TIME IS TIGHT (Bassline)
As recorded by Booker T. & The MG's
(From the 1969 Album UP TIGHT)
Words and Music by Al Jackson, Steve Cropper, Donald Dunn & Booker T. Jones
Transcribed by Slowhand
Gtr I (E A D G) - 'Donald "Duck" Dunn - Bass'
Q=138
4/4
Gtr I
Q E E E E E E +E E E E +E E E E
||-----------------|----------------------||
||o----------------|---------------------o||
||o-3--3---3-----3-|-(3)-----3-(3)-------o||
||-------5---5-3---|-----5-3-------5-3-5--||
$
Q E E E E E E +E E E E +E E E E
|-||-----------------|----------------------|
|-||o----------------|----------------------|
|-||o-3--3---3-----3-|-(3)-----3-(3)--------|
|-||-------5---5-3---|-----5-3-------5-3-5--|
Q E E E E E E +E E E E +E E E E Q E E E E E E +E E E E +E E E E
|----------------|---------------------|----------------|---------------------|
|----------------|---------------------|----------------|---------------------|
|-3--3---3-----3-|-(3)-----3-(3)-------|-3--3---3-----3-|-(3)-----3-(3)-------|
|------5---5-3---|-----5-3-------5-3-5-|------5---5-3---|-----5-3-------5-3-5-|
Q E E E E E E +E E E E +E E E E Q E E E E E E +E E E E +E E E E
|----------------|---------------------|----------------|---------------------|
|-3--3---3-----3-|-(3)-----3-(3)-------|-3--3---3-----3-|-(3)-----3-(3)-------|
|------5---5-3---|-----5-3-------5-3-5-|------5---5-3---|-----5-3-------5-3-5-|
|----------------|---------------------|----------------|---------------------|
Q E E E E E E +E E E E +E E E E
|----------------|---------------------|
|----------------|---------------------|
|-3--3---3-----3-|-(3)-----3-(3)-------|
|------5---5-3---|-----5-3-------5-3-5-|
To Coda
Q E E E E E E +E E E E +E E E E
|----------------|------------------------||
|----------------|-----------------------o||
|-3--3---3-----3-|-(3)-----3-(3)---------o||
|------5---5-3---|-----5-3-------5-3-5----||
Q. E Q. E H Q Q Q. E E E E E Q. E Q E E
|---------------|------------|----------------|---------------|
|-5----5-5----5-|-5----5-----|-5----5-----2---|-5----5----3-4-|
|---------------|---------5--|--------2-5---5-|--------5------|
|---------------|------------|----------------|---------------|
Q. E Q. E H Q Q Q. E E E E E Q Q Q Q
|---------------|------------|----------------|-------------||
|-5----5-5----5-|-5----5-----|-5----5-----2---|-5--3--2-----||
|---------------|---------5--|--------2-5---5-|----------5--||
|---------------|------------|----------------|-------------||
Q E E E E E E +E E E E +E E E E Q E E E E E E +E E E E +E E E E
|----------------|---------------------|----------------|---------------------|
|----------------|---------------------|----------------|---------------------|
|-3--3---3-----3-|-(3)-----3-(3)-------|-3--3-0-3-0---3-|-(3)-0---3-(3)-0---0-|
|------5---5-3---|-----5-3-------5-3-5-|------------3---|-------3---------3---|
Q E E E E E E +E E E E +E E E E Q E E E E E E +E E E E +E E E E
|----------------|---------------------|----------------|---------------------|
|----------------|---------------------|-3--3---3-----3-|-(3)-----3-(3)-------|
|-3--3---3-----3-|-(3)-----3-(3)-------|------5---5-3---|-----5-3-------5-3-5-|
|------5---5-3---|-----5-3-------5-3-5-|----------------|---------------------|
Q E E E E E E +E E E E +E E E E Q E E E E E E +E E E E +E E E E
|----------------|---------------------|----------------|---------------------|
|-3--3---3-----3-|-(3)-----3-(3)-------|----------------|---------------------|
|------5---5-3---|-----5-3-------5-3-5-|-3--3---3-----3-|-(3)-----3-(3)-------|
|----------------|---------------------|------5---5-3---|-----5-3-------5-3-5-|
Q E E E E E E +E E E E +E E E E
|----------------|---------------------|
|----------------|---------------------|
|-3--3---3-----3-|-(3)-----3-(3)-------|
|------5---5-3---|-----5-3-------5-3-5-|
Q E E E E E E +E E E E +E E E E
||-----------------|---------------------|
||o----------------|---------------------|
||o-3--3---3-----3-|-(3)-----3-(3)-------|
||-------5---5-3---|-----5-3-------5-3-5-|
Q E E E E E E +E E E E +E E E E
|----------------|----------------------||
|----------------|---------------------o||
|-3--3---3-----3-|-(3)-----3-(3)-------o||
|------5---5-3---|-----5-3-------5-3-5--||
Q E E E E E E +E E E E +E E E E
|----------------|---------------------|
|-3--3---3-----3-|-(3)-----3-(3)-------|
|------5---5-3---|-----5-3-------5-3-5-|
|----------------|---------------------|
Q E E E E E E +E E E E +E E E E Q E E E E E E +E E E E +E E E E
|----------------|---------------------|----------------|---------------------|
|-3--3---3-----3-|-(3)-----3-(3)-------|----------------|---------------------|
|------5---5-3---|-----5-3-------5-3-5-|-3--3---3-----3-|-(3)-----3-(3)-------|
|----------------|---------------------|------5---5-3---|-----5-3-------5-3-5-|
Q E E E E E E +E E E E +E E E E Q. E Q. E H Q Q
|----------------|---------------------||----------------|------------|
|----------------|---------------------||o-5----5-5----5-|-5----5-----|
|-3--3---3-----3-|-(3)-----3-(3)-------||o---------------|---------5--|
|------5---5-3---|-----5-3-------5-3-5-||----------------|------------|
1. 2.
D.S. al Coda
Q. E E E E E Q. E Q E E Q. E E E E E Q Q Q Q
|----------------|----------------||----------------|-------------||
|-5----5-----2---|-5----5----3-4-o||-5----5-----2---|-5--3--2-----||
|--------2-5---5-|--------5------o||--------2-5---5-|----------5--||
|----------------|----------------||----------------|-------------||
&
Q E E E E E E +E E E E +E E E E Q E E E E E E
|----------------|---------------------|----------------|
|----------------|---------------------|----------------|
|-3--3---3-----3-|-(3)-----3-(3)-------|-3--3---3-----3-|
|------5---5-3---|-----5-3-------5-3-5-|------5---5-3---|
+E E E E +E E E E Q E E E E E E
|---------------------|----------------|
|---------------------|----------------|
|-(3)-----3-(3)-------|-3--3---3-----3-|
|-----5-3-------5-3-5-|------5---5-3---|
+E E E E +E E E E Q E E E E E E
|---------------------||-----------------|
|---------------------||o----------------|
|-(3)-----3-(3)-------||o-3--3---3-----3-|
|-----5-3-------5-3-5-||-------5---5-3---|
+E E E E +E E E E Q E E E E E E +E E E E +E E E E
|---------------------|----------------|----------------------||
|---------------------|----------------|---------------------o||
|-(3)-----3-(3)-------|-3--3---3-----3-|-(3)-----3-(3)-------o||
|-----5-3-------5-3-5-|------5---5-3---|-----5-3-------5-3-5--||
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
