Beirut - Elephant Gun
July 18, 2007 · Print This Article
Beirut - Elephant Gun (Chords)
Elephant Gun was annoying to work out as the original version is played on a uke tuned a semitone sharp (g#C#FA#). I decided to notate the chords as if the uke was in standard C-tuning. If you want to play along and don’t want to re-tune or use a capo, you can play along with this live version (or the many others on YouTube) which is in standard tuning.
To get the opening bars to sound right, start by strumming downwards twice, concentrating on the 3rd and 4th strings. Then strum upwards concentrating on the 1st and 2nd strings. Do this twice on the Am. Then, on the D7, strum in a similar way but hammering on from open strings on the first strum.
A quick aside, I’ve tweaked the tab (but not the chords) for Postcards from Italy. So if you grabbed it first time you might want to check back.
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yep, that’s how i play it too. i use a guitar capo on the first fret to play along with the album. i like this song a lot. thanks for the shout-out too.
You’re welcome, Chris. Are you going to be doing any more uke tabs?
well, i haven’t really listened to much uke music beyond beirut. i mainly tab for guitar and i’m hoping to get that part of site up and running smoother soon.
Love their stuff. When I found this song initially I got all excited and put in a friend request on myspace only to get the message that they “don’t accept friend requests from bands.”
pffft.
Like, bands (or members thereof) can’t be fans of other bands? WTF?
No purchases of Beirut stuff by HH.
(That’s ok, I’m undoubtedly too old and unhip anyways.)
Great site, i play the ukulele…poorly.I’d always listened to Beirut and assumed they were playing more mandolinish strange eastern European instruments. I saw them last week and was amazed that 99.9% of their songs have uke and 99.9% of those 99.9% have 3 ukes. Even a solo uke finale of Hallelujah.
I got home that night figuring I would never find any tabs/chords for them….I just figured they were too hipster to have any competent ukester pay attention. Thank god I was wrong and it led me to this site. Thanks Again
That’s great to hear, Beaver. I love Beirut. Their new album has a couple of killer uke songs. That reminds me, I have to work out St Apollonia.
Can someone please describe the strumming pattern of the song after Am? Thank you!
Fantastic website—i just started playing the uke and i’ve just mastered The Penalty, one of my favorites, thanks to you guys…anyways, i’m trying to work out Elephant Gun past the first bit. I feel like the tone changes while you’re still playing the same chord-i don’t know how to do it. any ideas?
also-if you get the time, tab Transatlantique! it’s on the Elephant Gun EP with books on the cover. it sounds pretty similar to a few Beirut songs, but its good nevertheless. It starts on Bbadd9 but without the pinky finger, then adds it for a second.
thanks again!
have you by chance tabbed transatlantique?
Ok, Ok, I get the message
I’ll add Transatlantic to the To Do List.
Ellis: Whereabouts is it that the tone changes?
what the hell? this is the description of how to play elephant gun!?
i heard “starts with Am, strum twice down on the 3rd and 4th, then up twice on the 1st and 2nd. hammer on and do the same for the D7.”
I….
is that the whole song? maybe he just strums the next twenty minutes of Am and D7 really well?
I… deeply apologize.
Excellent work with the pdf files i didn’t see at first.
Saltatory Conduction seems to be down. Did anyone save Chris’s tabs?
I’m wondering the same thing. Does anyone have the tabs, pretty please? Could someone be kind enough to e-mail me the tabs? It would be greatly appreciated and I will send you a postcard from Holland in return.
ima b r ouwer at gmail dot com
I’ve emailed Chris and he says they will be back up in future on this page.
[…] Elephant Gun (Post) […]
Hi, Thank you so much for this, I was so happy to find your Postcards From Italy tab too. I can’t click on the link that you say has tabs for the rest of the album though, it says I need a password or something? What website is it on?
Yeah, Calliope, that’s a different site and their chords disappeared. I did them all of them here.