Walking On Strings  "Walking the Strings"   Arranged  by Chet Atkins Transcribed from the RCA LP
 "Chet Atkins and His Guitar", 
Tabledited by michaeljoyce@hotmail.com
Ed                           V                            e        F   	   @F0   F0 @f0  	f0 @f0 f0  	C0 	C0  
             	`I0 	@I0F0  C0 F0  
            
F  `I/ 	  F  I/  	  @F8    	F  	F @   F          	   D  	  F  I/     @F    F  F F           	    F  ` I/  	   	F   I/ @!F !   !F  "    #F @#   #	F #    $  $   &	   &F  `&I/ &	  &F  &I/  '   @'	F '   '
F  )F @)   )F )    *
  *   ,	   ,	I  `,I/ ,	  ,D   -   @-F8 -   -F  /	F @/   /F  0  0   2  @2F  2F  @3F 3F 3F  5F 5F   6  @6F0 6F0  7 @7f0 7 7f0 @8f0 8f0  9C0 9C0  < 
`=I0= 	=I0 @>I0>I0 >I?  ?C0 ?F0  B
   D  @D
I  `DI/ D	  DF  DI/ @EF E   E	F  G	F GF G    J	   JF  `JI/ J	  JF  JI/  K   @KF K   KF  MF @M   MF M   O	   P  @PI  `PI/ P   P	F  PI/ @QF QF  SF S	F S    V	   VF  `VI/ V	  VF  VI/  W   @W	F W   WF  YF @Y   YF Y    Z  Z   \	   \	F  `\I/ \	  \F  \I/  ]   @]F ]   ]F  _	F @_   _F _    `  `   b	   bF  `bI/ b	  bF  bI/  c   @cF c   cF  eF @e   eF e    f  f   h	   hF  `hI/ h	  hF  hI/  i   @iF i   iF  kF @k   kF k    l  l   n	   nF  `nI/ n   nF  nI/  o   @oF o	  oF  qF @q   qF q    r  r   t	   tF  `tF/ t	  tF  tI/  u   @uF u   uF  wF @w   wF w    x  x   z	   zF  `zI/ z	  zF  zI/  {   @{F {   {F  }F @}   }F }    ~  ~   	   F  `I/ 	  F  I/     @F    F  F @   F              F  `I/ 	  F  I/  	  @F    F  F @   F          	   F  `I/ 	  F  I/     @F    F  F @   F     	     	   F  `I/ 	  	F  I/     @F    F  F @   	F       	     @I  `I/ 	  F  I/ @	F    F  F F          	   	F  `I/ 	  F  I/     @F    F  	F @   F            	   D  F      @F F F  F     @   A  F @F   F F    	@F0   F0 @f0  	f0   	@f0 f0  C0 C0               	`I0@I0C3  C0 C3            'C3@+C3@ 'C@+C3@p     $C3@(D3@I   $C@(D@I   
  `I        I!  F  @& &  F @˽   F    @̽   `I     D  @& &  F F  D  @ҽ      `I    @& & F  F @ؽ    D  `I    @& F  F F   	@F0   F0 @f0  	f0 @f0 f0  C0 C0            
     	`I0@I0F3  C0 F0 F3          'C3@+C3@ 'C3@+C3@p     $C3@(D3@I0  $C3@(D3@I0  
  `I     I!  F     @&? G3 L0  F @   F    `I     I#  F  @& &       I3   I0 @   F    @F    D     @& & F  F @     	D  `	I  	  @& &  F F    I    @I  I I I `I  I I    `I     I F  @I F   I F     I @I  I I I `I  I I     ` I      F   !I !f  @"I "F   #I $F   &  &I  '  @'I 'I  (I (I `)I  *I *I  ,  `,I  ,  ,F   -I @-I -f  .F   /I 0F   2  2I @3I  4I 4I 4I `5I  6I 6I  8  `8I  8  8F   9I 9f  @:I :F   ;I <F   >  >I @?I  @I @I @I `AI  BI BI  D  `DI  D  EI E  @FI  GI IF IF  J  J   L  @LF  L  LD  @M& M&  N
   OF OF  PI `PI  P   Q   QF  @S& SF TF  UF @U    V 	@VF0 V  VF0 @Wf0 W 	Wf0  X  @Xf0 Xf0  YC0 YC0  Z   [   \  @\F0 \   \F0  ] 	@]f0 ] 	]f0 @^f0 ^f0  _C0 _C0  b  bI0@cI0@dI0dI0dI0 eF0 `eI0eI0`hI0 h   iI0@jI0jF  kI0kF0  n
  n   o   p	   pF  `pI/ p	  p	F  pI/  q   @qF q   qF  sF @s   s	F s    t  t   v	   vF  `vI/ v	  vF  vI/  w   @w	F w   w
F  yF @y   yF y    z  z   {    |	   |	F  `|I/ |	  |D  @}F8 }   }F  	F @   F         @F  F  @F F  F  F F   @F0   F0 @F0  F0 @F0 F0  C0 C0                `I0 I0 @I0I0 I?  C0 C0    I0@I0@I0I0I0 F0 `I0I0`I0    I0@I0F  I0F0  
        	   F  `I/ 	  	F  I/     @F    F  F @   	F       	   	   F  `I/ 	  F  I/     @	F    F  F @   F          	   	F  `I/ 	  F  I/     @F    F  	F @   F          	   F  `I/ 	  F  I/     @F    F  F @   F             @f `     f    @f f @          f f         @f   f @f f     @          f f         @Ćf   ąf @ńf ńf  ƽ   @ƽ   ƽ   ƽ    ǆf ǅf         @ʆf   ʅf @˄f ˄f  ̽   @̽   ̽   ̽    ͆f ͅf       Є Ѓ у @F т F  F0 F        ք օ ׃ @F ׃ F  H0 H0       ܆ ܇ ݄ @F ݆ F  F  F   	     ∋ ≋ ㇋ @F ㈋ F  F  	F     	   F  `I/ 	  F  I/ @	F    F  F @   F               	   	F  `I/ 	  D      @F    F  	F8 @   F            @I I  I I  I `I  I I   x       d  `i    @i  `     i  @     C         	       	  	  	  	V
 See Notes  2nd Variation  1st Variation 


