SING A SONG (Bassline)
As recorded by Earth, Wind & Fire
(From the 1975 Album GRATITUDE)
Words and Music by Maurice White & Al McKay
Transcribed by Slowhand
Gtr I (E A D G) - 'Verdine White - Bass'
Intro & Interlude
Q=120
4/4
Gtr I
W E E E E +Q. E +E E E E Q E S S E E E E +Q. E
|----------||------------------|--------------------|------------------|
|----------||o-----------------|-------4---2--4-2---|------------------|
|----------||o-0-2-3-4-(4)---2-|-(2)-2---2--------4-|-0-2-3-4-(4)---2--|
|----------||------------------|--------------------|------------------|
+E E E E E E E E E E E E +Q. E
|-----4---4---------|-----------------|
|-------------------|-----------------|
|-(2)---2-----------|-0-2-3-4-(4)---2-|
|-----------0-2-3-4-|-----------------|
+E E E E Q Q E E E E +E E E E
|---------11----9--11\--|--------------------|
|-----/11----11---------|--------------------|
|-(2)-------------------|-0-2-3-4-(4)-2-4-5--|
|-----------------------|--------------------|
1st Verse
1.
+E E E E +H E E E E +Q. E +E E E E Q E S S E E E E +Q. E
|-------/9-7-(7)----||-----------------|--------------------|-----------------|
|-----7-------------||-----------------|-------4---2--4-2---|-----------------|
|-(5)---------------||-0-2-3-4-(4)---2-|-(2)-2---2--------4-|-0-2-3-4-(4)---2-|
|-------------------||-----------------|--------------------|-----------------|
+Q. S S E E E E E E E E +Q. E +E E E E Q E S S E E E E +Q. E
|-------------------|-----------------|--------------------|------------------|
|-------4-3-2-------|-----------------|-------4---2--4-2---|------------------|
|-(2)---------------|-0-2-3-4-(4)---2-|-(2)-2---2--------4-|-0-2-3-4-(4)---2--|
|-------------0-2-4-|-----------------|--------------------|------------------|
2nd Verse
E E E E Q S S E E E E E +Q. E +E E E E Q E S S E E E E +Q. E
|------------------||-----------------|--------------------|------------------|
|-------4-2--4-2---||-----------------|-------4---2--4-2---|------------------|
|---2------------4-||-0-2-3-4-(4)---2-|-(2)-2---2--------4-|-0-2-3-4-(4)---2--|
|------------------||-----------------|--------------------|------------------|
+E E E E E. S E S S E E E E +Q. E
|-------4--------------|-----------------|
|-----4---0-2--2-4-2---|-----------------|
|-(2)----------------4-|-0-2-3-4-(4)---2-|
|----------------------|-----------------|
E E E E Q Q E E E E +Q. E
|------11----9--11\--|-----------------|
|---11----11---------|-----------------|
|--------------------|-0-2-3-4-(4)---2-|
|--------------------|-----------------|
Chorus
E E +S S E E E E E E E +S S E E E E E E E S S E E E S S E
|---------------------||---------------------|---------------------|
|-----------4-2-------||---------------------|-----------2-4-2-----|
|---2-(2)-2-----4-2-4-||-0-0-(0)-0-2-4-4---4-|-2-2---2-2-------4-2-|
|---------------------||---------------------|---------------------|
E E S S E E E S S E E E E E Q Q E E S S E E E E E
|---------------------|---------/9--7\--|--------------------|
|---------------------|-------7---------|--------------------|
|-0-0---0-2-4-4---2-4-|-5-5-------------|-0-0---0-2-4-4---4--|
|---------------------|-----------------|--------------------|
E E S S E E E S S E E E S S E E E E E
|---------------------|-------------------|
|-----------2-4-2-----|-------------------|
|-2-2---2-2-------4-2-|-0-0---0-2-4-4---5-|
|---------------------|-------------------|
3rd Verse
2.
