----------------------------



*Nostradamus

Al Stewart

It's in the key of D (my, how convenient).

For the first part ("In the east, the wind is blowing...") I just use simple bar chords on the 7th and 5th frets, which give the A a
nd G chords. It makes me feel like Richie Havens (a.k.a., "The Human Capo"). After some of those D-A-G-D progressions is a quick 0-0
-2-1-2-0, which I think is an A6 or something (my theory only goes as far as folkie chords). For the humming after each verse, which
 has the chords D, C, then D, I play the D's open and the C 0-3-2-1-3-0. All strumming up to this point.

For the second part ("Oh, I had a dream...") stick your pick between a couple fingers and pluck this part. Or, if someone else is si
nging, hold it in your teeth (you'll need it again soon, so don't drop it!). Or, hold in your teeth AND sing, and you'll sound like
someone just learning to be a ventruiliquist. There's a descending scale on the 1st and 5th strings followed by an A7 chord, all of
it twice, with the single-string scale stuff between the two. The last time the A7 chord is held until the third part.

Scale: Notes:
9-7 F# A
7-5 E G
5-4 D F#
4-2 C# E
2-0 B D

A7:
X-0-2-1-0-2

The between stuff uses the 4th string open (D) and the 3rd string does this scale thing starting from the A (3rd fret) and goes up t
o the F# (12th fret) doing some moving around on the way there.

Patrick interjects:

>The way I hear it, this "between stuff" goes (3rd string only):
>
>3->5 6 5 6->8 6 8->10 8 10->12 10 12 h 13 h 12
>
>pretty simple really.. I'm not sure whether Al uses slides (->) or
>hammer-ons (h) though..
>To approximate the sound of the record, I strum the open 2nd and 4th
>strings as well as the third.
>For a final flourish, you can add an harmonic on the open 1st (12th fret).
>Kinda appropriate for the song as it has a few of those (harmonics).

For the main part (all the verses) and the intro to it, I strum a D, G, A, D progression, like this:
D open
G 0-0-0-1-2-0
A 0-0-0-3-4-0
D 0-0-0-3-5-0

Between each verse is that syncopated bit. The pattern goes 2 while times. Each time has 3 quick C-to-D slides and then a F,E,C. The
 2nd time, the C is held until the next verse starts. I start with that C from earlier (0-3-2-1-3-0) and move that same pattern (jus
t the middle 4 strings) up and down a few frets, like this:
C 0-3-2-1-3-0 \ \
D 0-5-4-3-5-0 / 3 times \
\
F 0-8-7-6-8-0 / 2 times
E 0-7-6-5-7-0 /
C 0-3-2-1-3-0 /

So, that's it, except for the instrumental, which has all sorts of moving 2 and 3 string patterns, may of which are simply that - a
pattern moving up and down the fretboard. I have figured out a couple of those, which I'll try to write down tonight, but that's whe
re I get lost sometimes. I also can't do that really fast F-E-D stuff on the bass string when it really get rolling.

Can anyone add to this, or fill me in on you play it? Take it home (stay home if you're already there) and try it. Then tell me what
 you think.



Duane Callicott