23.04.2025 When Led Zeppelin recorded "Stairway To Heaven" back in 1971, Jimmy Page used three different guitars, an acoustc 6-string, an electric 12-string, and an electric 6-string. AI found out:
"Stairway to Heaven," by Led Zeppelin, is a popular song often played on acoustic guitar, especially the intro with the distinctive fingerpicked arpeggios. The song is known for its diverse sections, including a quiet acoustic intro, a slow electric middle section, a guitar solo, and a hard rock final section. Jimmy Page primarily used a Harmony Sovereign acoustic guitar for the main parts, a Fender Telecaster for the solo, and a Fender Electric XII 12-string guitar for the rhythm sections and harmony parts. Live, he often switched to a Gibson EDS-1275 double-neck guitar to handle the variety of acoustic and electric parts." (according to Gear4music).
Instead of playing a double-neck guitar live on stage, a guest guitarist playing the 12-string guitar in the mid-section of the song, would've been no bad idea to take into consideration !?
The tab below is is a transcription into 5/8 time.
The original picking pattern in the 4/4 time signature.
INTRO (Three suitable picking patterns.
Play them alternately to get used to the unfamiliar time signature)
I.
Am E/G#
e-------------5a-------------|-------------7d-------------| picking pattern:
b-------------5a-------------|-------------5a-------------| x - a - bc - x - a (2x)
g--------5a-------------5a---|--------5a-------------5a---|
D---7c-------------7c--------|---6b-------------6b--------|
A----------------------------|----------------------------| < x >
E----------------------------|----------------------------|
<------------------ full barrés ----------------------
C/G D/F#
e-------------8d-------------|-------------2a-----------------| picking pattern:
b-------------5a-------------|-------------3b-----------------| x - a - bc - x - a (2x)
g--------5a-------------5a---|--------2a-------------2a-------|
D---5a-------------5a--------|---4c-------------4c--------\---|
A----------------------------|--------------------------------| < x >
E----------------------------|--------------------------------|
-------------------- full barrés -------------------->
Fmaj7 G
e-------------0--------------|---0---------------------------| picking pattern:
b-------------1a-------------|---1a---/---3a-----------------| x - a - bc - x - a
g--------2b-------------2b---|---2b---/--------4b------------| xabc - b - a - x
D---3c-----------------------|---3c---/-------------5c---/---|
A------------------3d--------|-------------------------------| < x >
E----------------------------|-------------------------------|
2/8
alternative tab
Am
e-------------5a-------------|--------------------| picking pattern:
b-------------5a-------------|--------------------| x - a - bc - x - a
g--------5a-------------5a---|--------------------| x - x
D---7c-----------------------|--------------------|
A------------------7d--------|---------7d/8d\7d---| < x >
E----------------------------|---5a---------------|
2/8 3/8
<---------------- full barré -----------------
II. (Play the same tab again with some slight aberrations)
Am
e-------------5a-------------|---
b-------------5a-------------|---
g--------5a-------------5a---|---
D------------------7c--------|---
A----------------------------|---
E---5a-----------------------|---
--------- full barrés ----------
---|---
---|---
---|---
---|---
---|---
---|---
---|---0---------------| picking pattern:
---|---1a---3dp0-------| xab - b - a
---|---2b----------0---|
---|---3c--------------|
---|-------------------|
---|-------------------|
2/8 2/8
Am
e-------------0--------------|--------------------| picking pattern:
b-------------1a-------------|--------------------| x - a - bc - x - a
g--------2c-------------2c---|--------------------| x - x - x
D------------------2b--------|--------------------|
A---0------------------------|---0-------0---2b---|
E----------------------------|--------------------| info
3/8
III. (Now let's find a fitting tab & picking pattern for the following chord sequence)
||:
C D
e-------------0--------------|-------------2c-------------| picking pattern:
b-------------1a-------------|-------------3d-------------| x - a - bc - x - a (2x)
g--------0--------------0----|--------2b-------------2b---|
D------------------2b--------|---0------------------------|
A---3c-----------------------|------------------0---------|
E----------------------------|----------------------------|
Fmaj7 Am
e-------------0--------------|-------------0--------------| picking pattern:
b-------------1a-------------|-------------1a-------------| x - a - bc - x - a (2x)
g--------2b-------------2b---|--------2c-------------2c---|
D---3d-----------------------|------------------2b--------|
A------------------3c--------|---0------------------------|
E----------------------------|----------------------------|
alternative tab
1.