+E E E E +H E E E E +Q. E
|-------/9-7-(7)-----||-----------------|
|-----7-------------o||-----------------|
|-(5)---------------o||-0-2-3-4-(4)---2-|
|--------------------||-----------------|
E E E E Q E S S E E E E +Q. E E E E E E E E E E E E E +Q. E
|------------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----4---2--4-2---|-----------------|-------4-2-4-2---|-----------------|
|-2-2---2--------4-|-0-2-3-4-(4)---2-|---2-----------4-|-0-2-3-4-(4)---2-|
|------------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E E E E Q Q E E E E +Q. E
|-------11----9--11\--|-----------------|
|---/11----11---------|-----------------|
|---------------------|-0-2-3-4-(4)---2-|
|---------------------|-----------------|
4th Verse
E E S S S S E E S S S S E E E E +Q. E
|---------4---------------||-------------------|
|-------4---4-2-2-4-2-----||-------------------|
|---2-----------------4-2-||-0-2-3-4-(4)---2---|
|-------------------------||-------------------|
+E E E E Q E S S E E E E +Q. E +E E E E Q Q E E E E +Q. E
|--------------------|-----------------|-----4---4---------|-----------------|
|-------4---2--4-2---|-----------------|-------------------|-----------------|
|-(2)-2---2--------4-|-0-2-3-4-(4)---2-|-(2)---2---/7\-----|-0-2-3-4-(4)---2-|
|--------------------|-----------------|----------------0--|-----------------|
+E E E E Q E S S E E E E +Q. E
|--------------------|-----------------|
|-------4---2--4-2---|-----------------|
|-(2)-2---2--------4-|-0-2-3-4-(4)---2-|
|--------------------|-----------------|
Chorus
E E S S E Q Q E E +S S E E E E E
|---------------x--||---------------------|
|---------4-2/-----||---------------------|
|---2---2----------||-0-0-(0)-0-2-4-4---4-|
|------------------||---------------------|
E E S S E E E S S E E E S S E E E S S E E E E E Q Q
|---------------------|---------------------|---------/9--7\--|
|-----------2-4-2-----|---------------------|-------7---------|
|-2-2---2-2-------4-2-|-0-0---0-2-4-4---2-4-|-5-5-------------|
|---------------------|---------------------|-----------------|
E E S S E E E E E E E S S E E E S S E
|-------------------|---------------------|
|-------------------|-----------2-4-2-----|
|-0-0---0-2-4-4---4-|-2-2---2-2-------4-2-|
|-------------------|---------------------|
E E S S E E E E E +E E E E +H
|-------------------|-------/9-7-(7)----||
|-------------------|-----7-------------||
|-0-0---0-2-4-4---5-|-(5)---------------||
|-------------------|-------------------||
Interlude
E E E E +Q. E +E E E E Q E S S E E E E +Q. E +E E E E E E E E
|-----------------|--------------------|-----------------|-----4---4---------|
|-----------------|-------4---2--4-2---|-----------------|-------------------|
|-0-2-3-4-(4)---2-|-(2)-2---2--------4-|-0-2-3-4-(4)---2-|-(2)---2-----------|
|-----------------|--------------------|-----------------|-----------0-2-3-4-|
E E E E +Q. E +E E E E Q Q
|-----------------|--------11----9--11\--|
|-----------------|-----11----11---------|
|-0-2-3-4-(4)---2-|-(2)------------------|
|-----------------|----------------------|
E E E E +E E E E E E E E E E S S E
|-------------------|-------------------||
|-------------------|---------2-2-4-2---||
|-0-2-3-4-(4)-2-4-5-|-5-4-2-0---------4-||
|-------------------|-------------------||
5th Verse
E E E E +Q. E E E E E E E S S S S E E E E +Q. E +E E E E E E Q
|-----------------|-----4---------------|-----------------|-------4-----x------|
|-----------------|---4-----2---4-2-----|-----------------|-----4---0-2--------|
|-0-2-3-4-(4)---2-|-----------------4-2-|-0-2-3-4-(4)---2-|-(2)-----------x\---|
|-----------------|---------------------|-----------------|--------------------|
E E E E +Q. E E E E E Q Q E E E E +Q. E E E S S E E E E E
|-----------------|-------11----9--11\--|-----------------|-------------------||
|-----------------|---/11----11---------|-----------------|---------4-2-2-----||
|-0-2-3-4-(4)---2-|---------------------|-0-2-3-4-(4)---2-|---2---2-------4-2-||
|-----------------|---------------------|-----------------|-------------------||
6th Verse
E E S S E E E E E E E S S E E E S S S S
|-------------------|-----------------------|
|-------------------|-----------2-2-4p2-----|
|-0-0---0-2-4-4---4-|-2-2---2-2---------4p2-|
|-------------------|-----------------------|
E E S S E E E E E E E E E Q Q
|-------------------|---------9--7\---|
|-------------------|-------7---------|
|-0-0---0-2-4-4---4-|-5-5-------------|
|-------------------|-----------------|
E E S S E E E E E E E S S E E E S S S S E E S S E E E E E +W
|-------------------|-----------------------|-------------------|--------|
|-------------------|-----------2-2-4p2-----|-------------------|--------|
|-0-0---0-2-4-4---4-|-2-2---2-2---------4p2-|-0-0---0-2-4-4---5-|-(5)----|
|-------------------|-----------------------|-------------------|--------|
Outro
+W +W +W E E S S E E E S S E
|------------|------------|------------||-----------------------|
|------------|------------|------------||o----------------------|
|-(5)--------|-(5)--------|-(5)--------||o-0-0---0-2-4-4---4-4--|
|------------|------------|------------||-----------------------|
E E S S S S E S S S S E E E S S E E E S S E E E S S E E E E E
|---------4---------------|---------------------|---------4----------||
|-------4---4-2---2-4p2---|---------------------|-------4---2-2-----o||
|-2-2-------------------4-|-0-0---0-2-4-4---4-4-|-2-2-----------4-2-o||
|-------------------------|---------------------|--------------------||
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
