We value your privacy and want to make sure you understand how we use cookies on our website. We use session cookies to help us deliver our services and provide a better user experience. We also use Google Ads to serve personalized advertisements.

By clicking 'Agree,' you are giving us your consent to use these cookies. You can withdraw your consent at any time by adjusting your cookie preferences in your browser settings.

For more information about the types of cookies we use and how we process your personal data, please refer to our Privacy Policy.

Privacy

Guitar Tab for Northern Sky by Nick Drake

B
E
B
E
B
E

Loading Tuning Map

Loading Tuning Data

Northern Sky - Nick Drake

Found on:
1971 - The Year That Music Changed Everything(2022-01-14)
2021-03-28: Radio 3: Círculos excéntricos: La soledad de Nick Drake(2021-03-28)
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood(2019-11-15)
Het Allerbeste Uit Radio 1 Classics 1000 2017(2017-03-13)
N. R. Drake, 69.(2014-09-08)
Songs We Shouldn’t Forget Collected(2013-11-15)
Sleeping Beauties: Songs We Shouldn't Forget(2013-11-10)
Acoustix: Your Favourite Artists Unplugged(2013-10-16)
Self Portraits(2013)
The Essential Album(2009-04-14)
Strangely Strange but Oddly Normal: An Island Anthology: 1967-1972(2009)
Essential Songs 2008(2007-12-03)
The Cornerstone Player 071(2007)
Welcome to the Desert 2007(2007)
35 jaar OOR(2006-11-10)
Anthems in Eden: An Anthology of British & Irish Folk 1955–1978(2006)
The Ultimate Moods Album(2005-10-03)
Fever Pitch(2005-04-26)
A Treasury(2005-01-04)
The Ultimate Moods Album (disc 2)(2005)
The Trip: Created by Tim 'Love' Lee(2004-07-12)
Magic(2004-05-17)
Best of Acoustic(2004-01-12)
Bryter Layter(2003-05-06)
Way to Blue: An Introduction to Nick Drake(2003)
Acoustic, Volume 2(2002-06-10)
Serendipity(2001-10-02)
BBC Radio 2 Storytellers(2001)
A Quiet Riot(2001)
And Who Knows Where the Time Goes(1998-11-02)
Children of the Revolution(1994)
The Hannibal Sampler(1992)
Back on the Road(1988)
Heaven in a Wild Flower: An Exploration of Nick Drake(1985)
Fruit Tree(1979-03-09)
This Is Us (Music from the Series)
NORTHERN SKY
     
Tuning: BEBEBE capo 4


Intro (for completists only):

|----------------|----------------|------0---------|------0---------|
|4-----4---------|0-----0-------0-|4-----4------0--|0-------------0-|
|2-----2-------0-|0-----0-----0---|2-----2-----2---|0-----------0---|
|0-----0-----2---|4-----4----4----|0--0--0----0----|5--4--2----0----|
|2--22-2---H-----|---00-----0-----|2-----2---2-----|----0-----0-----|
|0-----0---------|2-----2---------|0---0-0---------|2-----2---------|
 *  && *          +  && +          *                +   @

Notes:
1. damp the top string at * and the lowest E string at +.      
2. the notes at & are lightly brushed - probably just thumb passing
across the strings.
3. the open string at @ needs to be quiet.
4. H - sounds like a harmonic... but i don't think it is. the pitch
is the same as the open top string, but there's no easy harmonic position
to do this. I think it's actually the open top string with a momentary bit
of muting - perhaps nick's big left hand was just touching lightly on the
top string by the capo fret. If you want to do it, it's perhaps easiest
to rest your picking ring finger lightly on the saddle and pluck the note with
your thumb. Anyway, it's a nice detail, though any
sane person would probably just hit the open top string instead!