C G
e-------------0--------------|-------------3d-------------| picking pattern:
b-------------1a-------------|-------------0--------------| x - a - bc - x - a (2x)
g--------0--------------0----|--------0--------------0----|
D------------------2b--------|------------------0---------|
A---3d-----------------------|----------------------------|
E----------------------------|---3c-----------------------|
D
e-------------2c-------------|--------------------| picking pattern:
b-------------3d-------------|--------------------| x - a - bc - x - a
g--------2b-------------2b---|--------------------| x - x - x
D---0------------------------|---0----------------|
A------------------0---------|-----------0---2b---|
E----------------------------|--------------------|
3/8
alternative tab
2.
C D
e-------------0--------------|-------------2c-------------| picking pattern:
b-------------1a-------------|-------------3d-------------| x - a - bc - x - a (2x)
g--------0--------------0----|--------2b-------------2b---|
D------------------2b--------|---0------------------------|
A---3c-----------------------|------------------0---------|
E----------------------------|----------------------------|
F
... There's a ...
e-------------1a-------------|-------------------------| picking pattern:
b-------------1a-------------|-------------------------| x - a - bc - x - a
g--------2b-------------2b---|-------------------------| X
D---3c-----------------------|-------------/-----------|
A------------------3d--------|-------------------------|
E----------------------------|---1a--------------------|
<------------ full barré -------------->
:||
Start 1ST VERSE (see arrangement on the right side)
IV. (short instrumental variation)
Am E/G#
e------------------5a-------------|------------------7d-------------| picking pattern:
b-------------5a------------------|-------------5a------------------| x - a - b - c - x - a
g--------5a------------------5a---|--------5a------------------5a---| (2x)
D-----------------------7c--------|---6b------------------6b--------|
A---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
E---5a----------------------------|---------------------------------| info
<2/8 Triole> <2/8 Triole>
<----------------------- full barrés ---------------------------
C/G D/F#
e------------------8d-------------|------------------2a-----------------| picking pattern:
b-------------5a------------------|-------------3b----------------------|
g--------5a------------------5a---|--------2a------------------2a-------|
D---5a------------------5a--------|---4c------------------4c--------\---|
A---------------------------------|-------------------------------------|
E---------------------------------|-------------------------------------|
<2/8 Triole> <2/8 Triole>
-------------------------- full barrés -------------------------
Fmaj7
e------------------0--------------|---------------------| picking pattern:
b-------------1a------------------|---0-----3cp0--------| x - a - b - c - x - a
g--------2b------------------2b---|---0------------0----| xab - b - a
D---3c----------------------------|---0-----------------|
A-----------------------3d--------|---------------------|
E---------------------------------|---------------------|
<2/8 Triole>
Am G6/9/E
e-------------0----------------|---------↑0-------| picking pattern:
b-------------1a---------------|---------↑0-------| x - a - bc - x - a
g--------2c--------------2c----|---------↑0-------| x - a~~~
D------------------2b----------|---------↑0-------|
A---0--------------------------|---0-----↑0-------|
E------------------------------|---------↑0-------| info
3/8 2/8
Start CHORUS
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I.
... lady who's sure all that ...
... glitters is gold and she's ...
... buying a stairway to ...
... Heaven ... When she ...
II.
... gets there she knows, if the ...
... stores are all closed With a ...
... word she can get what she ...
... came for ...
III.
... Ooh, ooh, ...
... ooh, ooh, and she's ...
... buying a stairway to ...
... Heaven ... There's a ...
... sign on the wall, but she ...
... wants to be sure, 'cause you ...
... know sometimes words have two ...
... meanings ... In a ...
I.
... tree by the brook, there's a ...
... songbird who sings, sometimes ...
... all of our thoughts are mis- ...
... given ..
IV. (short instrumental variation)
CHORUS
(strummed on a 12-string guitar)
Am7 - C6/9/D - D (barrés 5th fret)
Am7
G6/D - D - C/D - D
(played open with upward strokes)
... Ooh, it makes me wonder ...
... Ooh, makes me wonder ...
... to be continued ...