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A.M. Lead Guitar Tabs


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So, I'm making it a little project for myself to learn the lead guitar parts on Wilco's A.M. I absolutely love the guitar work on the album. There's tons of tasty licks to cop, and not a whole lot of documentation on what's going on. I figure since you guys have been so good with providing me with tabs, I'm going to try to give back a bit to the community. I will post them up as I figure them out Hope someone will find these useful. Let me know if you have any corrections.

 

The lead guitar work on this album sounds like it's done using a humbuckered guitar with a good amount of overdrive into a tube amp. Fairly simple setup, and just about any guitar into an overdriven tube amp gets you pretty close to capturing the A.M. tone:

 

First up, I Must Be High. Nothing too exciting here, most of this stuff I culled from the Gumbo Pages tab, and sprinkled in some of my own figuringout-ingness.

 

Intro Riff:

 

E-------------------------------2------------------
B-5----5-------------------------------------------
G-4b6---6-----2-1-----------2b4---4b2--------------
D------------------2-0---s4---------------4--------
A---------------------------------------------2~--0
E--------------------------------------------------

 

 

The main chord progression is played in standard, first position:

 

   A Amaj7 D   E   
E--0---0---2---0--
B--2---2---3---0--
G--2---1---2---1--
D--2---2---0---2--
A--0---0---x---2--
E--x---x---x---0--

 

The one twist during the verses is that when Jeff says "I must be high" it goes to a Bm7 (which I just play as a B power chord)

B5

E----
B----
G--4-
D--4-
A--2-
E----

 

And after that line, it does a little slide up to a C power chord on the last beat of the measure:

 


B5 to C5

E------
B------
G--4s5-
D--4s5-
A--2s3-
E------

 

For the breakdown in the middle & end of the song, I barre an A chord with one finger, and switch between two riffs:

 

Riff 1
E-------------
B-------------
G-------------
D--2--4-2-4-2-
A--0--4-0-4-0-
E-------------

Riff 2
E-------------
B-------------
G--2--4-2-4-2-
D--2--4-2-4-2-
A-------------
E-------------

 

At the end of which, I just do the B to C riff from earlier, with a little twist (which I will call riff 3):

 

 

Riff 3

E--------------------
B--------------------
G--4--4--4--4--4--5--
D--4--4--4--4--4--5--
A--2--0--2--0--2--3--
E--------------------

 

 

I launch right into the solo afterwards, which is heavily based on the GumboPages version (with some of my own tweaks). I try to work in some volume swells to simulate that pedal steel sound:

 

Solo

E--s5-5-5-5-------------------------------------------------------17b19b17--------------------------------------12--14--12------------
B--s5-5-5-5---s9-9-9-9-------------------12s15-15-15-15---12s17-------------s17-17-17-17---s15-15-15-15----s14--------------14----10~-
G-------------s9-9-9-9----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
D-------------------------s12-12-12-12------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Basic Structure of the song (each chord is 4 beats):

 

Intro Riff

 

Verse 1:

A Amaj7 D E

A Amaj7 D E

A Amaj7 D B5

A Amaj7 D B5sC5

 

Verse 2:

A Amaj7 D E

A Amaj7 D E

A Amaj7 D B5

A Amaj7 D B5sC5

 

Break Down:

 

Riff 1x2

Riff 2x2

Riff 1 into Riff 3

 

Solo over:

A Amaj7 D E

A Amaj7 D E

 

Verse 3:

A Amaj7 D E

A Amaj7 D E

A Amaj7 D B5 (gets a little tricky here)

A Amaj7 D B5

A Amaj7 D B5sC5

A Amaj7 D B5sC5

 

A (hang on A for 2 bars)

 

Do Break Down again:

 

Riff 1x2

Riff 2x2

Riff 1 into Riff 3

 

End on A

 

 

Nothing too exciting, but I will have some "never before seen" stuff soon!

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Casino Queen - it's best to play the riffs a little "dirty" here - it's ok to hit a couple extra open strings here and there, in fact, you'll have to in order to get the right sound.

 

Intro Riff - I like to play this riff really clean. I use the pick and my middle finger to pick the the two note fills.

