ONLY YESTERDAY (Bassline)
As recorded by The Carpenters
(From the 1975 Album HORIZON)
Words and Music by Richard Carpenter & John Bettis
Transcribed by Slowhand
Gtr I (E A D G) - 'Joe Osborn - Bass'
Intro
Q=130
4/4
Gtr I
Wx2
|--------|
|--------|
|--------|
|--------|
1st Verse
Q E E Q. E Q E E Q. E Q E E Q. E Q E E Q. E
|---------------|---------------|---------------|----------------|
|-1----1-1------|-1----1-1------|-1----1-1------|-1----1-1-------|
|---------------|---------------|---------------|----------------|
|---------------|---------------|---------------|----------------|
Q E E Q. E Q E E Q. E Q E E Q. E Q E E Q Q
|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
|-1----1-1------|-1----1-1------|-1----1-1------|-1----1-1--0---|
|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
Q E E Q E E Q E E Q Q Q E E Q Q Q E E Q Q
|---------------|-2----2-2-----|-----------1--|-0----0-0------|
|---------------|-----------3--|--------------|-----------1---|
|-3----3-3--1---|--------------|-1----1-1-----|---------------|
|---------------|--------------|--------------|---------------|
Q E E Q Q Q E E Q Q Q E E Q E E Q E E E E Q
|-1----1-1--0--|---------------|---------------|-----------------||
|--------------|-3----3-3------|---------------|-----------------||
|--------------|-----------3\--|-1----1-1----1-|-1----1-1-0-1/---||
|--------------|---------------|---------------|-----------------||
2nd Verse
Q E E Q. E Q E E Q. E Q E E Q. E Q E E Q. E
|---------------|---------------|---------------|----------------|
|-1----1-1------|-1----1-1------|-1----1-1------|-1----1-1-------|
|---------------|---------------|---------------|----------------|
|---------------|---------------|---------------|----------------|
Q E E Q. E Q E E Q. E Q E E Q. E Q E E Q Q
|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
|-1----1-1------|-1----1-1------|-1----1-1------|-1----1-1--0---|
|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
Q E E Q Q Q E E Q Q Q E E Q Q Q E E Q Q
|-----------3--|-2----2-2-----|-----------1--|-0----0-0------|
|--------------|-----------3--|--------------|-----------1---|
|-3----3-3-----|--------------|-1----1-1-----|---------------|
|--------------|--------------|--------------|---------------|
Q E E H Q E E Q Q Q E E Q. E Q E E +Q Q
|-1----1-1----|-2----2-2-----|-3----3-3------|------------------|
|-------------|-----------3--|---------------|-0--1-3-(3)--3\---|
|-------------|--------------|-------------1-|------------------|
|-------------|--------------|---------------|------------------|
Pre-Chorus
Q. E +E E Q Q. E +E E Q Q E E Q. E Q E E Q Q
||---------------6--|--------------6--|---------------|--------------|
||o------------6----|------------6----|-3----3-3------|-3----3-3-----|
||o-4----4-(4)------|-4----4-(4)------|---------------|-----------3--|
||------------------|-----------------|---------------|--------------|
Q. E +E E Q H E Q. E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E
|--------------6--|-------------|-----------------|------------------||
|------------6----|-------------|-----------------|------------------||
|-4----4-(4)------|-4------2----|-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-|-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1--||
|-----------------|-------------|-----------------|------------------||
Chorus
Q. E H Q. E Q Q Q. E Q Q E E E E E E E E
|-------------|--------------|--------------|------------------|
|-1----1-1----|-1----1-1--1--|-3----3-3-----|------------------|
|-------------|--------------|-----------1--|-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1--|
|-------------|--------------|--------------|------------------|
Q. E H Q. E Q Q Q. E Q E E Q E E E E Q
|-------------|--------------|---------------|----------------|
|-1----1-1----|-1----1-1--1--|-3----3-3--3-3s|=8--8-8-8-8-6---|
|-------------|--------------|---------------|----------------|
|-------------|--------------|---------------|----------------|
Q. E Q Q Q. E Q Q Q. E H Q. E Q Q
|--------------|---------------|-------------|---------------|
|-5----5-5-----|-5----5--------|-------------|---------------|
|-----------5--|--------5\--2--|-3----3-3----|-3----3-3--3---|
|--------------|---------------|-------------|---------------|
1.
