My Christmas Lights Lead Guitar Tab

[MosesTheMarshmallow]

Hey all, this is the first tab I've done on the computer (I'm so glad I found the tabbing template somewhere, if anyone can't find it, I'd much be willing to repost it because I have it saved as a notepad file).

 

Anyhow, this is Christmas Lights, both piano and guitar parts merged into something that's hopefully coherent and helpful. :)

 

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    Christmas Lights, Lead Guitar, v1 - Coldplay
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Tabbed by: MosesTheMarshmallow on Coldplaying.com
Email: [email protected]

This tab is based off listening and watching the music video - it's combines a lot of the piano part, but if you were say, in a band or doing a Chris-Jonny sort of thing, this is what I imagine Jonny would play. But for your own personal use, PICK AND CHOOSE from what I've made. Hope you enjoy it! If there are any mistakes, comments, or questions, please do not hesitate to email me. Thank you!

Tuning: Standard

The rhythm guitar chords are above each line so you can play those, then the lead line so that you know you're in the right key and all that jazz. And just for convenience's sake on your part and mine.

G - 320033 / x10,12,12,12,10
Cadd9 - x32033
C - x32010 or 332101 [interchangeable]
Em or Em7 [interchangeable] - 022000, 022033
Dsus4 - xx0233
D - xx0232

I should mention now that this song has a lot of potential for "blending" chords and what I mean by that is that in a few places, it sounds like a C or D chord on top of a G chord and (thought it's a little easier on the piano in my opinion) you can definitely try doing this by playing a G chord for the whole song or taking two chords and mixing them. For example G + D = 3x0232, or C+D = x3x0032, to name two possibilities. So while this doesn't mean play the wrong stuff, feel free to substitute out what I put for the rhythm chords if it sounds good; do email me if you find a good one.

I've tried to tab everything so that the distance between notes is roughly in proportion to what the actual rhythm is.

Intro/Verse - This is played in the shape of a G barre chord with the root on the A string - x10,12,12,12,10. The most logical place to start playing it though is at 1:08 once the song gets a little louder.

(G)
e|---------------------|
B|------12-------------|
G|12h14----------------|  x3
D|12-------12----12----|
A|---------------------|
E|---------------------|

Here's a slightly easier way to play it; I'm actually tabbing from an acoustic guitar, and this part is right where the neck gets a little fatter, so I came up with this way to play it to make it lower on the neck. But the way the hammering is set up will make it sound not-as-good because the wrong notes will be accented.

(G)
e|---------------------|
B|---10h12-------------|
G|12-------------------|  x3
D|12-------12----12----|
A|---------------------|
E|---------------------|

(Cadd9)      (Dsus4)
e|---------10|--------------|
B|-----------|12p10---------|
G|12----12---|-------12-----|
D|---12------|-----------12-|
A|-----------|--------------|
E|-----------|--------------|

Variation during the "When you're waiting for that snow to fall"
It works with a G chord..and a D chord for that matter but I think it sounds nice if the rhythm 

plays...

D/G - 3x0232 - It's like a G chord and a D chord did the nasty! (thumb on E string)
*AMENDMENT - After hearing it live, I believe this is played over a
C/D - x30032 - Like a C and D did the nasty instead.

e|--------------------|
B|------12------------|
G|11h12---------------| x3
D|12------12----12----|
A|--------------------|
E|--------------------|

(Dsus4)
e|--------------------|
B|------10------------|
G|11h12---------------|
D|12------12----12----|
A|--------------------|
E|--------------------|

*play intro 2 more times in the buildup*

Chorus - Em7 (2 bars), Cadd9 (2 bars), G (2 bars), Dsus4 (1 bar), D (1 bar)
Play this progression twice.

Here's a different way to play these chords that might be more colourful:

Em7 - (0)79987
C - 8,10,10,9,8,8
G - x,10,12,12,12,10, 
D6sus4 - 10,x,12,12,12,x 
D - 10,x,12,11,10,x
(Play the D chords with your thumb on the E string)

If you're interested in the string part, it's kind of like this. It sounds suspiciously like the guitar solo from Lovers in Japan (incidentally, the two songs have the same chord progression here). There's really only this one part that's properly audible and it's on the "Like some drunken Elvis singing". You could get some interesting results if you tremolo picked this. You can play this at
either octave so you can play what's tabbed or what's in parentheses if you have a cutaway or electric guitar.

Em				   C
e|--------------------------------|---------------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------|7(19)---------------8(20)--------------|
G|4(16)--5(17)---7(19)------------|---------------------------------------|
D|--------------------------------|---------------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------|---------------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------|---------------------------------------|


"You're still waiting for that snow to fall..." -same variation as the last time that the line showed up (cool, right?) but over different chords. Play it 2 times.