 

E-3-2-1--------------------3-2-1------------
B-0-0-0--1-1-1-------------0-0-0--1-1-1-3---
G--------0-0-0--b3--0-0-----------0-0-0-----
D-------------------0-0---------------------
A----------------------------------------b3-
E------------------ x 2---------------------

 

Instead of bending the G string on the third fret the second time through, you can optionally bend the D string on the third fret. The G sounds better to me, but I think the D is more correct to the album version.

 

Verses mostly stay on G. I play a standard G shape, with a little twist:

E--3--
B--3--
G--0--
D--2--
A--x--
E--3--

 

 

I palm mute it pretty heavily, and play only the lower strings.The rhythm of this song is kind of a 1-2 shuffle. On the 1, I hit just the lower G string. On the 2, I hit the fretted E string. I think doing this gets pretty close to what he's doing on the record. Every once in a while, you'll want to let up off the muting a little, and strum the high strings for a bit of zing.

 

If you have a rhythm guitarist playing with you, he'll probably be wanting to do a bluesy shuffle around a G chord on the third fret. Let him, it sounds good.

 

Before the verses, there's a riff that's very similar to another one later on. The feel of it is kind of tricky, but here's how I play it:

 

Riff 1
E-------------------
B------3------------
G--2s4----4s2p0-----
D-------------------
A-------------------
E-------------------

 

After the singing starts, you play the same sort of thing, with a different feel:

 

Riff 2

E-----------------
B-------3---------
G--2s4-----4s2--0-
D-----------------
A-----------------
E-----------------

 

Going into the chorus, you play riff 2 followed by this little fill:

 

Riff 3

E-----------------
B-----------------
G------0-------0--
D-0h2-------0h2---
A-----------------
E-----------------

 

The chorus tosses in some D & C chord action. For these, I just play my finger across the fret and barre it at the 7th and 5th frets, respectively:

 

  D    C

E--x----x--
B--7----5--
G--7----5--
D--7----5--
A--x----x--
E--x----x--

 

The chorus starts on D, and then I go back to the G for one quick hit. After the D, I play this riff:

 

E------------------------
B------------------------
G------0----0h2p0------0-
D-0h2---------------2----
A------------------------
E------------------------

After that riff, up to the C for a strum or two, then back down for a quick hit on the G, and this riff:

 

E-----------------------
B-----------------------
G--2p0------0---------0-
D--------2--------h2----
A-----------------------
E-----------------------

 

Back to the intro riff, and another time through the verse (same riffs get played).

 

 

After the chorus, you play this much of the intro riff:

 

E-3-2-1--------------------3-2-1------------
B-0-0-0--1-1-1-------------0-0-0--1-1-1-3---
G--------0-0-0--b3--0-0-----------0-0-0-----
D-------------------0-0---------------------
A-------------------------------------------
E------------------ x 2---------------------

 

And launch into the solo, which is basically two riffs with a little transition:

 

Riff 1

E----------------
B---------10-----
G--12b14---------
D----------------
A----------------
E---------------x4

 

Transition

E----------------
B----------------
G--14p12------10-
D----------14----
A----------------
E----------------

 

Riff 2 (the rhythm of this is very specific, also used in Box Full of Letters, so it's worth learning right!)

E---------------------------------------------------------
B------12-12--------12-12-------12------12-12-------12-12-
G--s14---------s14----------s14-----s14--------s14--------
D---------------------------------------------------------
A---------------------------------------------------------
E---------------------------------------------------------

 

Back into the Intro Riff, after which, all the other instruments drop out. Maintain a steady down beat on the G chord and then come back in with Riff 1, go into the Chorus, and you're home free!

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This is great! Thanks for the work you're putting into this. It's greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks! I'm just happy to contribute. :)

 

Status update: I've got Box Full of Letters all figured out, working getting the tab written up. I've started figuring out the Shouldn't be Ashamed solo (doesn't sound easy).

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Nice work :). I'll have to give these a try later.

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And here's Box Full of Letters (finally)

 

Box Full of Letters

 

There are actually at least two guitars on this track. Depending on whether or not you have a rhythm guitarist

 

playing with you, you might want to play it differently. The way Jeff usually plays this, he does it with a capo on

 

2, but this tab is for playing it open.

 

The intro riff is based around a D shape on the fourth fret and is as follows:

 

E----4---5-4---4----4---5-4-----
B------5-----5----5---5-----7-5-
G--4----------------------------
D-------------------------------
A-------------------------------
E-----------------------------x2

 

The intro riff gets repeated at various times during the song, so get it down good!

