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Josie Bass Tab by Steely Dan

Josie bass tab by Steely Dan

Bass Tab

JOSIE (Bassline)
                            As recorded by Steely Dan
                            (From the 1977 Album AJA)

Words by Donald Fagen  Music by Steely Dan
Transcribed by Craig Wynne

This is a more complete, and hopefully, correct version.

4/4  Intro
  Wx5          H    H      Q.   H    +E    W
|------------|-----------|---------------|------|
|------------|-----------|---------------|------|
|------------|-----------|---------------|------|
|------------|-1----2----|-3----4----(4)-|------|

                                       1st Verse
    E Q  S E E E.  E   H      H     4x H    E Q  E   H    E Q  E
||----------------11/|12\-----------||-------------|-------------|
||o---------------13/|14\----------o||-------------|-------------|
||o------4h5---------|-------------o||------4-5--5-|------5-4--4-|
||--0--------0-------|--------------||-0-----------|-0-----------|
                        | These fills may have
                        v some slight distortion.
  E E E E Q  E E   H     E E  E E   H    E Q  E   Q..   S E Q  E
|----------------|---------4----5-|-------------|----------------|
|----------------|------/5---/7---|-------------|----------------|
|-7-5---4-5--5---|-7--------------|------4-5--5-|---------5-4--4-|
|-----0--------0-|----------------|-0-----------|-0-----0--------|


  Q  E H    S S   Q  E H    +E    H    E Q  E   Q..   S E Q  E
|---------------|---------------|-------------|------------------|
|---------------|---------------|-------------|------------------|
|-5--4-3--------|---------------|------4-5--5-|---------4-5------|
|-----------0-0-|-3--2-1----(1)-|-0-----------|-0-----0------3S==|


  Q.   E Q.   E   Q  Q  H      H    E Q  E   H    H
|---------------|------------|-------------|-----------|
|---------------|----5--3----|-------------|-----------|
|---------------|-3----------|------4-5--5-|-----------|
|-5----0-0----0-|------------|-0-----------|-3----5----|

                             1st Chorus
  H    E Q  E   H    H       H    H      H    H
|-------------|-----------||-----------|-----------|
|-------------|-----------||-----------|-2----3----|
|------4-5--5-|-----------||------2----|-----------|
|-0-----------|-0----1----||-2---------|-----------|


  H    H      H    Q.   E   E E E Q  E E E   E E E H    +E
|-----------|-------------|---5-6-7--------|-----4-5----(5)-|
|-4---------|-------------|-7--------7---5-|-5-7------------|
|------2----|------0----0-|------------5---|----------------|
|-----------|-0-----------|----------------|----------------|

                                  2nd Verse
  Q  H.        E E E E E E E E    H    E Q  E   Q.    E  E  E  Q
|------------|---4---5---6---7-||-------------|------11/12\11/12----|
|----4-------|-----------------||-------------|------13/14\13/14----|
|------------|-2---3---4---5---||------4-5--5-|---------------------|
|-2----------|-----------------||-0-----------|-0-------------------|


  H    E Q  E   Q.    E  E  E  Q    Q  +E. S E Q  E   Q  +E. S E Q  E
|-------------|------11/12\11/12--|-----------------|-----------------|
|-------------|------13/14\13/14--|-----------------|-----------------|
|------4-5--5-|-------------------|----------4-5--5-|----------5-4--5-|
|-0-----------|-0-----------------|-0--(0)-0--------|-0--(0)-0--------|


  E E E E Q  E E   H     E E  E E   H    E Q  E   Q..   S E Q  E
|----------------|---------4----5-|-------------|----------------|
|----------------|------/5---/7---|-------------|----------------|
|---5---4-5--5---|-7--------------|------4-5--5-|---------5-4--4-|
|-0---0--------0-|----------------|-0-----------|-0-----0--------|


  Q  E Q  E E S S   Q  E H    +E    H    E Q  E   Q  +E. S  E E E E
|-----------------|---------------|-------------|--------------------|
|-----------------|---------------|-------------|-------------0------|
|-5--4-3----------|---------------|------4-5--5-|----------/2--------|
|---------0-0-1-1-|-3--2-1----(1)-|-0-----------|-0--(0)-0------3S4--|


  Q.   E Q.   E   Q  Q  H      H    E Q  E   H    H
|---------------|------------|-------------|-----------|
|---------------|----5--3----|-------------|-----------|
|---------------|-3----------|------4-5--5-|-----------|
|-5----0-0----0-|------------|-0-----------|-3----5----|

                                 2nd Chorus
  Q  +E. S E Q  E   H    H       H    H      H    H
|-----------------|-----------||-----------|-----------|
|-----------------|-----------||-----------|-2----3----|
|----------4-5--5-|-----------||------2----|-----------|
|-0--(0)-0--------|-0----1----||-2---------|-----------|