(Cadd9)
e|--------------------|
B|------12------------|
G|11h12---------------| x3
D|12------12----12----|
A|--------------------|
E|--------------------|

(Dsus4)
e|--------------------|
B|------10------------|
G|11h12---------------|
D|12------12----12----|
A|--------------------|
E|--------------------|

During that same part, Jonny is actually playing something that sounds and looks like this; it's pretty quiet so I'm not 100% on it. Incidentally, it sounds a lot like the verse riff in Lovers in Japan that I've also been having trouble with. D:

e|--------------------|
B|------3---------3---|
G|-------4------------| x8
D|5---5---------5---5-|
A|--------------------|
E|--------------------|

Then, these are played before part 2 begins.
G, D/F# (2x0232), Em7, Bm7 (x24232), Cadd9, D
The Bm7 can be blended with a D.

You play the intro motif once on top of the G, D/F#, Em7, and Bm7.
e|---------------------|
B|------12-------------|
G|12h14----------------|  
D|12-------12----12----|
A|---------------------|
E|---------------------|

On top of the Bm7 there's a small variation:
e|---------------------|
B|------12-15----------|
G|12h14----------14----|  
D|12-------------------|
A|---------------------|
E|---------------------|
Here's the short-neck version:
e|---------10----------|
B|---10h12-------10----|
G|12-------------------|  
D|12-------------------|
A|---------------------|
E|---------------------|

This is the string part for this section...
G				   D/F#
e|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
G|4-------------------------------|4--------------------------5----|
D|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|

Em				   Bm7
e|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------|7--------------------------8----|
G|7-------------------------------|--------------------------------|
D|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|

C				   
e|7-------------------------------|
B|8-------------------------------|
G|--------------------------------|
D|--------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------|

(Cadd9)				Cadd9	     D (this leads right into Part 2)	
					      *This is where 6/8 time begins.
					      Those Christ mas...			
e|--------------------|		|---------------------------------------|
B|------12------------|		|---------------------12----12----10----|
G|11h12---------------|x2	|9---9---9------------12----12----11----|
D|12------12----12----|		|10--10--10--12-------12----12----12----|
A|--------------------|		|10--10--10--12-------x-----------------|
E|--------------------|		|8---8---8---10-------10----10----10----|


PART 2
Remember it's in 6/8 so there's 6 beats per bar/measure. Remember that with 6/8 time, the emphasis is on the 1st and 4th beats, so if you kind of "zoom out", you should actually hear a slow version 2/4 time, which is where there are 2 beats per measure with equal emphasis on the head of each beat. But remember the answer is always listen more!

The same chord progression goes all the way through. 
To remember it in a pinch, the chords are:
G-Cadd9-G-Cadd9-Em7-G-D-G-D 

The length of each is:
G - 2 bars of 6
Cadd9 - 1 bar
G - 1 bar
Cadd9 - 1 bar
Em7 - 1 bar
G - 3 beats
D - 3 beats
G - 3 beats
D - 3 beats

Jonny's interlude starts at 3:00. *While I don't think he does, you can continue playing Jonny's part through to the end. This is a pickup that starts from the bar before, come in on 4th beat.
(D)
e|------------------|
B|------10-------10-|
G|11-12----11-12----|
D|------------------|
A|------------------|
E|------------------|

Counting in 6 beats per measure, these are triplets: each set of 3 notes = 1 beat.
(G)			 		(G)
e|------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
B|12----12----12----12----13----13----|12----12----12----12----12----12----|
G|--12----12----12----12----12----12--|--12----12----12----12----12----12--|
D|----12----12----12----12----12----12|----12----12----12----12----12----12|
A|------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
E|------------------------------------|------------------------------------|

(C)					(G)		Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
e|------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
B|13----13----13----13----13----13----|12----12----12----12----12----12----|
G|--12----12----12----12----12----12--|--12----12----12----12----12----12--|
D|----14----14----14----14----14----14|----12----12----12----12----12----12|
A|------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
E|------------------------------------|------------------------------------|

(C)					(Em)
e|------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
B|13----13----13----13----13----13----|12----12----12----14----14----14----|
G|--12----12----12----12----12----12--|--12----12----12----12----12----12--|
D|----14----14----14----14----14----14|----14----14----14----14----14----14|
A|------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
E|------------------------------------|------------------------------------|

(G)		    (D)	 		(G)		(D)
e|------------------------------------|----------------------------------|
B|12----12----12----10----10----10----|8----8----8------12----12----12---|
G|--12----12----12----11----11----11--|--7----7----7----12----12----12---|
D|----12----12----12----12----12----12|----9----9----9--12----12----12---|
A|------------------------------------|----------------------------------|
E|------------------------------------|-----------------10----10----10---|

Ends on G...yeah I skipped the piano outro for now, sorry.

Yay. Hope you liked it.

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[coldspot]

Excellent! I've been looking for this.

[MosesTheMarshmallow]

Glad you find it useful. :)

 

I just realized the text goes horridly on forever...so if it's a pain to read, do ask me to email it out...or show me how to attach a file.