Sempurna Guitar Tutorial

I have received many requests for tabs since I published my cover of Sempurna on YouTube. Well, here they are, accompanied by some instructions, midi files and a video. The song Sempurna is by Andra and the Backbone. These tabs are my interpretation of the song, using my own playing technique.

Request

Can you post a video of yourself playing Sempurna on youtube, so I can see the result?
Please add it as a video response to my instruction video.

Get started

I have prepared some material for you. Before you start playing you should take a look at it, otherwise you might miss some important information (for example the tuning of the guitar)

16 tabs

Together the 16 tabs (below) cover the entire song. I added some lyrics so you know what part of the song a tab is about. The character Q means quarter (1/4) note. The E stands for 1/8 note.

2 midi files

By playing the midi files you can hear what the tabs should sound like. The midi files play the notes as shown in the tabs below, from tab 1 to 16, without any breaks. There is a slow version and a fast version. They are computer-generated from the tabs, so they sound a bit staccato.

Download sempurna slow

Download sempurna fast

Guitar tuning

The tuning of the guitar is D G D G B E. I tuned the 2 lowest sounding strings 1 tone (2 steps) down. This way it is easier to play the bass pattern, and the open lowest string (now sounding as D) gives more body to the sound.

Instruction video

In this video you can see how I hold my hands, and you can watch my fingerpicking style.
I will go through the tabs one by one, playing both fast and slow. One part of the video shows close-ups of my right hand, and another part shows close-ups of my left hand.

Tabs


  Tab 1
  Q  E E E E Q    Q  E E E E Q    Q  E E E E Q    Q  E E E E Q
|---------------|---------------|---------------|----------------|
|-3--------3----|-2--------2----|-0--------0----|-2--------2-----|
|------2--------|------2--------|------2--------|------2---------|
|----0-------0--|----0-------0--|----0-------0--|----0-------0---|
|---------------|---------------|---------------|----------------|
|-0------0------|-0------0------|-0------0------|-0------0-------|
 (intro, play 2x)

  Tab 2
  Q  E E E E Q    Q  E E E E Q    Q  E E E E Q    Q  E E E E Q
|---------------|---------------|---------------|----------------|
|-3--------3----|-2--------2----|-0--------0----|-2--------2-----|
|------2--------|------2--------|------2--------|------2---------|
|----0-------0--|----0-------0--|----0-------0--|----0-------0---|
|---------------|---------------|---------------|----------------|
|-0------0------|-0------0------|-0------0------|-0------0-------|
 Kau begitu sempurna

  Tab 3
  Q  E E E E Q    Q  E E E E Q    Q  E E E E Q    Q  E E E E Q
|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
|-3--------3----|-2--------2----|-0--------0----|-2--------2----|
|------2--------|------2--------|------2--------|------2--------|
|----0-------0--|----0-------0--|----0-------0--|----0-------0--|
|-4------4------|-4------4------|-4------4------|-4------4------|
|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
 Di mataku kau begitu indah

  Tab 4
  Q  E E E E Q    Q  E E E E Q    Q  E E E E Q    Q  E E E E Q
|-2--------2----|-0--------0----|-2--------2----|-0--------0----|
|------3--------|------3--------|------3--------|------3--------|
|----0-------0--|----0-------0--|----2-------2--|----2-------2--|
|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
|-0------0------|-0------0------|-2------2------|-2------2------|
|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
 Kau membuat diriku, akan selalu memujamu

  Tab 5
  Q  E E E E Q    Q  E E E E Q    Q  E E E E Q    Q  E E E E Q
|---------------|---------------|---------------|----------------|
|-3--------3----|-2--------2----|-0--------0----|-2--------2-----|
|------2--------|------2--------|------2--------|------2---------|
|----0-------0--|----0-------0--|----0-------0--|----0-------0---|
|---------------|---------------|---------------|----------------|
|-0------0------|-0------0------|-0------0------|-0------0-------|
  (no vocal)                                