Q. E Q Q E E E E E E E E Q. E H W
|--------------|-----------------|-------------|------||
|-3----3-3--3--|-----------------|-1----1-1----|-1----||
|--------------|-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-|-------------|------||
|--------------|-----------------|-------------|------||
Interlude
Q E E Q. E Q E E Q. E Q E E Q. E Q E E Q. E
|---------------|---------------|---------------|----------------|
|-1----1-1------|-1----1-1------|-1----1-1------|-1----1-1-------|
|---------------|---------------|---------------|----------------|
|---------------|---------------|---------------|----------------|
Q E E Q. E Q E E Q. E Q E E Q. E Q E E E E E E
|---------------|---------------|---------------|-----------------||
|-1----1-1------|-1----1-1------|-1----1-1------|-----------------||
|---------------|---------------|---------------|-1----1-1-1-1-1--||
|---------------|---------------|---------------|-----------------||
Guitar Solo
Q E E H Q E E H Q E E H Q E E H
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
|-1----1-1----|-1----1-1----|-1----1-1----|-1----1-1----|
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
Q E E H Q E E H Q E E H Q E E H
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------||
|-1----1-1----|-1----1-1----|-1----1-1----|-1----1-1----||
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------||
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------||
3rd Verse
Q E E Q. E Q E E Q. E Q E E Q. E Q E E Q. E
|---------------|---------------|---------------|----------------|
|-1----1-1------|-1----1-1------|-1----1-1------|-1----1-1-------|
|---------------|---------------|---------------|----------------|
|---------------|---------------|---------------|----------------|
Q E E Q. E Q E E Q. E Q E E Q. E Q E E Q Q
|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
|-1----1-1------|-1----1-1------|-1----1-1------|-1----1-1--0---|
|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
Q E E Q Q Q E E Q Q Q E E Q Q Q E E Q Q
|-----------3--|-2----2-2-----|-3----3-3--1--|-0----0-0------|
|--------------|-----------3--|--------------|-----------1---|
|-3----3-3-----|--------------|--------------|---------------|
|--------------|--------------|--------------|---------------|
Q E E H Q E E Q Q Q E E Q Q Q E E E E Q
|-1----1-1----|-2----2-2-----|-3----3-3-----|-3------3---------||
|-------------|-----------3--|--------------|------3-----3\---o||
|-------------|--------------|--------------|-----------------o||
|-------------|--------------|--------------|------------------||
2.
Q. E Q Q E E E E E E E E Q. E H W
|--------------|-----------------|-------------|------|
|-3----3-3--3--|-----------------|-1----1-1----|-1----|
|--------------|-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-|-------------|------|
|--------------|-----------------|-------------|------|
Outro
E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E Q. E H Q E E E E E E
|-----------------|-----------------||-------------|-----------------|
|-1-1-1-1-1-1-----|-----------------||-2----2-2----|-2----2-2-----2--|
|-------------4-4-|-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-||-------------|----------2-4----|
|-----------------|-----------------||-------------|-----------------|
Q. E Q Q E E E E E E E E Q E E E E E E Q. E E E E E
|--------------|-----------------|----------------|-----------------|
|-4----4-4-----|-----------------|-2----2-2-------|-2----2-2-----2--|
|-----------4--|-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-|----------2-4-2-|----------2-4----|
|--------------|-----------------|----------------|-----------------|
Q. E Q Q E E E E E E E E Q E E Q Q Q E E Q Q
|--------------|-----------------|--------------|---------------|
|-4----4-4--4--|-----------------|--------------|-6----6----6---|
|--------------|-2-2-2-2-2-2-0-0-|-----------6--|--------6------|
|--------------|-----------------|-4----4-4-----|---------------|
Q E E Q E E Q E E E E Q Q E E Q Q E E E E E E E E
|---------------|---------------|--------------|------------------|
|---------------|---------------|-4----4-4-----|------------------|
|-4----4-4----4-|-4----4-4---4--|-----------4--|-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2--|
|---------------|---------------|--------------|------------------|
Q. E H W E E E E E E E E
|-------------|----------|-----------------*|
|-2----2-2----|-2--------|-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-*|
|-------------|----------|-----------------*|
|-------------|----------|-----------------*|
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