 

The basic verse chord progression is as follows (|| indicates a split measure):

 

|E B| A F#m A

 

I play the verse chords like this:

 

  E  B  A F#m 
E-----------2-------------------
B-----4--2--2-------------------
G--1--4--2--2-------------------
D--2--4--2--4-------------------
A--2--------4-------------------
E-----------2-------------------

 

A series of riffs get played over the As. It's kind of tricky to keep the chord progression going AND play the

 

riffs, so having a second guitarist helps. The riffs get repeated (for the most part) for the second verse. This is

 

the order they come in:

 

Riff 1

E-------------------------------
B-------------------------------
G-------------------------------
D-----2--2h4p2------------------
A--2h4----------4---------------
E-------------------------------

 

Riff 2

E-------------------------------
B-------------------------------
G-------------------------------
D------2-2----------------------
A--2h4------4-------------------
E-------------------------------

 

Riff 3

E-------------------------------
B-------------------------------
G-------------------------------
D------2------------------------
A--2h4---4----------------------
E-------------------------------

 

Riff 4

E--0--2--4--5-------------------
B-------------------------------
G--1--2--4--6-------------------
D-------------------------------
A-------------------------------
E-------------------------------

 

 

Riff 5

E--7--7--5--4--2----------------
B-------------------------------
G--8--8--6--4--2----------------
D-------------------------------
A-------------------------------
E-------------------------------

 

Riff 6

E--7--7--7--5--4----------------
B-------------------------------
G--8--8--8--6--4----------------
D-------------------------------
A-------------------------------
E-------------------------------

 

Riff 7 is just Riff 2 again.

E-------------------------------
B-------------------------------
G-------------------------------
D------2-2----------------------
A--2h4------4-------------------
E-------------------------------

 

Riff 8

Just hang on this:

E--7----------------------------
B-------------------------------
G-------------------------------
D--8----------------------------
A-------------------------------
E-------------------------------

 

And go directly into the pre-chorus, where you hit these chords once:

 

  E  B  A
E-------------------------------
B--9--4--2----------------------
G--9--4--2----------------------
D--9--4--2----------------------
A-------------------------------
E-------------------------------

 

Play the intro riff, then you go into the chorus:

 

  B  E  A
E--------0----------------------
B--4-----2----------------------
G--4--1--2----------------------
D--4--2--2----------------------
A-----2--0----------------------
E--------x----------------------

 

Between the E and A there's a quick little walk up:

E-------------------------------
B-------------------------------
G-------------------------------
D-------------------------------
A-------------------------------
E--0--2-------------------------

 

There's also a little walk up you do while playing the A:

 

E-------------------------------
B-------------------------------
G-------------------------------
D-------------------------------
A-------------------------------
E--0--4-------------------------

 

After the second time through the progresion, you slide up to this inversion of B, and do an arpeggio (I haven't

 

tabbed this out exactly, so try to do it by ear)

 

  B
E-------------------------------
B--7----------------------------
G--8----------------------------
D--9----------------------------
A-------------------------------
E-------------------------------

 

After the second time you play the chorus, you go into the solo. Since some sections repeat, I've broken it down here into bite size chunks for you. Practice the individual parts, and then just string it all together for some fun

 

Wilco goodness.

 

Riff 1 (you'll recognize this rhythm from Casino Queen)

E-----7-7-----7--7-----7--------
B--s9------s9-------s9----------
G-------------------------------
D-------------------------------
A-------------------------------
E-----------------------------x2 

 

Riff 2

E-------------------------------
B-----------9-------------------
G--11p9--11-----11--9-----------
D-------------------------------
A-------------------------------
E-------------------------------

 

Riff 3

E--------------------------------
B--------------------------------
G--------------------------------
D-s11--9--9s2--------2---2h4--2--
A-------------2--2h4-------------
E--------------------------------

 

Riff 4 (Another guitar comes in here playing Riff 1, Then Riff 2, then copying the first guitar)

E-----------------------------------
B--------9--------------------------
G--11b13-----13r11--9-----------9---
D-------------------------9h11------
A-----------------------------------
E---------------------------------x2

 

Play Riff 2 again here
E-------------------------------
B-----------9-------------------
G--11p9--11-----11--9-----------
D-------------------------------
A-------------------------------
E-------------------------------