  Tab 6
  Q  E E E E Q    Q  E E E E Q    Q  E E E E Q    Q  E E E E Q
|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
|-3--------3----|-3--------3----|-3--------3----|-3--------3----|
|------2--------|------2--------|------2--------|------2--------|
|----0-------0--|----0-------0--|----2-------2--|----0-------0--|
|-0------0------|---------------|-2------2------|---------------|
|---------------|-4------4------|---------------|-0------0------|
 Janganlah kau tinggalkan diriku

  Tab 7
  Q  E E E E Q    Q  E E E E Q    Q  E E E E Q    Q  E E E E Q
|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
|-3--------3----|-3--------3----|-3--------3----|-3--------3----|
|------2--------|------2--------|------2--------|------2--------|
|----0-------0--|----0-------0--|----0-------0--|----0-------0--|
|-0------0------|-4------4------|-4------4------|-4------4------|
|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
 Takkan mampu menghadapi semua

  Tab 8
  Q  E E E E Q    Q  E E E E Q    Q  E E E E Q    W
|---------------|---------------|---------------|------|
|-3--------3----|-3--------3----|-3--------3----|-3----|
|------2--------|------2--------|------2--------|-2----|
|----0-------0--|----0-------0--|----2-------2--|-2----|
|-0------0------|-0------0------|-2------2------|-2----|
|---------------|---------------|---------------|------|
 Hanya bersamamu ku akan bisa

  Tab 9
  Q  E E  E E Q    Q  E E E E Q   Q  E E E E Q   Q  E E E E Q
|----------------|--------------|-2------------|-2--------------|
|-3---------3----|-3--------3---|------3-------|------3---------|
|------2---------|------2-------|------------2-|------------2---|
|----0--------0--|----0-------0-|----0-----0---|----0-----0-----|
|----------------|--------------|-0------0-----|-0------0-------|
|-0-------0------|-4------4-----|--------------|----------------|
 Kau adalah darahku

  Tab 10
  Q  E E E E Q    Q  E E E E Q    Q  E E E E Q    Q  E E E E Q
|---------------|---------------|-2-------------|-2-------------|
|-3--------3----|-3--------3----|------3--------|------3--------|
|------2--------|------2--------|------------2--|------------2--|
|----0-------0--|----0-------0--|----0-----0----|----0-----0----|
|---------------|---------------|-0------0------|-0------0------|
|-0------0------|-4------4------|---------------|---------------|
 Kau adalah jantungku

  Tab 11
  Q  E E E E Q    Q  E E E E Q    Q  E E E E Q    Q  E E E E Q
|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
|-3--------3----|-3--------3----|-3--------3----|-3--------3----|
|------2--------|------2--------|------2--------|------2--------|
|----0-------0--|----0-------0--|----0-------0--|----0-------0--|
|-4------4------|---------------|-0------0------|-0------0------|
|---------------|-4------4------|---------------|---------------|
 Kau adalah hidupku, lengkapi diriku

  Tab 12
  Q  E E E E Q    Q  E E E E Q    Q  E E E E E E   E E E E E E Q    +W
|---------------|---------------|----------------|---------2-0----|--------|
|-3--------3----|-3--------3----|-3----------3---|-----0-3-----3--|-(3)----|
|------2--------|------2--------|------2---------|---0------------|--------|
|----0-------0--|----0-------0--|----0-----0---0-|-2--------------|--------|
|-4------4------|---------------|-0------0-------|----------------|--------|
|---------------|-4------4------|----------------|----------------|--------|
 O sayangku kau begitu

  Tab 13
  Q  E E E E Q    Q  E E E E Q    Q  E E E E Q    Q  E E E E Q
|---------------|---------------|---------------|----------------|
|-3--------3----|-2--------2----|-0--------0----|-2--------2-----|
|------2--------|------2--------|------2--------|------2---------|
|----0-------0--|----0-------0--|----0-------0--|----0-------0---|
|---------------|---------------|---------------|----------------|
|-0------0------|-0------0------|-0------0------|-0------0-------|
 Sempurna                               

