El Vaquero  (The Cowboy)   Arranged by Charlie Byrd Transcribed and Adapted from the 
 Columbia LP "Stroke of Genius", 
"Mexican Rider" and TablEdited by 
michaeljoyce@hotmail.com
                                                                 I  @   `I  I   	  F  C  I     I     `I  	  @F  C  	   
I  @
   `
I  
I   	  F  C  I     I     `I  	  @F  C     I       I  `I  	  	      	  @I0 `	 I0 	 I0 	 	  I  I   I  @          	  @	  	   I0  	 @I0 `	 I0 	  C  F  F  @F  F    F    F   !F   "F   #F   $C  $F  @&C  'F  (  )F  )F  +  +F   ,F  -C  @.F   0C  0F  @2  2F  3F  4  5F  5F   6 @6i  `6i 6i  6i  7i   7i  @7i  `7i  7i 7i   8i  8i  @8A  : ;i  ;i ;i  ;i @<i `<i  <i <i  <A   ? @?i  `?i ?i  ?i  @i   @i  @@i  `@i  @i @i   Ai  Ai  @AA  C Ci  Ci  Di   Di Di  Di  Di  Di  @Ei `Ei  Ei Ei  EA   Hf  @HI  `HI  HI  HI  Hf  If  @JF  J  LI  L	I  L	  LI   M  @Mi  MI   Na  NA   QI   Q	I  @Q	  `QI  Q  Qi  `RI  Ra  @SA  UF  VF   Wc  WF  WA  `ZI  Z  ZI  ZI  [i  [I  [  @\A ^F  _F   `c  `F  `A  `cI  c  cI  cI  di  dI  d  @eA gF  @hf  hF   if  @iF  iA   lF  @lI  `lI  lI  lI  mf  @nF  n  pF  pI   q  qI  qI  r   u	F  `uI  u  uf   vI   vi  @v  `vI  vd  vi   w  @wD  wI0 w0 yF  zF   {c  {F  {A  ~I   I  I  `I  I   I  I  I     i   I  @  `i    I  D0  I0 @  I   I  I  `I  I   I  I  I     i   I  @  `i    I  D0  I0 @   I  `I    i  I      i  @  `I  D  I0  0 @D0 I0 0 I  I     `I    I   d0 `i0 0 D0  I0 @0  I  `I    i  I      i  @  `I  D  I0  0 @D0 I0 0 F   @f   F    F  	   	   I  @	  `I     I         I0  I0  	 @I0 `	  F  I   	   I  @     @A  	   	   I  @	  `I     I         I0  I0  	 @I0 `	 	  F  @   I   	   I  @  @A  F      I  	  I     A   F  @   I   	   I  @  A          I  @   `I  	  I  	   	  I0  I0  	 @I0 `	 	 @  i    i  @	  `i    i   Ľ    i  @  `i  @F  C     	   i  @  `i  i      i  Ƚ   i`   i   F  @C  @  i    i  @	  `i    i   ͽ    i  @  `i  @F  C     	   i  @  `	  i     ѽ   i`    F  @C  @ӽ   	I   I  @	I  `I  I  I   	F  `I    f@  I   i  @  `	I  f  i     @d  I0 0 F  I     @f@ I  i    I   f  `i    D   I0 @   D   I  @    f0  f  f0 f  A      @  i    i  @	  `i    i       i  @  `i  @F  C     i  @  `i  	  i      i     i`   i   F  @C  @  i    i  @	  `i    i       i  @  `i  @F  C     i  @  `	  	  i        i`    F  @C  @   	I   I  @	I  `I  I  I   	F  `I    f@  I   i  @  `	I  f  i     @D  I0 0      F   I     @f@ I  i    I   f  `i    D   I0 @   D   I  @    f0  f  f0 f  A   	   @
  