 

Riff 5 - similar start to riff 3
E--------------------7--9--7---
B-----------------s9-----------
G--------------9---------------
D--s11-9--9h11-----------------
A------------------------------
E------------------------------

 

Play Riff 1 through once again:
E-----7-7-----7--7-----7--------
B--s9------s9-------s9----------
G-------------------------------
D-------------------------------
A-------------------------------
E-------------------------------

 

And end with this fun little guy

 

Riff 6
E---------------------
B--11b12---9----------
G--------------9~-----
D---------------------
A---------------------
E---------------------

 

And you're done, hooray!!

 

After which, you launch straight into the pre-chorus (twice this time). Once you get into the actual chorus, there's

 

one little twist. Over the B, you play a little riff similar to the sort of thing you've been playing over the A. I

 

haven't gotten it tabbed out exactly, but something like this sounds about right:

 

E------------
B------------
G------------
D-------4----
A--4h6-------
E------------

 

An outline of the song structure will probably help here, so here it is (each chord counts for 1 measure, ||

 

indicate a split measure - two beats per chord):

 

 

Intro:

 

E E E E

 

Verse 1:

 

|E B| A F#m A

|E B| A F#m A

|E B| A F#m A

|E B| A F#m A

 

Pre chorus 1:

 

|E| B A

 

Intro Riff x1: E E

 

Chorus 1:

 

B E A B

B E A B B

 

Verse 2:

 

|E B| A F#m A

|E B| A F#m A

|E B| A F#m A

|E B| A F#m A

 

Pre chorus 2:

 

|E| B A

 

Intro Riff x1: E E

 

Chorus 2:

 

B E A B

B E A B B

 

Solo (over verse progression)

 

Pre chorus 3:

 

|E| B A

|E| B A

 

Instrumental Chorus

 

B E A B

B E A B B E

 

 

Let me know if you have any question/comments/concerns!

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Really good job on the tabs, Groo. I play Box Full of Letters a bunch, so I thought I’d add a few bits.

 

I usually play with the capo on 2, and when I don’t it’s because I just play a whole step lower so I don’t have to learn new chords. Anyhoo, here’s the intro lick with capo on 2:

 

i1.V.....V.....V.....V.....2..V.....V.....V.....V......

 

f#-------2-----3--2--0--2--|--------2-----3--2--0-----|

C#----------3--------------|-----3-----3-----------3--|

A--2-----------------------|--------------------------|

E--------------------------|--------------------------|

B--------------------------|--------------------------|

F#-------------------------|--------------------------|

 

It’s little different than what you have, but it falls under the fingers a little easier for me.

 

I think your verse licks are right on, but I hear riffs 4, 5, and 6 differently:

 

r4.V.....V.....V.....V......

 

f#-------------------------|

C#-0--2-----3-----5-----7--|

A--0--2-----4-----6-----7--|

E--------------------------|

B--------------------------|

F#-------------------------|

 

r5.V.....V.....V.....V......

 

f#-5--5-----3-----2-----0--|

C#-3--3-----3-----3-----0--|

A--------------------------|

E--------------------------|

B--------------------------|

F#-------------------------|

 

r6.V.....V.....V.....V......

 

f#-5--5-----5-----3-----2--|

C#-3--3-----3-----3-----3--|

A--------------------------|

E--------------------------|

B--------------------------|

F#-------------------------|

 

 

The solo, to me, sounds like much more straightforward rock with licks and patterns that fall easily under the fingers. I tend to think that Brian Henneman (much like Jay Bennett) is a great guitarist, but probably cheats by playing the same major and minor pentatonic boxes that we all play but with a little more style (side note: I’ve been batting around the idea for a book on “The Guitar Styles of Jay Bennett”; not a bad idea if more than three people would buy it, and I wouldn’t get sued, and Jay Bennett wouldn’t beat me to it):

 

s1.V.....^.....V.....^.....V.....^.....V.....^......

 

f#-------10----10----------10----10----------10----|

C#-------10----10----------10----10----------10----|

A—-12b(14)-----------12b(14)-----------12b(14)-----|

E--------------------------------------------------|

B--------------------------------------------------|

F#-------------------------------------------------|

 

s2.V.....^.....V.....^.....V.....^.....V.....^......

