Original photo by Derek von Briesen.

The Ecstasy of Gold

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is the best of Sergio Leone’s Dollars Trilogy starring Clint Eastwood. The film is considered the definitive Spaghetti Western — with it’s use of long shots and close-up cinematography.

Even though it’s the last of the series, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is actually considered to be a prequel. It depicts Eastwood’s (Man with No Name) character gradually acquiring the garments he wears throughout the first two films. It takes place during the American Civil War — whereas the other films use props and firearms that are slightly more modern by comparison.

The music is from Italian composer, Ennio Morricone. The Ecstasy of Gold is thought to be his greatest work. It stands as the most well known of Morricone’s themes — and is an iconic piece of film music history.

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Spotify and streaming

You can find, my version of The Ecstasy of Gold on Spotify, Apple, Amazon Music, and all streaming services:

The Ecstasy of Gold on Spotify

The Ecstasy of Gold on Apple

How to play The Ecstasy of Gold | fingerstyle guitar 

This Ecstasy of Gold is beautifully written across 3 pages. I definitely recommend it for intermediate guitar players and up. In the video you can see that I’m barring with my 1st finger for nearly the entire song. That may sound easy, but all of that barring adds up, and the hand can become fatigued fairly quickly.

I prefer that you use a nylon string guitar for this piece. A regular steel string guitar will work just fine — so long as the guitar is set up well with low action and an easy playing feel.

Enjoy! The guitar tab is available below:

**The Ecstasy of Gold | fingerstyle guitar

Your tuning for this arrangement is an Open G suspended tuning. From low to high: D G D G A D.