YELLOW LEDBETTER Some people have suggested that this is in an open tuning, but I reject this on two counts. 1 - In a concert I have, you hear Mike play a little bit of the riff in a gap (Mike is panned 1 way, Stone the other), and Mike uses standard tuning for the following song. Besides - Stone is more the alternate tuning buff, and this sounds like a Mike composition, given his liking of blues and Hendrix and stuff. 2 - This version sounds damn close - so I can't be far out (I hope :-) Enough guff, and on with the tab. This is all from ear, and all from memory, so don't bet too much money on it :-) There are three basic chords shapes to this song, which are fiddled around with to get the tune. The three shapes are these: E B7 A7 0 x 6 4 5 4 7 9 7 8 7 7 5 7 5 6 5 5 ------------- ------------- ------------- |-|-|-|-|-|-| |1-1-1-1-1-1| 7fr. |1-1-1-1-1-1| 5fr. |-|-|-|-|-|-| |-|-|-|2|-|-| |-|-|-|2|-|-| |-|-|-|-|-|-| |-|3|-|-|-|-| |-|3|-|-|-|-| |-|-|1-1-1-1| |-|-|-|-|2|-| |-|-|4|-|-|-| ^ I use 4, although you could quite easily use finger #3. You will note that the B7 and A7 chords leave your little finger free to move about. With these chords in mind, it should not be too tough to play this: KEY: 4h6 - Play 4th fret, hammer onto 6th 9p7 - Play 9th fret, pull off onto 7th 6/7 - Play 6th fret, slide up to 7th 9\ - Play 9th fret, slide down 7b9 - Play 7th fret, bend to same pitch as 9th. [7] - Note that is not really important, but you might want to throw it in (Besides, it might 'happen' anyway :-) V - Drop down with tremolo arm w - Tap tremolo arm - i.e. drop note and quickly return to same pitch. E B7 -------------------------4---------------9p7-9---7-------9p7----- -------------5-------------5-------------7[7]----7---7-------7--- --------[4]--4---------------4---------8---------8-----8-------8- ---------4h6---------X-X----------------------------------------- ---------------------X-X--------[9]------------------------------ -0-----------------------------6/7---------------7--------------- A7 E Hammer on, pull off vv -7p5---------5-----------575----[0]-----------------/12--9------- [5]--5-------------------5---5--[0]-----------------/12--9-12-9\- -------6-6h7------------[6]----6---------------------------13-9\- ------------------------------[5]-------------------------------- [7]-------------------------------------------------------------- -5---------------------5---------0------------------------------- This is the basic progression as I play it. The rest of the song is just messing about with this idea. Just as a template, try this for a more 'busy' version. E B7 Hammer on, pull off vvv vvv ------------------------/4---------------797-9---7-------797----- ------[5]----5-------------5-------------7[7]----7---7-------7--- ------[4-4]--4---------X-----4---------8---------8-----8-------8- ---------4h6-----------X----------------------------------------- --------------------------------[9]------------------------------ -0-----------------------------6/7-------7---7---7--------------- A7 E Hammer on, pull off vvv -7p5---------5-----------575----[0]-----------------/12--9------- [5]--5-------5---------5-5---5--[0]-----------------/12--9-12-9\- -------6-6h7------------[6]----6---------------------------13-9\- ------------------------------[5]-----------------------------9\- [7]----------7--------------------------------------------------- -5-----------5---------5---------0------------------------------- Sometimes, he play harmonic rings at the end, like so (this is the final E in the sequence) [0]--------------------12(NH)---- [0]------------------12(NH)------ --------------------------------- --------------------------------- --------------------------------- -0------------------------------- This, with a bit of improvisation gets you through the rhythm part of virtually the entire song. The chorus is the same patterns, but with a more regular strumming pattern. This continues until it gets to the end of the 2nd chorus ("I don't want to stay - at all .."). Here it's the same pattern, but with faster chord changes, like so: E B A -4-----------7-------------------5------------------------------- -5-----------7-------------------5------------------------------- -4-----------8-------------------6------------------------------- -6-----------9-------------------7------------------------------- -x-----------9-------------------7------------------------------- -0-----------7-------------------5------------------------------- This is strummed. After repeating this a few times, this pattern is played: (When Vedder starts singing the Ohhh's) E/Eb E B E/Eb E A -4-----4---------x---------------4-----4---------x--------------- -4-----5--------[7]--------------4-----5--------[5]-------------- -4-----4---------8---------------4-----5---------6--------------- -6----[6]--------9---------------6----[6]--------7--------------- -x-----x---------9---------------x-----x---------7--------------- -0-----0---------7---------------0-----0---------5--------------- This part is much more quiet - the chords are only strummed once, not repeated. On the E/Eb, the bass plays the Eb. Then it's back to the intro and that's the entire song! At the end, he does a bit more fidding, that you can work out, and a few more natural harmonics, like so: All these are natural harmonic rings. vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv [0]--------12----------5--------- [0]------12--12------5---5------- --------------------------------- --------------------------------- --------------------------------- -0------------------------------- SOLO ---- Bend 7th up to 9th, then quickly release it back to the same pitch as the 7th. vv ---------------------7------------------------------------------- -----5-------------5---7b9---b9--br-5h7--------------5----------- -4h6---------------------------------------------------7-5------- -----------------------------------------------------------6-4-2- ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- 4b5r-2---2h4p2-----------2---2---4b6-(Slow bend)----------------- -------4-------------------4---4--------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------- /14p-12------14p12---------------------------------------------- -----------------13--11b13-W-9---11--w---w-w-w-w-w-w----/119--9- ------------------------------------------------------------11-- ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- Add 10 to these fret numbers (I'm running out of room !) vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv --------------------------------4b6r-2---2h4p2-----------2\------ -----12--12/14-------4-2-4-2-4-2-------4------------------------- 11/13--13-------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- Add 10 to all following fret numbers (they are all single digit) i.e. This is fret 11, then fret 11, then fret 14. vvv ----------------------------------------------------------------- ---------4---2b4-----4-2----------------------------------------- ----/3-3---3-------------3-1-31--1-------------------1-------1--- -------------------------------4--114------------------4-1-4---4- ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- Fading away slowly .... vv ----------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------2---2h4----2h4p2h4p2h4p2h4p2h4p2h4p -3b4----------------1----2/3----3-------------------------------- --------------4-1-4---4------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------- -2h4p2h4p2h4\-------------------- --------------------------------- --------------------------------- --------------------------------- ---------------------------------