F            

Bb            


F+             
	

C -   .   /   0  Bb    ?   @   A  Am    Q   R   S  Gm 1&  @2  2F   @>
I  `>IF7 Al Al Bl hBlB dim       

Cm  	F   	&  D7  I   I @!	Db7 2   3F  C7   J  @JI  `B7  b) @c&  E @&     F   &   F   Bb7   @&  & C7 F  3&  `7I   C9    )   *   +  Eb7            
F7               		Bm     Bb9               F6                 C9               C9               G9               A                D         	    This transcription is Chet's version of Merle Travis' "Walking the Strings."  I believe this transcription to be about 98% accurate as my record is almost 40 years old with the abuse of lots of bad needles.   Of the four versions of this tune I have (Walking the Strings, The Merle Travis Guitar, Chet Atkins and his Guitar, and Saturday Night Shuffle [Thom Bresh and Marcel Dadi duet]) this is probably my least favorite.  But that is a little like saying Vanilla is my least favorite flavor of ice cream.  

I invite comparisons between the transcription of Chet's version and others' transcriptions including mine of Merle's versions.

If one is used to playing one of Merle's transcriptions, then one is going to be surprised at some of the differences.  Compare the four chord entros that Merle and Chet use.  Merle uses a 4-note roll (which causes a lot of controversy in itself due to his supposed use of a thumb and forefinger only.  Chet plays boom chuck chords except for the third chord, which he plays as a 3 note roll.  He also plays a different chord for this part.

The first variation which uses the sliding chord at measures 31 - 32 and 38 - 39 is extremely difficult to transcribe into Tabledit and have it sound like the recorded version  Once one gets the rhythm of the slide, it's probably the easiest part to play.  If someone has an better way of notating this part, please let me know.

Chet, like Merle, has three or four different ways of righthand phrasing of the chords during the "walks".  There are the boom-pa-chuck-ka, boom-pa-chuck, boom-chuck, and boom-chuck-ka.  The dead notes played on the third string of most of the walks are made by lifting the left while keeping the finger in contact with the string.   Sometimes Chet (and Merle) sort of lose contact with the string and it makes an open G sound.  I don't believe that this is intentional, but just an action from playing really fast.

The rolls in the second part of variation 1 and in the first part of variation 2 were difficult for me  to transcribe and this is as close as I could come to what Chet does.

As in all of my transcriptions and arrangements, I welcome comments, criticisms, and variations.

    c          0w   %).38 %).38Chet Atkins tar   001101010000=107:>899<>7F000P043S0//0000000000001EE1-1111010::::JJ100001000000000000008V0000000Page &p / &n                                                                                                                    &c&2&t &c&6&s &r&3&m                                                                                                            &r&3&t - &3&s                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
