[ Steely Dan ]
[ Steely Dan songbooks ]
[ The Mu Major chord ]
[ Other guitar tab ]
All of the Steely Dan guitar transcriptions I have done are listed below. Some have guitar tablature, some just chords, and some have a mixture of the two.
These songs are great fun to play on the guitar, and they're also a great way to extend and improve your playing. Enjoy!
Most recent updates (October 2005): Fixed chord name typo in Dr Wu (thanks to Mark Jordan for pointing this one out!)
Previous updates/additions (May 2004): Chords/tab added for New Frontier.
What I've tried to do with these transcriptions is to capture the "essence of the song" in a single guitar part. The chord shapes and voicings that I choose should reflect the main ideas from the rhythm instruments (piano/keyboards, guitar, bass) and perhaps also from the vocals and brass parts. Because Steely Dan songs use complex, jazz-influenced harmonies, a compromise sometimes has to be made between authenticity and playability. In most cases, however, the chords I've suggested are not difficult to play yet capture the key harmonic ideas of the song.
New section for keyboard players!
This page explains how keyboard players can interpret guitar tablature and chord shapes and convert this info into note names, allowing you to play the guitar transcriptions on the keyboard.
I'm always happy to receive comments or questions relating to these Steely Dan transcriptions. Please note that all the Steely Dan guitar tabs I have done are listed here. The songs I work out and add to this page are usually ones that I enjoy listening to or playing along to the most. I try to add new transcriptions when I can, but it's getting harder to find the time these days.
Send any feedback or questions about these Steely Dan tabs here.
Last updated: September 2007
All information in these pages © copyright Howard Wright 2002-2007