  Tab 14
  Q  E E E E Q    Q  E E E E Q    Q  E E E E Q    Q  E E E E Q
|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
|-3--------3----|-2--------2----|-0--------0----|-2--------2----|
|------2--------|------2--------|------2--------|------2--------|
|----0-------0--|----0-------0--|----0-------0--|----0-------0--|
|-4------4------|-4------4------|-4------4------|-4------4------|
|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
 Sempurna

 BELOW ARE THE TABS FOR THE END OF THE SONG

  Tab 15
  Q  E E E E Q    Q  E E E E Q    Q  E E E E Q    Q  E E E E Q
|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
|-3--------3----|-2--------2----|-3--------3----|-2--------2----|
|------2--------|------2--------|------2--------|------2--------|
|----0-------0--|----0-------0--|----0-------0--|----0-------0--|
|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
|-0------0------|-0------0------|-0------0------|-0------0------|
 Sempurna

  Tab 16
  Q  E E E E Q    Q  E E E E Q    Q  E E E E Q    Q  E E E E Q    W
|-2-------------|-0-------------|-2-------------|-0-------------|-2----|
|-3--------3----|-2--------2----|-3--------3----|-2--------2----|-3----|
|-2----2--------|-2----2--------|-2----2--------|-2----2--------|-2----|
|----0-------0--|----0-------0--|----0-------0--|----0-------0--|------|
|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|------|
|-0------0------|-0------0------|-0------0------|-0------0------|-0----|
 Sempurna

Comments 87

Learn and Master Guitar
September 10, 2009 at 10:53 pm

Thanks for this tutorial I can now learn and gain more ideas and techniques in playing the guitar.

Post
Author

nlpeter
August 16, 2009 at 8:45 pm

@Albern Constantia Hellsing: thank you, but what do you mean with “my last year of life” ?

Albern Constantia Hellsing
August 14, 2009 at 7:34 pm

Good Job there fascinating and marvelous.
wish i could see u in my last year of life.

Post
Author

nlpeter
July 21, 2009 at 10:23 pm

@James and Taura: Thanks 🙂 I will probably not make any new tutorials soon, because I rather record new songs ……

james
July 21, 2009 at 1:00 pm

awesome!!!it’s really a good tutorial.thanks..

Taura
July 20, 2009 at 3:23 pm

hi peter.. 😀
thanks for the tutorial…
I hope you can make more song tutorial
I think that will be a great chance for newbie to learn how to play guitar.. 😀

thanks..!!! 😀 😀 😀

Post
Author

nlpeter
June 25, 2009 at 7:54 pm

@everybody thanks for your comments

@diansh, hoho and kamalia. You have to realize that this is not a beginner tutorial. I provided all tutorial methods I can think of: tabs, video and fast and slow playing midi files. It took me quite some years to master this finger picking technique. If you do not know how to tune the guitar as instructed maybe this tutorial is a bit too difficult for you. Anyway, semoga sukses ….

diansh
June 23, 2009 at 7:07 am

hello peter. can you teach me how to tune the guitar. ❓ from the standard into ur tuning. i am absolutely bad in tuning guitar. assume me as the beginner. tq.

hoho
June 18, 2009 at 4:16 pm

🙁 😕 ..cannot understand..tolong ajar slowly sikit boleh/ 🙁

kamalia
May 31, 2009 at 4:12 pm

connot understand! 😆 can you teach me in easy way?

iman
May 10, 2009 at 2:28 pm

hi peter, its great tutorial, really appreciated if you can make other song on tutorial video version. thanks

Sunawa
May 3, 2009 at 7:12 pm

Xie2 ni

leo
April 14, 2009 at 2:54 pm

omm buka les donk agar kita bisa belajar ya?
ok
di bles y

betil gutang
April 14, 2009 at 2:39 pm

hi saudara nlpeter, muzik mu bagus sekali. 😀

ngel
April 6, 2009 at 3:05 pm

😀 🙂 😮 😯 8) 😆 😛 😉 🙄 💡