Easy version of intro:

02024x  02024x/0  2x400x  2x400x  (link picking as above)
02024x  020240 (link pick) 2x400x  2x400x  (link pick)


Main riff inc verses:

02024x  2x4000

"but now you're here..."     x22222
"...my northern sky.."  5555xx x00000 and into main riff

     
instrumental bit:

x0040x x0400x 02024x ------ (x3) (first chord x0060x if you want
                                  to mirror the piano solo)
5555xx 57575x 2x2000 02024x
5555xx 57575x x22200 (or poss 79760x if you fancy trying it)

     
Note: In the main riff, both the 4's come off quite often half way
through the chord. In the 2x4000 chord you tend to hit the top
string towards end of the bar.


Tabbed by Chris Healey

BEBEBE Resources

More BEBEBE Resources

Tuning Map

  • Fret
  • S6
  • S5
  • S4
  • S3
  • S2
  • S1
  • -13
  • D#
  • G#
  • C#
  • F#
  • A#
  • D#
  • -12
  • E
  • A
  • D
  • G
  • B
  • E
  • -11
  • F
  • A#
  • D#
  • G#
  • C
  • F
  • -10
  • F#
  • B
  • E
  • A
  • C#
  • F#
  • -9
  • G
  • C
  • F
  • A#
  • D
  • G
  • -8
  • G#
  • C#
  • F#
  • B
  • D#
  • G#
  • -7
  • A
  • D
  • G
  • C
  • E
  • A
  • -6
  • A#
  • D#
  • G#
  • C#
  • F
  • A#
  • -5
  • B
  • E
  • A
  • D
  • F#
  • B
  • -4
  • C
  • F
  • A#
  • D#
  • G
  • C
  • -3
  • C#
  • F#
  • B
  • E
  • G#
  • C#
  • -2
  • D
  • G
  • C
  • F
  • A
  • D
  • -1
  • D#
  • G#
  • C#
  • F#
  • A#
  • D#
  • 0
  • E
  • A
  • D
  • G
  • B
  • E
  • 1
  • F
  • A#
  • D#
  • G#
  • C
  • F
  • 2
  • F#
  • B
  • E
  • A
  • C#
  • F#
  • 3
  • G
  • C
  • F
  • A#
  • D
  • G
  • 4
  • G#
  • C#
  • F#
  • B
  • D#
  • G#
  • 5
  • A
  • D
  • G
  • C
  • E
  • A
  • 6
  • A#
  • D#
  • G#
  • C#
  • F
  • A#
  • 7
  • B
  • E
  • A
  • D
  • F#
  • B
  • -5
  • -5
  • -3
  • -3
  • 0
  • 0
            ___________
           q o       o p
           q o   G   o p
           d o   T   o b
           q o   D   o p
           q o   B   o p
           d o       o b
            \!       !/
            |=========|
            |!!!!!!!!!|
            |!!!!!!!!!|
            |!!!!!!!!!|              ____    ______  ____    ____
            |!!!!!!!!!|             /\  _`\ /\__  _\/\  _`\ /\  _`\
            |!!!!!!!!!|             \ \ \L\_\/_/\ \/\ \ \/\ \ \ \L\ \
           _|!!!!!!!!!|__            \ \ \L_L  \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \  _ <'
         .+=|!!!!!!!!!|--.`.          \ \ \/, \ \ \ \ \ \ \_\ \ \ \L\ \
       .'   |!!!!!!!!!|   `.\          \ \____/  \ \_\ \ \____/\ \____/
      /     !=========!     \\          \/___/    \/_/  \/___/  \/___/
      |    /|!!!!!!!!!|\    ||
       \   \!!!!!!!!!!!/   //
        )   `========='   ((
      .'    !!!!!!!!!!!    `..
     /      !!!!!!!!!!!      \\
    |       !!!!!!!!!!!       ||
    |       !!!!!!!!!!!       ||
    |       !!!!!!!!!!!       ||
     \     =============     //
 hjw  `.    o987654321o    .;'
 & warm `-._____________.-'
    whisky