Bass tabs
BACK STABBERS (Bassline)
As recorded by The O'Jays
(From the 1972 Album BACK STABBERS)
Words and Music by Leon Huff, Gene McFadden & John Whitehead
Transcribed by Slowhand
Gtr I (E A D G) - 'Ronnie Baker - Bass'
Intro
Q=116
4/4
Gtr I
W H E E E E Q E E E E E E
|----------|--------5-----|------5-------5-|
|----------|----------5---|----5-------5---|
|----------|------------6-|-3--------3-----|
|----------|--------------|----------------|
Q E E E E E E Q E E E E E E Q E E E E E E Q. Q. Q
|------5-------5-|------3-------3-|------3-------3-|-1----0--------|
|----5-------5---|----3-------3---|----3-------3---|-----------3---|
|-3--------3-----|-1--------1-----|-1--------1-----|---------------|
|----------------|----------------|----------------|---------------|
+W Q. E Q. E E E E E E E E E Q E E E E E E
|------------|---------------|-----------------|------5-------5--|
|-(3)--------|-5----5-5----5-|-5-5-3-3---------|----5-------5----|
|------------|---------------|---------6-6-5-5-|-3--------3------|
|------------|---------------|-----------------|-----------------|
Q E E E E E E Q E E E E E E Q E E E E E E Q. Q. Q
|------5-------5-|------3-------3-|------3-------3-|-1----0--------|
|----5-------5---|----3-------3---|----3-------3---|-----------3---|
|-3--------3-----|-1--------1-----|-1--------1-----|---------------|
|----------------|----------------|----------------|---------------|
Chorus
+W E E E E E E E E E E Q H Q. E Q. E
|------------|-----------------|-------------||----------------|
|-(3)--------|-5-5-5-----5-5---|-5-----------||----------------|
|------------|-----------------|-------------||-3----3-3-------|
|------------|-----------------|-------------||----------------|
Q. E Q. E Q. E +Q Q +Q Q E Q E Q. E Q. E
|---------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
|---------------|----------------|------5--5-5----|----------------|
|-1----1-1------|------1-(1)-----|----------------|-3----3-3-------|
|---------------|-4-----------3--|-(3)------------|----------------|
1st & 2nd Verses
Q. E Q. E Q. E +Q Q +Q Q E Q E E Q E E E Q
|---------------|----------------|----------------||--5-5--3-3---5---|
|---------------|----------------|------5--5-5----||o----------5-----|
|-1----1-1------|------1-(1)-----|----------------||o----------------|
|---------------|-4-----------3--|-(3)------------||-----------------|
+E E E E Q Q Q E Q E Q +E E E E E E +Q E Q E +E E Q
|-(5)-5-3---5--3--|--------------|--------------------|-5-5--3-(3)---5---|
|---------5-------|-3---------3--|-(3)-3-----3--------|------------5-----|
|-----------------|------6--3----|-------6-3---6-(6)--|------------------|
|-----------------|--------------|--------------------|------------------|
Pre-Chorus
+E E E E Q Q Q E E +E E Q +E E E E E E +Q Q. E Q. E
|-(5)-5-3---5--3--|-----------------|--------------------||----------------|
|---------5-------|-3------------3--|-(3)-3-----3--------||----------------|
|-----------------|------6-(6)-3----|-------6-3---6-(6)--||-6----6-6-------|
|-----------------|-----------------|--------------------||----------------|
Q. E Q Q E Q E E Q E E Q E Q Q Q. E Q. E
|--------------|---------------|--------------|----------------|
|-6----6-6--6--|---------------|--------------|----------------|
|--------------|---------------|--------------|-6----6-6-------|
|--------------|-6-6--6-6-6--6-|-6-6--6-6--6--|----------------|
Q. E Q Q Q. E Q. E E E E E E E E E E E Q H
|--------------|---------------|-----------------|-------------||
|-6----6-6--6--|-3----3-3------|-5-5-5-----5-5---|-5-----------||
|--------------|---------------|-----------------|-------------||
|--------------|---------------|-----------------|-------------||
Pre-Chorus
1.
Q. E Q. E Q. E Q. E Q. E +Q Q +Q Q E Q E
|---------------|---------------|----------------|------------------||
|---------------|---------------|----------------|------5--5-5-----o||
|-3----3-3------|-1----1-1------|------1-(1)-----|-----------------o||
|---------------|---------------|-4-----------3--|-(3)--------------||
Interlude
2.
Q. E +Q Q +Q Q E Q E Q E E E E E E Q E E E E E E
|----------------|----------------||------5-------5-|------5-------5--|
|----------------|------5--5-5----||----5-------5---|----5-------5----|
|------1-(1)-----|----------------||-3--------3-----|-3--------3------|
|-4-----------3--|-(3)------------||----------------|-----------------|
Q E E E E E E Q E E E E E E Q. Q. Q +W
|------3-------3-|------3-------3-|-1----0-------|--------|
|----3-------3---|----3-------3---|-----------3--|-(3)----|
|-1--------1-----|-1--------1-----|--------------|--------|
|----------------|----------------|--------------|--------|
Q. E Q. E E E E E E E E E Q. E Q. E
|---------------|-----------------||----------------|
|-5----5-5----5-|-5-5-3-3---------||o---------------|
|---------------|---------6-6-5-5-||o-3----3-3------|
|---------------|-----------------||----------------|
Q. E Q. E Q. E +Q Q +Q Q E Q E 3x
|---------------|----------------|-----------------||
|---------------|----------------|------5--5-5----o||
|-1----1-1------|------1-(1)-----|----------------o||
|---------------|-4-----------3--|-(3)-------------||
Duration 🏷Legend
---------------
W - whole; H - half; Q - quarter; E - 8th; S - 16th; T - 32nd; X - 64th; a - acciaccatura
+ - note tied to previous; . - note dotted; .. - note double dotted
Uncapitalized letters represent notes that are staccato (1/2 duration)
Irregular groupings are notated above the duration line
Duration letters will always appear directly above the note/fret number it represents the
duration for. Duration letters with no fret number below them represent rests. Multi-
bar rests are notated in the form Wxn, where n is the number of bars to rest for. Low
melody durations appear below the staff
Tablature 🏷Legend
----------------
h - hammer-on
p - pull-off
b - bend
pb - pre-bend
r - bend release (if no number after the r, then release immediately)
/\ - slide into or out of (from/to "nowhere")
s - legato slide
S - shift slide
- natural harmonic
[n] - artificial harmonic
n(n) - tapped harmonic
~ - vibrato
tr - trill
T - tap
TP - trem. picking
PM - palm muting
\n/ - tremolo bar dip; n = amount to dip
\n - tremolo bar down
n/ - tremolo bar up
/n\ - tremolo bar inverted dip
= - hold bend; also acts as connecting device for hammers/pulls
<> - volume swell (louder/softer)
x - on rhythm slash represents muted slash
o - on rhythm slash represents single note slash
Misc 🏷Legend
-----------
| - bar
|| - double bar
||o - repeat start
o|| - repeat end
*| - double bar (ending)
: - bar (freetime)
$ - Segno
& - Coda
Tempo markers - = BPM(8/16=s8/s16), where s8 = swing 8ths, s16 = swing 16ths