Bass tabs
PRIMUS - Jerry was a Race Car Driver
Notes on notation: Since flamenco style strumming is a big part of
Les Claypool's style, I will denote a down-stroke strum (played by
strumming with your picking hand fingernails) with a "V", and an
up-stroke strum (you can use your thumbnail, or the pads of your
fingertips) with a "^". I will try to stick to the faq for the rest
of the notation, (or at least make it understandable). Also, I will
indicate vibrato by writing "/\/\/\/\/\/\/" above the staff. Triplets
will be indicated by "|-3-|" also above the staff, the triplets shoud
be played with three fingers, starting with your ring finger (that's
the easiest way I've found to play them).
From Guitar School Magazine
six string fretless bass arranged for four string fretless.
t = right hand tap
h = right hand tap (hammer on)
main riff
G-|--23t---------24t-------------23t---23t---23t--------------|-
D-|*-22t---------23t-------------22t---22t---22t-------------*|-
A-|*---------------------------------------------15h-16h-18h-*|-
E-|------16h-15h-----18h-17h-16h------------------------------|-
main riff variant
G-|--25t---------25t-------------25t---25t---25t---------|-
D-|*-24t---------24t-------------24t---24t---24t--------*|-
A-|*----------------------------------------------19h\--*|-
E-|------16h-15h-----18h-17h-16h------------------19h\---|-
Note: about 99.9% of the basses in existance do not have a 25th fret.
My fretless has only 24, but I hit the G-string at the very end of the
fingerboard, which sounds about right. You could raise your G-string
to a G# if you wanted to.
Ahh yes, the chorus. This section requires slapping and strumming.
It also requires some big ol' distortion. All of the pedals that I
have tried gives me the sound that Cliff Burton got on "Anestasia,
Pulling Teeth". But I still have no clue to get the "motorcycle" tone
that Claypool gets. Any suggestions? E-mail me or post anything that
might help all of us Primus fans. I know that he has an ADA bass
preamp, that runs about $600. There has to be a less-expensive
solution. Back to the chorus, it requires that you play a low D
during one part. I guess that if you had a Hipshot detuner, you could
change the string down to a D, and back up. I just play a low E and
hope that I don't offend anybody. I will write the D on a B string as
if you were playing a five string bass. I will write down the
variants, listen to the tape to figure out the order that you play
them.
main chorus riff
V ^ V
G-|---------------------------------------17-18-20--|-
D-|*--------------------------------------17-18-20--|-
A-|*------------------------------------------------|-
E-|--0S-3S-2p-0p-0S-5S-3p-2p-0p--0S---0S------------|-
variant one
V ^ V ^ V ^
G-|-----------------------------------20-20-20-20-20-20\---|-
D-|*----------------------------------20-20-20-20-20-20\--*|-
A-|*------------------------------------------------------*|-
E-|--0S-3S-2p-0p-0S-5S-3p-2p-0p--0S------------------------|-
variant two
G-|----------------------------------------------|-
D-|*--------------------------------------------*|-
A-|*--------------------------------------------*|-
E-|--0S-3S-2p-0p-0S-5S-3p-2p-0p--0S--------------|-
B-|------------------------------------3S-4S-----|-
For the interlude at the end between two of the chorus sections, you
could just tap anywhere on the fretboard (hitting at least two of the
strings) for three measures, do some swooping slides, and then do the
final chorus, or you could make up your own part.