  H    H      H    H       E E E Q  E E E   E E E H    +E
|-----------|-----------|----5-6-7--------|-----4-5----(5)-|
|-4---------|-----------|-/7--------7---5-|-5-7------------|
|------2----|------0----|-------------5---|----------------|
|-----------|-0---------|-----------------|----------------|

                              Bridge
  Q  H.        Q  Q  Q  Q     E E Q.   E E E   E E H.
|------------|-------------||-0-2------------|---0-------|
|----4-------|-------------||----------0---2-|-----------|
|------------|-2--2--2--2--||----------------|-----------|
|-2----------|-------------||----------------|-----------|


  E E Q.   E E E   E E Q  E E Q    E E Q.   E E E   E E H.
|-0-2------------|---0-----------|-0-2------------|---0-------|
|----------0---2-|---------------|----------0---2-|-----------|
|----------------|--------0-2----|----------------|-----------|
|----------------|---------------|----------------|-----------|

  Staccato                            This measure is too noisy
                                  to hear, but this sounds good.
  s s  s s  s s  s s  s s a  s E. E   E E E E E E Q
|----------11--------11---9h11------|----------------*|
|-----11--------11------------------|-----2-------5--*|
|-9---------------------------------|---2---2---5----*|
|---------------------------------0-|-0-------3------*|

As stated in James' version, the rest of the song is just
variations on the previous bass parts.



************************************************************************
Generated using Power Tab Editor by Brad Larsen -
http://powertab.guitarnetwork.org *
************************************************************************


                        Josie (Bass Line) -   Steely Dan
                      -------------------------------------


                          From the studio Aja record

                                  Tabbed by James T. McKinley


THIS IS DEFINITELY APPROXIMATE
I've played it against the guitar chords and soloed over it using a
digital 8 track, but there are no doubt some nuances that have been
left out and maybe a few wrong notes (I'm mainly a guitar player
who figured it out for a bass player friend who was having difficulty)
but this seems to work OK.

4
- time
4

b=bend up
r=release bend
h=hammer on
p=pull off
/=slide up
\=slide down


Guitar + Keys Intro:

Bass comes in on last 4 chords of intro:

G----------------------------------------------------------------
D----------------------------------------------------------------
A-------9--------------------------------------------------------
E-1------------3-------4-----------------------------------------


Guitar Groove: (Play 4X)

G--------------------11/12\--------------------------------------
D--------------------11/12\--------------------------------------
A-------4--5-----------------------------------------------------
E-0-----------0--------------------------------------------------


Vocals:

Verse:
We're gonna break out the hats and hooters...
G----------------------------------------------------------------
D----------------------------------------------------------------
A--------------5--5h7----------5--4-----5--4--5--4--5------------
E-0-----0--/7---------0-----0--------0-----------------0--0--0---

G------------------
D-------11---12----
A----/9---/10------
E-0----------------


We're gonna rev up the motor scooters...
G----------------------------------------------------------------
D----------------------------------------------------------------
A--------------5--5h7----------5--4------5-4-3-------------------
E-0-----0--/7---------0-----0------------------------3-2-1-------


Sleep on the beach and make it...
G----------------------------------------------------------------
D----------------------------------------------------------------
A--------------5--5h7----------5--4--------------------5-3-------
E-0-----0--/7---------0-----0---------0-5---5-5---5--3-----------


Lay down the law...
G----------------------------------------------------------------
D----------------------------------------------------------------
A--------------5--5h7--------------------------------------------
E-0-----0--/7-----------3------------5---------------------------


Chorus:
  When Josie comes home, so good, she's...
G----------------------------------------------------------------
D----------------------------------------------------------------
A----------5-5---7--8---------7--8---------7------------4-5------
E-0---0-/7-------------2--7---------2--7------5--0-/5-7----------

G----------------------------------------------------------------
D----------------------------------------------------------------
A--------2-3---3------2--2--2--2---------------------------------
E-0-/3-5----------2----------------------------------------------



Guitar Groove: (Play 2X)



Second Verse (same as the first basswise):



Solo Break:
G----------------------------------------------------------------
D--5--7----------5-----5--7---------5------------5--7----------5-
A----------5--7---------------5--7-----------------------5--7----
E--------------------------------------5--7----------------------


G---------11---9--11--
D------11---11--------
A---------------------
E---------------------


Basically repeat Vocal Section (solo for verse, then vocals on chorus)
but with a somewhat different beginning bass part like


G--------------------------------------------       Play 3 X
D---------------------------------11---12----

Last updated: September 10, 2025

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Steely Dan bass tabs for Josie

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