BIRTHDAY (Bassline)
As recorded by The Beatles
(From the 1968 Album THE BEATLES (WHITE ALBUM))
Words and Music by John Lennon & Paul McCartney
Transcribed by Slowhand
Gtr I (E A D G) - 'Paul McCartney - Bass'
Intro
Q=140
4/4
Gtr I
W E E E E E E +E E E E E E E E +E E E E E E E E +E E
|----------||--------------------|-------------------|-------------------|
|----------||o---------5-4-(4)---|---------5-4-(4)---|---------7-4-(4)---|
|----------||o-----4-7---------7-|-----4-7---------7-|-----4-5---------7-|
|----------||--5-5---------------|-5-5---------------|-5-5---------------|
E E E E E E +E E E E E E E E +E E
|-------------------|---------5-4-(4)----|
|---------5-4-(4)---|-----4-7---------7\-|
|-----4-7---------7-|-5-5----------------|
|-5-5---------------|--------------------|
E E E E E E +E E E E E E E E +E E
|---------5-4-(4)----|-------------------|
|-----4-7---------7\-|---------5-4-(4)---|
|-5-5----------------|-----4-7---------7-|
|--------------------|-5-5---------------|
E E E E E E +E E E E E E E E +E E
|-------------------|---------7-6-(6)----|
|---------5-4-(4)---|-----6-9---------9\-|
|-----4-7---------7-|-7-7----------------|
|-5-5---------------|--------------------|
E E E E E E +E E E E E E E E +E E
|---------7-6-(6)----|-------------------|
|-----6-9---------9\-|---------5-4-(4)---|
|-7-7----------------|-----4-7---------7-|
|--------------------|-5-5---------------|
Verses
1.
$$
E E E E E E +E E E E E E E E +E E
|-------------------||-------------------|
|---------5-4-(4)---||---------5-4-(4)---|
|-----4-7---------7-||-----4-7---------7-|
|-5-5---------------||-5-5---------------|
E E E E E E +E E E E E E E E +E E
|-------------------|-------------------|
|---------5-4-(4)---|---------7-4-(4)---|
|-----4-7---------7-|-----4-5---------7-|
|-5-5---------------|-5-5---------------|
E E E E E E +E E E E E E E E +E E
|-------------------|---------5-4-(4)----|
|---------5-4-(4)---|-----4-7---------7\-|
|-----4-7---------7-|-5-5----------------|
|-5-5---------------|--------------------|
E E E E E E +E E E E E E E E +E E
|---------5-4-(4)----|-------------------|
|-----4-7---------7\-|---------5-4-(4)---|
|-5-5----------------|-----4-7---------7-|
|--------------------|-5-5---------------|
E E E E E E +E E E E E E E E +E E
|-------------------|---------7-6-(6)----|
|---------5-4-(4)---|-----6-9---------9\-|
|-----4-7---------7-|-7-7----------------|
|-5-5---------------|--------------------|
To Dbl. Coda
E E E E E E +E E E E E E E E +E E
|---------7-6-(6)-----|-------------------|
|-----6-9---------9\--|---------5-4-(4)---|
|-7-7-----------------|-----4-7---------7-|
|---------------------|-5-5---------------|
Interlude
E E E E E E +E E E E Q H Wx7
|-------------------||-------------|--------||
|---------5-4-(4)---||-------------|--------||
|-----4-7---------7-||-------------|--------||
|-5-5---------------||-5-----------|--------||
E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-|-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-|-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-|-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-|-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-|-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
Bridge
$
E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E
|-----------------||-----------------|-----------------|------------------|
|-----------------||-----2-2-3-3-4-4-|-5-5-3-3-2-2-----|-----2-2-3-3-4-4--|
|-7-7-7-7-7-7-5-5-||-3-3-------------|-------------5-5-|-3-3--------------|
|-----------------||-----------------|-----------------|------------------|
E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-5-5-3-3-2-2-----|-----2-2-3-3-4-4-|-5-5-3-3-2-2-----|-----2-2-3-3-4-4-|
|-------------5-5-|-3-3-------------|-------------5-5-|-3-3-------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
To Coda
E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E
|------------------|-----------------|
|-5-5-6-6-7-7-8-8--|-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-|
|------------------|-----------------|
|------------------|-----------------|
2.
E E a E E E E a E E E E E E E E E E
|----------------------||-------------------|
|---------------------o||-------5---7---5---|
|-7-7-5s7-7-7-7-5s7-7-o||---7---------------|
|----------------------||-5-----------------|
D.S. al Coda &
E E E E H E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E
|--------------|---------------5-|-/9-7-5------------||------------------|
|--------------|-------5---7-----|--------7-5-5-5-5--||-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9--|
|-7-5-3--------|---7-------------|-------------------||------------------|
|-------5-3----|-5---------------|-------------------||------------------|
Outro
D.S.S. al Dbl. Coda &&
E E a E E E E a E E E E E E E E E E
|----------------------||-----------------|
|----------------------||---------5-4-----|
|-7-7-5s7-7-7-7-5s7-7--||-----4-7-----7---|
|----------------------||-5-5-----------5-|
H.=H
+E E E E E E E E +E E E E E E E E +W +W
|-------------------|-------------------|------------|--------*|
|-----------5-4-----|-----------5-4-----|------------|--------*|
|-------4-7-----7---|-------4-7-----7---|------------|--------*|
|-(5)-5-----------5-|-(5)-5-----------5-|-(5)--------|-(5)----*|
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