 

f#-------10----10----------10----10----------10----|

C#-------10----10----------10----10----------10----|

A—-12b(14)-----------12b(14)-----------12b(14)-----|

E--------------------------------------------------|

B--------------------------------------------------|

F#-------------------------------------------------|

 

s3.V.....^.....V.....^.....V.....^.....V.....^......

 

f#-12----10----12----14----12----10----10----10----|

C#-10----10----10----10----10----10----10----10----|

A--------------------------------------------------|

E--------------------------------------------------|

B--------------------------------------------------|

F#-------------------------------------------------|

 

s4.V.....^.....V.....^.....V.....^.....V.....^......

 

f#-10----------------------------------------------|

C#-10h12-10----------------------3-----5-----3-----|

A--------------11\---2-----2/4---------------------|

E--------------------------------------------------|

B--------------------------------------------------|

F#-------------------------------------------------|

 

s5.V.....^.....V.....^.....V.....^.....V.....^......

 

f#-------------5-----------------------------------|

C#-5b(7)-------------(7)r5-------3-----------3-----|

A--------------------------------------2/4---------|

E--------------------------------------------------|

B--------------------------------------------------|

F#-------------------------------------------------|

 

s6.V.....^.....V.....^.....V.....^.....V.....^......

 

f#-------------5-----------------------------------|

C#-5b(7)-------------(7)r5-------3-----------3-----|

A--------------------------------------2/4---------|

E--------------------------------------------------|

B--------------------------------------------------|

F#-------------------------------------------------|

 

s7.V.....^.....V.....^.....V.....^.....V.....^......

 

f#-------------------------------------------------|

C#-5-----3-----5-----5b(7)-r(5)--3-----------------|

A--------------------------------------4-----2/4---|

E--------------------------------------------------|

B--------------------------------------------------|

F#-------------------------------------------------|

 

s8.V.....^.....V.....^.....V.....^.....V.....^......

 

f#-------------------------------5-----7-----5-----|

C#-------------------3-----5/7---------------------|

A--------2-----2/4---------------------------------|

E--------------------------------------------------|

B--------------------------------------------------|

F#-------------------------------------------------|

 

S9.V.....^.....V.....^.....V.....^.....V.....^......

 

f#-------10----10----------10----10----------10----|

C#-------10----10----------10----10----------10----|

A—-12b(14)-----------12b(14)-----------12b(14)-----|

E--------------------------------------------------|

B--------------------------------------------------|

F#-------------------------------------------------|

 

s11.V.....^.....V.....^.....V.....^.....V.....^......

 

f#--------------------------------------------------|

C#--------------10b---------------------------------|

A-—12b(14)r(12)-10b---------------------------------|

E---------------------------12----------------------|

B---------------------------------------------------|

F#--------------------------------------------------|

 

* With bends, I usually specify the note you’re aiming for by indicating the fret that has the same pitch. When I have a ‘b’ without indicating a fret, it just means that you’re only bending a quarter step.

 

 

You didn’t have anything for the choruses, but there’s a wealth of good licks in there. Here I’m much more approximate with the rhythm and the voicings (who many notes of the chords you play), so let your ear be your guide:

 

c1.V.....V.....V.....V.....c2.V.....V.....V.....V......

 

f#----------------------2--|--------2-----------------|

C#-2-----2--------------3--|--------3-----------------|

A--2-----2--------2-----2--|--------2-----------------|

E--2-----2--------2-----0--|--------0-----------0-----|

B--0-----0--0—-2/4---------|-----------------0--------|

F#-------------------------|--------------0h2------3--|

 

c3.V.....V.....V.....V.....c4.V.....V.....V.....V......

 

f#-------------------------|--------------------------|

C#-------------------------|--------3-----3--2-----2--|

A--------0-----------0-----|--------2-----2--2-----2--|

E-----0-----------0-----0--|--------2-----2--2-----2--|

B--------------------------|--0-----------------------|

F#----------2--------------|--------------------------|

 

c5.V.....V.....V.....V.....c6.V.....V.....V.....V......

 

f#----------------------2--|--------2-----------------|

C#-------2--------------3--|--------3-----------------|

A--------2--------2-----2--|--------2-----------------|

E--------2--------2-----0--|--------0-----------0-----|

B-----------0—-2/4---------|-----------------0--------|

F#-------------------------|--------------0h2------3--|

 

c7.V.....V.....V.....V.....c8.V.....V.....V.....V......

