Alter Bridge - "Words Darker Than Their Wings"
From the Album "ABIII"
Tuning - Electric in Drop Db (DADGBE down 1/2 step)
Acoustics in Eb (or same as Electric for consistency)
Tabbed by jjhand
This song is in a fast paced 6/8 time, but the acoustic part repeats
enough to make it not too hard to play. There is comments below on how
to play the acoustic part in open tuning. Other than that, it looks pretty
accurate, but let me know if errors exist. Please rate if its good!
Acoustic Riff (12-string & 6 string, with reverb)
A (x02220@1) Db/Ab
eb|-------------------------|-------------------------|
Bb|-------------------------|-------------------------|
Gb|-----3-2-3-------3-2-3---|-----3-2-3-------0-2-0---|
Db|---0-------0---0-------0-|---0-------0---0---------|
Ab|-1-----------1-----------|-0-----------0-----------|
Eb|-------------------------|-------------------------|
B6 (02110x@1) Amaj7|-------------------------|-------------------------| (x02120@1)|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------2-0---------2-0---|-------2-0---------2-0---|
|---5-0-----0---5-0-----0-|---3-0-----0---3-0-----0-|
|-3-----------3-----------|-1-----------1-----------|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|
A (x02220@1) Db/Ab
|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-----3-2-3-------3-2-3---|-----3-2-3-------0-2-0---|
|---0-------0---0-------0-|---0-------0---0---------|
|-1-----------1-----------|-0-----------0-----------|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|
B6 (02110x@1) Gb/Bb
|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------2-0---------2-0---|-------2-0---------2-0---|
|---5-0-----0---5-0-----0-|---5-0-----0---5-0-----0-|
|-3-----------3-----------|-2-----------2-----------|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|
Verse - Play Acoustic Riff 1x, then repeat final bar
Lyrics:
"You say you're alright... I hope that I'm wrong
I know that you try, but still it is gone"
Prechorus - Electric (drop Db tuning)
|-----------------------|-----------------------|---------------------|
|-3----3---3-3----3---3-|-3----3---3-3----3---3-|-3---3-3--3-3--3---3-|
|-2----2---2-2----2---2-|-2----2---2-2p0--0---0-|-2---2-2--2-2--2---2-|
|-----------------------|-----------------------|---------------------| see
|-3----3---3-3----3---3-|-1----1---1-1----1---1-|---------------------| below
|-----------------------|-----------------------|---------------------|
|
| Acoustic, 12-string
|-----------------------|-----------------------|---------------------|
|-8----8---8-8\6--6---6-|-6----6---6-6\3--3---3-|-3-------------------|
|-0----0---0-0----0---0-|-0----0---0-0----0---0-|-2-------------------|
|-----------------------|-----------------------|-0----same pattern---|
|-----------------------|-----------------------|-x-------------------|
|-----------------------|-----------------------|-3-------------------|
Mark: "Just don't you lose hope I swear I'll never
2 "alone. Now don't you let go I swear I still believe
Last bar of prechorus-
Electric
|-----------------------|
|-1----1-1--1-----------|
|-2----2-2--2-0---0---0-|
|-------------3---3---3-|
|-----------------------|
|-----------------------|
|
| Acoustic
|-----------------------|
|-1----1-1--1-----------|
|-2----2-2--2-0---0---0-|
|-3----3-3--3-3---3---3-|
|-3----3-3--3-3---3---3-|
|-1----1-1--1-1---1---1-|
1 "dreamed that we're"
2 "though I don't know"
Play Acoustic Riff again for Verse 2, as before
Lyrics:
"Remember the years I still walked tall
I only feared, now I only crawl"
Prechorus 2 (same riff)
"How could I be wrong?
I hope there comes a day your fear is gone
How could we be lost?
