Red Dwarf Theme (Tab)

Red Dwarf Theme (Tab)


MP3

Well, the new episodes of Red Dwarf stank to high heaven. Even the presence of Big Suze didn’t help. I do hope there’s some sort of Royal wipeout and we end up with Queen Big Suze.

As you might have noticed, I’ve done a video for this one for the first time in about two years. I think the low quality audio, weird light and facial gurnings should answer everyone who’s asked me why I don’t do videos more often. But it does serve to illustrate a few points in the tab.

The intro is played campanela i.e. letting the notes ring into each other as much as possible. The trickiest bit is getting the end of the first phrase to sustain over the echo part (I did a much better job of making it sound like an echo in the mp3).

I considered arranging the vocal version of the tune but I couldn’t resist the tasteless guitar-widdling version (it’s a trick the piece’s composer Howard Goodall also used in the titles for Blackadder II.

The trickiest part of this section is bar 11. I did try playing it like this for a while:

red dwarf ukulele tab

Which is much easier to play but sounds too wimpy.

In the ‘fun, fun, fun’ bit (someone should make that into a ukulele song) I’m using my favourite triplet strum: down with middle and index fingers, up with index, up with middle.

One thing I struggle with in this tab is the time signature. There are parts that don’t seem quite right. I looked at some guitar tab and they had it in 12/8. But that makes even less sense to me.

Requested by Jimmy (so long ago he’s probably forgotten by now).

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13 Comments

  1. Josh May 10th, 2009 2:07 pm

    big suze haha

    i love peep show.

  2. Woodshed May 10th, 2009 2:30 pm

    Josh: Me too.

  3. Jimmy May 10th, 2009 3:11 pm

    <3

  4. George May 10th, 2009 7:52 pm

    What a great birthday present!
    How ever did you know?

  5. Woodshed May 10th, 2009 9:22 pm

    Jimmy: Did you mean <=3 ? George: Many happy returns.

  6. J-Hob May 11th, 2009 11:48 am

    Man, were those new Red Dwarfs awful! I actually couldn’t watch it to the end so bad was it. Think I gave up half way through episode 2. It just wasn’t even a tiny bit funny.

  7. JCMcGee May 11th, 2009 5:19 pm

    Ace…I actually had a wee shiver down the spine moment when it bust into the main “song” bit…you know, the “it’s cold outside…” bit!

    Eleanor was/is/was a big big red dwarf fan…I bet that this is the first tab she ever learns!

    Cheers!
    jimmy & el’
    x

  8. Dan May 13th, 2009 12:26 am

    Next you should do the Arnold Rimmer song!

  9. Dan May 13th, 2009 12:35 am

    By the way, I’m curious to know: are these new Red Dwarf episodes any worse than series 8 was? They haven’t been broadcast here in the US, I don’t think.

  10. Woodshed May 13th, 2009 6:55 am

    J-Hob: The sad thing is that it makes me wonder if it was ever funny.

    Jimmy: Thanks. Glad you both like it.

    Dan: I don’t think I watched series 8. I gave up on it sometime in series 7.

  11. Ned September 19th, 2010 3:52 am

    With the time signature, many dongs have pauses on particular notes, or the time signature can change throught the song. hope that helps

  12. Mitch November 5th, 2012 3:28 am

    The New NEW… episodes are good however. Classic Red Dwarf. Love this tune and the way you played it. I think this will be my challenge song, to impress the boyz of the dwarf at our next get together. :)

  13. Woodshed November 5th, 2012 7:25 am

    Mitch: I haven’t watched the new, new episodes yet. I’ve been a but put off.

    Good luck with it. Hope your friends are suitably impressed.

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