After 15 years I revisited one of my favorite Zeppelin tunes and one of my earliest Zeppelin YouTube videos (my first I believe). Ten Years Gone is a beautifully composed and harmonically complicated Jimmy Page piece on Physical Graffiti. At the time I did my YouTube video, I was still figuring things out both in terms of arrangement and transcription. I was discovering new sounds and trying to marry my blues technique and my love Mike Compton’s playing into an approach that was truthful, authentic, reflective of the original source material, and easily accessible (as I’m not the most complicated player). In terms of transcription, I hated Tabledit and was so happy when I moved to Progression and then Notion.
With the development of this new site (the 4th iteration of the jimrichter.com website in 20 years), I’m going back through old Tabledit transcriptions and updating. As I started working on Ten Years Gone, I knew it needed some work overall. I have now rearranged it, have it closer to the original (though mando-centric), and have included the accompanying guitar tab (not exact, but meant to serve as a practice track). I’ll be doing this with some other older arrangements. This is one I’ll make available to all, as it really is a testament to serious adaptation of rock guitar to mandolin.
Typically such arrangement/transcription would only be available to Tab Members or those who receive instruction from me. But, I think it’s important for people to expand their ears and consideration of rock on the mandolin. This is not a Pickin’ On Zeppelin version, an early “Great Balls of Fire” NGR style, or high octane Billy Strings. I love all those I mentioned, but those are much more bluegrass-based than rock-oriented. This is truly trying to envision how Ten Years Gone would have been played by Page had he written it for the mandolin. For those who are interested in other such arrangements, please consider becoming a Tab Member.
At Mandolin Camp North and Richter Camp, I’ll be teaching how to play this and other Led Zeppelin and classic rock tunes.
Below you have PDFs for mandolin only and mandolin w/ guitar (I arranged the guitar to capture the main guitar theme, but also realize that it is layered throughout), as well as Notion files for both mandolin only and mandolin w/ guitar.
Notion for mandolin only; Notion for mandolin and guitar; mandolin only PDF; mandolin and guitar PDF