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

  1. Mr. Senar yg dipetik senar nomor berapa saja, tolong jelaskan. Karena saya masih sangat pemula dalam bermain gitar.
    Terima kasih 🙂

  2. i’ve watched your video tutorial. it’s help though there are some parts that makes me confused. And i choose to see the tabs, but i dont know how to read that, i’m beginner…what a pity i’m..:(

    1. Post
      Author

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