WHAT'S GOING ON (Bassline)

As recorded by Marvin Gaye
(From the 1971 Album WHAT'S GOING ON)

Words and Music by Marvin Gaye, Al Cleveland & Renaldo Benson
Transcribed by Slowhand


Gtr I (E A D G) - 'James Jamerson - Bass'


 Intro
  Q=92
 4/4
  Gtr I
  Q  +E. S +E  E E E   Q  +E. S +E  E E E
|--------------------|--------------------|
|--------------------|----------------2---|
|--------2-(2)-4-2-4-|--------2-(2)-4---4-|
|-0--(0)-------------|-0--(0)-------------|


  Q  +E. S +E  E E E   Q  +E. S +S  E S E E
|--------------------|----------------------||
|--------------------|----------------------||
|--------2-(2)-4-2-4-|--------------4-4-2-4-||
|-0--(0)-------------|-0--(0)-4-(4)---------||


   1st - 3rd Verses
    $
    E E +E. S +E  E E E   E E +E  S S E. S +E  E
||----------------------|-----------1----------1-|
||o-----------------2---|-2-2-(2)-x---2--4-(4)---|
||o---------2-(2)-4---4-|------------------------|
||--0-0-(0)-------------|------------------------|


  Q  +E. S +S  S E E E   Q  +E. S E. S +E  E
|----------------------|---------------------|
|----------------------|--------x----------1-|
|-4--(4)-4-(4)-2---2-3-|-4--(4)---4--4-(4)---|
|----------------4-----|---------------------|


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


  H    Q  E E   E. S E. S +S  S S S E E
|-6-----------|--------------------------|
|-----------6-|--------------------------|
|-------------|-4--2----2-(2)-x-3-3-4----|
|-------------|------4----------------4--|


  E Q.   +E. S S S E   Q  +E. S E S S +E  E
|--------------------|----------------------|
|--------------4-2---|-4--(4)---------------|
|------------4-----4-|--------4---x-4-(4)-3-|
|-2-2----(2)---------|----------2-----------|


 1.
  Q  +E. S +S  E S E E   S S E S S S S E E S S E
|--------------------2-|-4-2---4-2----------------||
|--------1-(1)-2-3-4---|-----4-----4-------2-----o||
|-2--(2)---------------|-------------x-2-4---4-2-o||
|----------------------|--------------------------||


  2.,D.S.
  Q  +E. S +S  E S E S S   S S S S E. S E E S S S S
|--------------------2-3-|-4-2----------------------||
|--------1-(1)-2-3-4-----|-----4------x-------------||
|-2--(2)-----------------|-------0-2----2-2---------||
|------------------------|------------------5-5-4-3-||


 Pre-Chorus
  E E +E. S +E  E E E   S E S E. S E. S E S S
|---------------------|-------------------------|
|---------------------|-------------------------|
|-----------------4-3-|-2-2-2-------------------|
|-2-2-(2)-5-(5)-4-----|-------5--5-4--5-4-3-0---|


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


  E E +E. S E. S +E  E   Q  +E. S E. S +E  E
|----------------------|----------------------||
|-4-4-(4)--------------|--------1----------1--||
|---------4----4-(4)-3-|-2--(2)---2--4-(4)----||
|-----------2----------|----------------------||


 Chorus
  Q  +E. S E. S +E  S S   E E +E. S E E E E
|--------1----------1---|-------------------|
|-2--(2)---2--4-(4)-----|-------------------|
|---------------------x-|-4-4-(4)-2---4-2-4-|
|-----------------------|-----------4-------|


  H    E. S +E  S S   H    S S S S S S S S
|-------------------|-----------------------||
|------2--4-(4)-6-2-|-----------------------||
|-------------------|-4------x-4-4-3-3-2-1--||
|-0-----------------|-----------------------||


 Interlude 1
  E E +E. S +S  E S S S E   E E +E. S E. S S S E
|---------------2---2-----|-----------2----2-----|
|---------2-(2)---2---x-2-|---------2----2---x-2-|
|-0-0-(0)-----------------|-0-0-(0)--------------|
|-------------------------|----------------------|


  E E +E. S +S  E S S S E   Q  +E. S +S  E S S S E
|---------------2---2-----|--------------2---2-----|
|---------2-(2)---2---x-2-|--------2-(2)---2---x-2-|
|-0-0-(0)-----------------|-0--(0)-----------------|
|-------------------------|------------------------|


  E E +E. S +S  E S S S E   Q  +E. S +S  E S S S S S
|---------------2---2-----|--------------2---2---2---|
|---------2-(2)---2---x-2-|--------2-(2)---2---x---2-|
|-0-0-(0)-----------------|-0--(0)-------------------|
|-------------------------|--------------------------|


  E E +E. S +S  E S S S E   Q  +E. S +S  E S S S S S
|---------------2---2-----|--------------2---2---------||
|---------2-(2)---2---x-2-|--------2-(2)---2---2-------||
|-0-0-(0)-----------------|-0--(0)---------------0-1---||
|-------------------------|----------------------------||


 Interlude 2
  E E +E. S +S  E S E E   E. S S E S +E  E S S S S
|---------------------2-|-4--x---------------------|
|---------1-(1)-2-x-4---|------1-1-2-(2)-3-4-------|
|-2-2-(2)---------------|--------------------4---4-|
|-----------------------|----------------------2---|


                                                     D.S.
  E. S +S  E S +S  E S E E   S S E S S E S S S S S S S S
|------------------------2-|-4-2---4-2---4-2---------------||
|----1-(1)-1-2-(2)-2-3-4---|-----4-----4-----4-------2-----||
|-2------------------------|-------------------0-2-4---4---||
|--------------------------|-------------------------------||


 Outro
  E E +E. S +S  E S E E   E E +E. S +S  E S S S E
|---------------2---2---|---------------2---2-----|
|---------2-(2)---2---2-|---------2-(2)---2---2-2-|
|-0-0-(0)---------------|-0-0-(0)-----------------|
|-----------------------|-------------------------|


  E E +E. S +S  E S S S E   E E +E. S S E S S S S S
|---------------2---2-----|-------------2---2---2-----*|
|---------2-(2)---2---2-2-|---------2-2---2---2---2---*|
|-0-0-(0)-----------------|-0-0-(0)-------------------*|
|-------------------------|---------------------------*|


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