---R--0-----0--------2-----3-----------------------|
---------1-----------------------------------------|
---------------2-----------------------------------|
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| : | : | : | :
---R--------7--5-----5--8--7-----10----------10----|
---------8-----------------------------7-----------|
------7-----------7--------------------------------|
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| : | : | : | :
------------7--5-----5--8--7-----------10----7-----|
---8-----8-----------------------8-----------------|
------7-----------7--------------------------------|
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| : | : | : | :
------0-----0--------------------------0-----3-----|
---8-----0--------0--------------2-----------------|
---------------0--------0--2-----------------------|
---------------------2-----------------------------|
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| : | : | : | :
---2-----------------------------------------2-----|
------3-----3--------------------0-----3-----------|
---------2--------2--------0-----------------------|
---------------4-----0--4--------------------------|
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| : | : | : | :
---0-----------------------------------R-----------|
------2-----2--------------------3--------0----0---|
---------3--------3--------------------------0-----|
---------------4--------2--0-----------------------|
---------------------4-----------------------------|
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| : | : | : | :
---------------R-----------------------R-----------|
---------2-----------------------0-----------------|
------------------2-----2-----------------0-----0--|
---2-----------------4-----0-----------------2-----|
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| : | : | : | :
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------3--2--0-----2--------0-----------------------|
---------------3--------3--------------------------|
---------------------4-----------------------------|
---4-----------------------------------------------|
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| : | : | : | :
---R-----1-----------------------------------------|
------3-----3--0--3-----0--3--0-----0--------------|
---------------------1-----------1-----------------|
---------------------------------------2-----------|
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| : | : | : | :
---R-----0-----------------------------------------|
------1-----1-----1--------1-----------------------|
---------------2--------2-----2-----2--------------|
---------------------4-----------4-----0-----------|
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| : | : | : | :
---R-----------------------------------------------|
------0--3--0-----0--------------------------------|
---------------0--------0--3--0-----0--------------|
---------------------2-----------2-----------------|
---------------------------------------4-----------|
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| : | : | : | :
---R--5--8--5-----5--------5-----------------------|
---------------7--------7-----7-----7--0-----------|
---------------------8-----------8-----------------|
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| : | : | : | :
---R-----0--3--2-----2--5--3-----0-----------------|
------0-----------0--------------------4-----0-----|
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| : | : | : | :
---0--3--7--3--0--3-----0--3--0-----0-----3--2--0--|
---------------------2-----------2-----------------|
---------------------------------------3-----------|
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| : | : | : | :
---------5-----------------------------------------|
---4--7-----7--4--7-----1--4--1-----1-----1--0-----|
---------------------2-----------2--------------2--|
---------------------------------------4-----------|
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| : | : | : | :
---------0-----------------------------------------|
------0-----0-----0--------------------------------|
---0-----------0--------0--3--0-----0-----0--------|
---------------------2-----------2-----------4--2--|
---------------------------------------4-----------|
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| : | : | : | :
---------2-----------------R-----0--3--2-----2--5--|
---------------4-----0--------0-----------0--------|
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---1-----------------------------------------------|
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| : | : | : | :
---3--0-----7-----------8--7-----7--10-8--7--------|
---------8-----10-7--10-------8--------------10-8--|
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| : | : | : | :
------------7ss8-----11--ss14-------12-8--------5--|
---7--8--10-------10----10----14s12------10ss7-----|
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| : | : | : | : END!
------2--3--0-----0--2-----0----------------(0)----||
---4-----------0--------4-----0-----0-------(0)----||
---------------------------------0----------(0)----||
---------------------------------------2-----------||
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optional Em