Sleep Walk as per ORIGINAL version

[Jim Mitchell]

I just picked up a Harlin Brothers Multi Kord 6 string 4 pedal Steel Guitar in Setember

I played Sleep walk in 1962 In our Garage band I played Rhythm guitar. I have been playing since I was 13 I am now 60

Sleepwalk is the first song I am trying to play thanks for the sheet music
I got some stuff from a man named Danny James HSGA

I think you post is great

my site
http://www.geocities.com/insp/SUPRO6420.html

my KORD

[Travis Wilson]

I know this is an old thread, but I found a link to the original article Basil mentioned. Below is the whole issue.

http://www.waikiki-islanders.com/assets ... %20WEB.pdf

[Walter Webb]

I know this is an old thread, but I found a link to the original article Basil mentioned. Below is the whole issue.

http://www.waikiki-islanders.com/assets ... %20WEB.pdf

Cool, since the links are all dead now. I've been looking for an arrangement of Sleepwalk that is a transcription of the original, as close as possible. Thanks to Basil H. for his hard work!
I took a screenshot of the tab in the magazine. It's not high quality, but you can print it out and play.

Steel Guitar Tuning E6 (C#m7)
top to bottom: E - C# - B - G# - E - C#

[basilh]

The higher quality is the pdf and the story and discography, here:--->
https://www.facebook.com/download/previ ... 275222170/

or here:-->
http://www.waikiki-islanders.com/assets ... 20Walk.pdf

[Michael Greer]

Basil

Thank you very much for your generosity and kindness to share your work on this steel guitar "anthem"

The story behind the song Sleepwalk is very interesting and I look forward to trying the song in this tuning.

Stay safe in these trying times

Mike

[Andy Henriksen]

646 viewings and nobody spotted the deliberate mistake in bar one ?
fret 5 not 6 .. A not Bb ..

So....13 years later (and 11,000+ views later)...and I have some additional questions.

1a. In the article in the OP, Basil says, "I have studied a video of him playing it live on Television in 1959 and the positions and tuning are without question the ones I have transcribed."

Do we know what live vid it was? I watched a few that I found on youtube, and it seems right before the main riff, it looks like he drops back to play the F on the 1st fret, not on the 4th (yellow circle in my illustration). Seems the same on the Dick Clark vid as well as the Perry Como vid.

1b. It looks like Santo plays the first chord of the intro a few frets higher than the 3rd fret indicated in the tab.

2. Basil has a few F majors in this song, whereas a LOT of versions I see use an Fm every time. One example is the red circle in the pic. There are a few others in the song, usually, right after the palm harmonic bit. Does every one play a major there? Is Johnny playing a major chord with Santo at these points? (I am not confident in my ears). I would assume so, since otherwise, the Ab would clash with an A. I just find it odd that most people just simplify it to an Fm every time, if that's not right.

3. Why does the intro have repeat brackets? I've not heard a version where the intro repeats.

[Doug Beaumier]

Regarding the red circle above, I believe that should be a Dm7 chord. According to the sheet music I've seen, every time the harmonic is played the chord pattern is C Am Dm7 G7. The notes Basil plays at that point in his tablature are A and F. Those two notes are in Dm7 and F major. So the tab will work with either chord, although his music does indicate F major.

From online sheet music:



I play Dm7 at that point in the song, in my backing track and in my book.

[Andy Henriksen]

Thanks Doug! That helps a bunch.

Can I ask your opinion on one more thing? In the Bridge, I feel like instead of F - Fm - C - F - C - C7

it sounds better with F - Fm - C - Am - C - C7.

The steel and bass are both playing an A note there (I think). And the F major just sounds too...well.....major.

How do you hear that particular chord? I can't find it written that way anywhere, but much of the images of sheet music online is of the first page only, so no bridge.

[Andy Henriksen]

In addition to the live version, I've been going by the studio version, which is somewhere near the key of C#, but not quite. I created this pitch-shifted version which puts it pretty close to right on the key of C (it's -.85 semitones from the original). Strumming along on a 6 string, it seems pretty close to in tune.

https://www.soundclick.com/music/songIn ... D=14031938

Help yourselves, anyone - free to stream or download.

[Doug Beaumier]

Andy, that C version you made is very handy for practicing this song!

As far as the bridge, I've always heard it (and played it) like this:

F Fm C C7

No Am chord and no additional F chord IMO.

I had the original sheet music years ago and I believe the chords were as shown above.

[Andy Henriksen]

Andy, that C version you made is very handy for practicing this song!

As far as the bridge, I've always heard it (and played it) like this:

F Fm C C7

No Am chord and no additional F chord IMO.

I had the original sheet music years ago and I believe the chords were as shown above.

Listened some more, and I think you are right in that the rhythm guitar stays on C. With the bass and steel going to an A, it implies an Am7 (or C6). And that makes sense C-C6-C7. Anyway, I think I got what I needed.

Ultimately, my goal with poring through this thread and was to figure out the most authentic note-for-note S&J steel part, but translated to PSG, which I think I mostly have figured out. I may add my own embellishments, but I wanted to start with the original as accurately as possible. Thanks again for the insight!

[Doug Beaumier]

You may have seen my version on YouTube ---> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGD04s76V98

A lot has been written about Santo's sound, technique, and the gear he used. His style of playing... single note, single string, his vibrato and tone, it sounds so simple but it's very hard to clone, almost impossible. A lot of players overplay the song. It's very tempting to fill the empty spots in the song with runs and passing chords that are not in the original recording.

[Andy Henriksen]

You may have seen my version on YouTube ---> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGD04s76V98

A lot has been written about Santo's sound, technique, and the gear he used. His style of playing... single note, single string, his vibrato and tone, it sounds so simple but it's very hard to clone, almost impossible. A lot of players overplay the song. It's very tempting to fill the empty spots in the song with runs and passing chords that are not in the original recording.

Yes, I LOVE your version. That's why I was excited that you chimed in on this! And I agree 100% about overplaying it. I don't intend to do that. I have played it (not quite right, but close) on C6 lap steel for years, and plan to keep my PSG approach very similar.