i  
  
i  @	  `i    i       i  @  `i  @F  C     i  @  `i  	  i      i     i`   i   F  @C  @  i    i  @	  `i    i       i  @  `i  @F  C     i  @  `	  	  i        i`    F  @C  @   I  I  I   I   I  @I    	D   f   !I   !I  @!  `!	I  !	d  !	i   "	  "i  "   #	D  `#	I0 #	0 @%F  %I  %	I  %	   &	f  &	I  &d   'i  @'  '	D  '	I0  (	0 )D  *d  *I   +  @+	d  +	i  +	  `,	i  ,	  ,D   -I  @-  /I  /I   0I   0I  `0I  0I  @4F  4C   5A  6I   7I  @7I  `7I  7I  7I   ;F   <C  <a0 @=a0  >A0  @I   @I  `@I  @I@ @	I   AI   D	F  @DF  DI  `E	I  Ea  @FA  HF   II  @If@ I	F  II   Jf  @Jf   Kf  KF KF   L  MI  Mi  M	  Ni  N   P   PI  P	   Q @R	  R	  RI  R	  RI   S    SI  @S   S   @TI0 TI0 T	 TI0 T	  U	 VF   WI  W	  WI  W  @X   YA  @[	  [	  [I  [	  [I   \    \I  @\   \   @]I0 ]I0 ]	 ]I0 ]	  ^	 _F   `I  `	  `I  `  @a   bA   dF  @d	  dI   e    eI  @e  fA  hF  h	   iI  i   iI  i   kA  mI  m	  mI   n	   nI  @n	  n   n    o   @oI0 oI0 o	 oI0 o	  p	 q   rI  @r	  `rI  rI   s   sF  tC  vI  v	  vI   w  `wI  w   @xF  xC  z   {I  @{	  `{I  {I   |   |F  }C  I  	  I     `I     @F  C   I  @I  I  I  I   I  @F   f  @I  `I    I  d   i  @  @D@ I0 0 F  I     @f  I` i    I  D@  I0 @      D   I  @  f   f  @F     I  @	  `I  I      F  C  I  	  I     `I     @F  C     I  @	  `I  I      F  C  I  	  I     `I     @F  C   I  @I  I  I  I   I  @F   f  @I  `I    I  d   i  @  @D@ I0 0 F  I     @f  I` i    I  D@  I0 @      D   I  @  f   f  @F     I  @	  `I  I      F  C  I  	  I     `I     @F  C     I  @	  `I  I   Ľ   F  C  I  	  I     `I  Ƚ   @F  C  I  I  I   I   I  @I  @F   f  @I  `I    I  d0  i0 @0 I0  0  	 @D  F  I     @f  I  I   a  A  D   I  @  A      I0 `I0 I0 I0 I0  I0 F   C  A  `I  I  I  I   I  `I  F  C   a0 a0 A0 I   I   I  @I  `I  I@ @F   f  @F  I  I  a  @A  F  F   I  @C  I@  A@     I   	  @  I  I      @ I    @i  `i i  i  i   i  @i  `i  i i   i  i  @A   i  i i  i @i `i  i i  A   
 @
i  `
i 
i  
i  i   i  @i  `i  i i   i  i  @A   i  i  i   i i  i  i  i  @i `i  i i  A   I  @I  `I  I  I  i  	  i  @I        I  @i  `I    I    I   c  A   I  i  I      I  @  `I  c  @A   F  !F   "c  "F  "A  `%I  %  %I  %I  &i  &I  &  @'A )F  *F   +c  +F  +A  `.I  .  .I  .I  /i  /I  /  @0A 2F  @3f  3F   4f  4F  4A   7F  @7I  `7I  7I  7I  7f  8f  @9A  9  ;F  ;I   <  <I  <I  =   @	F  `@I  @  @f   AI   Ai  @A  `AI  Ad  Ai   B  @BD  BI0 B0 DF  EF   Fc  FF  FA  II   JI  JI  `JI  JI   KI  MI  NI  N   Oi   OI  @O  `Oi  O  OI  OD0  PI0 @P  RI   SI  SI  `SI  SI   TI  VI  WI  W   Xi   XI  @X  `Xi  X  XI  XD0  YI0 @Y   [I  `[I  [  [i  [I   \   \i  @\  `\I  \D  \I0  ]0 @]D0 ]I0 ]0 _I  _I   `  ``I  `  `I   ad0 `ai0 a0 aD0  bI0 @b0  dI  `dI  d  di  dI   e   ei  @e  `eI  eD  eI0  f0 @fD0 fI0 f0 hI  @ii   jI  @j  k  lI   l	 @l   l   @oI  `o	  o  p   	El Vaquero (The Cowboy) was originally recorded by Charlie Byrd as the lead tune",  on the Columbia LP "The Stroke of Genius" released in 1970.  I can honestly say that I didn't like the recording.  In fact, the lp had a defective section in that tune and I didn't miss it a bit!!  In the recorded version, Charlie used a flute and flugelhorn, along with his brother Joe on bass, and a percussionist.  The recording was almost 7 minutes long and included an improvised section in the center section of the tune.  Much of the tune is with Charlie playing the melody or improvising behind others playing the melody. 

In 1974 he played this tune in a concert in Redondo Beach, California, at which time he introduced the tune as "The Cowboy."   With just him, Joe, and a drummer, the piece took on new life.   Although the album credits Byrd as the author, I believe that he adapted the tune from a South American folk tune.  In the early 1970's, he was experimenting with Venezuelan music in 3/4 time called Onda Nueva and recorded an album with Aldemaro Romero.

 I believe that it is a very pretty guitar solo and stands alone very nicely.   I was as faithful as I could be to the original layout of the recording.

The piece begins in the key of G Major.  Then it shifts to G Minor and ends in G Major.  I arranged the second pass in G minor an octave lower than Charlie played it.  Actually he never solos on the melody in G Minor.  So I actually built the guitar part from the rest of the orchestration.  

In the original recording, Charlie improvises a blues type single note in the parts where there are four measures of Gm, D7.  Also, in the recording the entire orchestra improvises, in turn (for about 4 minutes) on a Gm-D7 harmony.  I always loved Charlie's blues playing, but I have to admit on this tune, I don't think it worked.  The more I listen to it as a guitar solo, the better I like it.

The following is some pretty interesting trivia.  Charlie recorded this using an amplified classical guitar.  This guitar was made by Gibson and sold for about $125 in the early '60's.  This guitar can be seen on the album/cd cover of the Riverside album "Charlie Byrd Live at the Village Vanguage."  He used it until the early '70's when he switched to an Ovation for his amplified work.      c           w  %).38 %).38Charlie Byrd      