 

f#-------------------------|-----0--------0--------0--|

C#-------------------------|--------0--------0--------|

A--------0-----------0-----|-----------2--------2-----|

E-----0-----------0-----0--|--------------------------|

B--------------------------|--0-----------------------|

F#----------2--------------|--------------------------|

 

c9.V.....V.....V.....V...... back to D

 

f#-------0--------0--------|

C#-0--------0--------0-----|

A-----2--------2--------2--|

E--------------------------|

B--------------------------|

F#-------------------------|

 

Like I said, really good work on the tabs. I'm home sick today from work, so I thought I'd add a few things.

 

Thanks!

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Thanks, Gin! I was hoping you might chime in :). I will have to check our your licks when I get a chance. This is my first time attempting a large scale tabbing project like this, so I'm sure there's a couple errors (it sounds pretty good to me, but always good to get another set of ears in on it).

 

I didn't tab out the choruses too much, because I wasn't hearing much outside of the chords, other than the 3 licks or so I posted. I'll have to go back and double check these. Looks like you picked up on some tasty licks I may have missed :dancing .

 

I've been on a no capo kick lately, so one of my goals here is to tab everything out in standard tuning, no capo.

 

I agree with your assessment of Brian Hennemen - it sounds like he's sticking a lot to the pentatonic boxes (which is what this solo is mostly based off of - the position 6 aka minor pentatonic in E). I think it works for him, though, and I'm very impressed with the amount of hot licks he's able to pull out of those pentatonic boxes. I've been listening to these songs for YEARS, and I never realized how simple the solos are musically, while at the same time being very hard to hit just right.

 

To top it all off, I just took another listen to the AM Demos, where it's much easier to hear some of the guitar work, and the solo in I Must Be High is completely different. Oh well back to the drawing board :).

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Glad I could help! :cheers Yeah, A.M. is one of those forgotten albums for me; forgotten in the sense that I forget that there's a lot of great stuff on there. I think I have the demos, but I'll have to track them down.

 

I love capos because I am lazy, but if you want to avoid the capo (which I totally respect) you might find that the opening lick falls under the fingers a little easier by moving it up a position:

 

1..V.....V.....V.....V.....2..V.....V.....V.....V......

 

e--------------------------|--------------------------|

B--------9-----10-9-----9--|--------9-----10-9--------|

G-----------9--------11----|-----9-----9--------11-9--|

D--9-----------------------|--------------------------|

A--------------------------|--------------------------|

E--------------------------|--------------------------|

 

I'm home sick again today, so I might add some more stuff a bit later.

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Shouldn't Be Ashamed

by Wilco

 

OK, so the lead electric guitar on this track is pretty sparse and riffy.

 

The riff that starts out the song, I've seen it done two different ways to play this, both seem about right:

 

E------------0--0--0--

B------------0--3--3--

G------------0--0--0--

D----0---0---2--2--2--

A------------2--2--2--

E--3---2-----0--0--0--

 

or

 

E------------0--0--0--

B------------0--3--3--

G------------0--0--0--

D------------2--2--2--

A----0---0---2--2--2--

E--3---2-----0--0--0--

Notice taht initially, you play a normal Em once, and bring down your pinky to turn it into an Em7. Listen to the record for the rhythm, this sounds about right to me.

 

Play this twice for the into. Then, you play this little riff, which leads into a G chord:

 

E---------------------

B---------------------

G--------0------------

D------0--------------

A--0h2----------------

E---------------------

 

The G chord is played like a normal G:

 

E----3----------------

B---(3)---------------

G----0----------------

D----0----------------

A----2----------------

E----3----------------

 

Listen to the record for the strumming pattern, it's not very rhythmic, more just about adding some tasy texture.

 

After chilling on the G for a while, instead of switching to a C (like the acoustic does), you get to play this riff instead:

 

E---------------------

B---------------------

G--------0h2--0-------

D------0--------------

A--0h2----------------

E---------------------

 

After this, you go back to the G.

 

After the G, you switch to the Em7. I'm not sure where or not you're supposed to play the intro riff - it sounds really low in the mix, if it even shows up at all. I usually just play it kind of quiet.

 

This structure repeats itself, until you get to the chorus.

