Pink Panther/Shot In The Dark (Tab)

Pink Panther (Tab)

At last, a tab I can get right (sort of)

Henry Mancini is probably the most famous writer of TV and film scores. Many of his themes are so memorable as to outlive their original source; such as Baby Elephant Walk (from the forgotten film Hatari) and Peter Gunn (from the hipster detective series of the same name).

Mancini’s theme for the Pink Panther films (and later TV show) strikes the perfect balance between detective intrigue and humour. My version of it – which slips into another Mancini detective theme A Shot In The Dark – was developed from a guitar arrangement by Colin Reid.

The main trick to get right in this tune is the balance between the melody and the chord accompaniment. You should concentrate on keeping the melody strong and at the forefront while while the chords are more soft and only played between the melody notes. I’ve tabbed the chords very loosely as I usual improvise the rhythm for the accompaniment. For expert use of this style check out Ohta-San.

Tricky sections of this piece are bars 9 and 13. Although these bars are essentially the same, you need to finger them differently or you’ll come unstuck. I’ve put the left hand fingering I use in these section underneath the tab and done the same for the run in bar 20. I should say that, even though I don’t do it in the video, it would be best to repeat the first section of the tab as it is the most recognisable part.

The tune finishes on the ‘International Man of Mystery Chord’. This chord is an Am7M. It contains a minor third but a minor seventh giving a double identity which has made it almost ubiquitous in spy and detective themes.

One final consideration: it’s absolutely essential that you play this tune on pink strings.

Requested by Fran.

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