Lost just cease to be not carry on"
After prechorus 2 - played 2x into chorus
|----------------------------|
|-3----3---3-3----3----3---3-|
|-3----3---3-3----3----3---3-|
|-3----3---3-3----3----3---3-|
|-1----1---1-1----1----1---1-|
|----------------------------|
(1:52) Chorus - Distorted Electric, play through 2x, then repeat
Eb|----------------------|---------------------|-----------------------|
Bb|----------------------|---------------------|-----------------------|
Gb|-7---7---7-7----7-7-x-|-5---5-5-5-5---5-5-5-|-3---3-3--3-3---3-3--3-|
Db|-5---5---5-5----5-5-x-|-3---3-3-3-3---3-3-3-|-3---3-3--3-3---3-3--3-|
Ab|-5---5---5-5----5-5-x-|-3---3-3-3-3---3-3-3-|-1---1-1--1-1---1-1--1-|
Db|-5---5---5-5----5-5-x-|-3---3-3-3-3---3-3-3-|-----------------------|
1. "Into the light may you fall Into the light may you"
2. "Into the light may you know Truth alone"
|-----------------------|
|-----------------------|
|-------------5---5---5-|
|-3---3-3-3-3-3---3---3-|
|-0---0-0-0-0-3---3---3-|
|-------------3---3---3-|
1. "follow"
Break- in 4/4 , played 4x with endings shown
Acoustic - with delay
|-----------------------|------------------3----|-----------------------|
|---3------3----3----3--|---3------3----3-------|---1------1--3-1--0-1--|
|--------0---------0----|--------0-----------0--|--------0--------------|
|-3----3------3---------|-2----2------2---------|-1----1----------------|
|-----------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|
|-----------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|
1st/3rd ending 2nd/4th ending
|---------------------| |---------------------|
|---1----1----0-----0-| |---1----1----0-------|
|----------------2----| |----------------2--0-|
|-0----0----0---------| |-0----0----0---------|
|---------------------| |---------------------|
|---------------------| |---------------------|
(3:05) Heavy Guitar Bridge- Electric (Drop Db tuning), played 2x
D5 (xx023x@1) Db+ Db5 (x133xx@4)
|---------------------|--------------------|------------------|------------------|
|---------------------|--------------------|------------------|------------------|
|-3----3----3----3----|-3----3p2-2---2-2-2-|-5----5-5-5----5--|-5---5---5---5----|
|-1----1----1----1----|-0----0---0---0-0-0-|-3----3-3-3----3--|-2---2---2---2----|
|-1----1----1----1----|-0----0---0---0-0-0-|-3----3-3-3----3--|-2---2---2---2----|
|-1----1----1----1----|-0----0---0---0-0-0-|-3----3-3-3----3--|-2---2---2---2--0-|
1. "Go never to ask why Or to fear again"
2. "Go set out towards the sun Let the new begin"
line 2:
|---------------------|--------------------|------------------|-------------------|
|---------------------|--------------------|------------------|-------------------|
|-3----3----3----3----|-3----3p2-2---2-2-2-|------------------|-------------------|
|-1----1----1----1----|-0----0---0---0-0-0-|-5--5--5--5--5--5-|-5--5--5--5--5--5--|
|-1----1----1----1----|-0----0---0---0-0-0-|-5--5--5--5--5--5-|-5--5--5--5--5--5--|
|-1----1----1----1----|-0----0---0---0-0-0-|-5--5--5--5--5--5-|-5--5--5--5--5--5--|
1. "Go find your peace tonight"
2. "Go soon your day will come"
(3:43) Play Acoustic Riff 2x with lyrics:
"Your day will come"
Electric Ramp-up part before chorus:
Palm muted**************************** % % %
eb|-------------------------|-------------------------|
Bb|-------------------------|-------------------------|
Gb|-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|-3-3-3-3-3-3-------------|
Db|-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|-3-3-3-3-3-3-------------|
Ab|-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-|-1-1-1-1-1-1--1~--0------|
Db|-------------------------|----------------------0--|
% notes used again in final chorus as it repeats
Play Chorus Again
(4:37) Ending - 2 Electrics in drop Db, played 4x
Rhythm (* = first note in last bar is omitted on final repeat)
|---------------------|--------------------|------------------|-------------------|
|---------------------|--------------------|------------------|-------------------|
|---------------------|--------------------|------------------|-------------------|
|---------------------|--------------------|-1----------------|-*-----------------|
|-5--------/17~-------|-3--------/15~------|-1-------6--5--3--|-2~------5---------|
|-5--------/17~-------|-3--------/15~------|-1----------------|---------5---------|
|
|Lead - All Tremelo picking!
|-13-----TP-----------|-12-----TP----------|-11-----TP--------|-10-----TP---------|
|-16b18--TP-----------|-15b17--TP----------|-14b16--TP--------|-13b15--TP---------|
|---------------------|--------------------|------------------|-------------------|
|---------------------|--------------------|------------------|-------------------|
|---------------------|--------------------|------------------|-------------------|
|---------------------|--------------------|------------------|-------------------|
KEY
************************************
| / slide up
| \ slide down
| h hammer-on
| p pull-off
| ~ vibrato
| + harmonic
| x Mute note
| b Bend
| r Bend release
************************************