 

Leading into the Chorus, you play this riff:

 

 

E---------------------

B---------------------

G--------0--0---------

D------0--------------

A--0h2----------------

E---------------------

 

The chorus chords are: C C D D G G/F# Em7 Em7 C D G... (strum the G once)

 

You mostly play little riffs here switching between chords. You can do the usual fun little riffing and picking you would do around these chords to spice it up, but here's what I hear specifically on the record.

 

Between C and D:

 

E---------------------

B---------------------

G---------------------

D------0--2--0--------

A--0h2----------------

E---------------------

 

Between D and G:

 

E---------------------

B---------------------

G--------0------------

D------0--------------

A--0h2----------------

E---------------------

 

When you play the G, you use this sort of picking pattern (gently strum the full chords):

 

E-----3---3------3---3---

B----(3)----3---(3)----3-

G-----0----------0-------

D-----0----------0-------

A-----2----------x-------

E--3--3-------2--2-------

 

Over the Em7, play this sort of thing:

 

E--0-------0----------0-----

B--0--0--3---0---0--3-------

G--0------------------------

D--2------------------------

A--2------------------------

E--0------------------------

 

The little riff that comes in here is:

 

E-----------------------------

B-----------------------------

G-----------------------------

D-------0----0-2---0---0-0----

A--2--2----2---------2-----2--

E-----------------------------

 

Which leads back into the intro riff, which leads into the SOLO, yay!!!

 

I'm not 100% sure about everything here, but I think I got it pretty close - it sounds good, and the notes shoudl all be in key, so that's half the battle.

 

Again, I'll break this up into a series of smaller, more digestible riffs - should be easier to learn them one by one and string them together.

 

E--12-----12-----12--------

B--13b15--13b15--15b13-----

G----------------------12--

D--------------------------

A--------------------------

E--------------------------

 

E-------------------------------------

B----------------------12--12---------

G-----12--14-12--14b16-----16b14--12--

D-s14---------------------------------

A-------------------------------------

E-------------------------------------

 

E--------------------------------

B---------------12-----b15~------

G-----12--14b16----16------------

D-s14----------------------------

A--------------------------------

E--------------------------------

 

E-------15---12--12s--

B--12-----------------

G---------------------

D---------------------

A---------------------

E---------------------

 

Here we slide down a few frets...

 

E------------------------------------------

B------------------------------------------

G--7b9--------5--7b9-7b9-----5-------------

D------7--s7--------------7-----7p5-----5--

A------------------------------------7-----

E------------------------------------------

 

 

E---------------------

B---------------------

G-----------7p5-------

D--7p5--5--------5----

A---------------------

E--------------------- x4

 

 

Sliding back up into the fun stuff:

 

E---------------------

B-------12--15--12----

G--s14----------------

D---------------------

A---------------------

E--------------------- x4

 

 

E----------------------------

B--12-----12-----------------

G--14b16--16b14--12--14--12--

D----------------------------

A----------------------------

E----------------------------

 

E---------------------------------

B---------------------------------

G---------------------------------

D--14s16--16--16s17--16--14--12~--

A---------------------------------

E---------------------------------

 

 

The guitar drops out here, and comes back in with this riff:

 

E---------------------

B---------------------

G----0---0------------

D--2---2--------------

A---------------------

E---------------------

 

Which goes back into a G. The rest is pretty much a repeat of the first verse/chorus.

 

Enjoy!!

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Hey Gin -

 

Just got a quick chance to look over your Box Full of Letters tab. I think you're right on with Riff 4. Riffs 5 & 6, we're basically playing the same notes, just different version :).

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Hey Gin -

 

Just got a quick chance to look over your Box Full of Letters tab. I think you're right on with Riff 4. Riffs 5 & 6, we're basically playing the same notes, just different version :).

 

Thanks. :cheers The top notes in our versions of riffs 5 & 6 are the same but the lower harmony notes are different. I think mine is closer to the record -- I hear that droning E and the harmony in fourths and fifths. Your version sounds good, too, but has more of an R&B feel with the moving sixths, though if you just play the bottom notes of your riff with the song, you'll hear how the first note (D#) falls outside of the A chord (A C# E) and kind of clashes. I think you can get away with either version depending on whether you want a Byrdsy/country rock drone or Steve Cropper R&B feel.

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