Pearl Jam - "The Fixer"
From "Backspacer" album
Standard Tuning
tabbed by jjhand


This song has tricky time changes between 5, 4 and 3 beats per bar.
I tried to note this so others can play along easier. Please rate or
comment.


Intro (5/4 time, beats noted below)

           play this 3x                       4th time (3/4 time)
  Lead
   1      2     3      4      5                1      2     3
e|---------------------7-8-7----------|      |-------------------|
B|---------------------8-8-8--9-10-9--|      |-------------------|
G|-4----x-7----------x--------9-9--9--|      |-4----x-7----------|
D|-4----x-7----------x----------------|      |-4----x-7----------|
A|-2----x-5----------x----------------|      |-2----x-5----------|
E|------------------------------------|      |-------------------|
 |                                            Both guitars play this
 | Rhythm
e|------------------------------------|
B|---------------------8-8-8----------|
G|-4------7------------7-7-7---9-9-9--|
D|-4------7------------5-5-5---9-9-9--|
A|-2------5--------------------7-7-7--|
E|------------------------------------|

Verse (3/4 time) - Both Guitars, play 4x with some slight changes
   1       2       3        1       2       3
e|------------------------|------------------------|
B|------------------------|------------------------|
G|------------------------|------------------------|
D|------------------------|---7-----7---------4----|
A|---5-----5---------2----|-5-----5---------2---0--| < last note can also
E|-3-----3---3-----0-0-0--|------------------------|   be '2p0'


on 3rd time through verse, Lead Guitar splits off and plays this 4x:

Swell Lick
e|------------------------|
B|---3-----3<-------------|
G|-2-----2-2<-------------| < is swell from
D|------------------------|   volume/wah possibly
A|------------------------|
E|------------------------|

Chorus (4/4 time)
e|-3--------0--------|----------------|-3----------------|----------------|
B|-3--------0--------|-3--------------|-3----------------|-3--------------|
G|-0--------0--------|-2--------------|-0-------4--------|-2--------------|
D|-0--------2--------|-0--------------|-0----------------|-0--------------|
A|-x--------2--------|-0--------------|-x-------2----0h2-|-0--------------|
E|-3--------0--------|----------------|-3----------------|----------------|

For Verse 2, Rhythm is same,

Lead plays (0:46):
e|------------------|----------------|
B|-12----10---------|-(10)-----------|
G|------------------|----------------|
D|-9-----7----------|-(7)------------|
A|------------------|----------------|
E|------------------|----------------|


Lead plays (0:56):
e|------------------|----------------|-10-------------|
B|-12----10---------|-(10)-----12\10-|----------------|
G|------------------|----------------|-7--------------|
D|-9-----7----------|-(7)-------9\7--|----------------|
A|------------------|----------------|----------------|
E|------------------|----------------|----------------|

Play Chorus again

3rd Verse, Lead plays 'Swell Lick' and synthesizer plays the chords.

(1:27) Music stops, Guitar fades in:       Higher Lead Guitar part (played at ***)

  5/4 time
  e|-0-----0-----0-----0-----0-----|      -------10-------10-------------|
  B|---3-----3-----3-----3-----3---|      -10-12----10-12----------------|
  G|-----2-----2-----2-----2-----2-|      -------------------------------|
  D|-------------*-----------------|      -------------------------------|
  A|-------------*-----------------|      -------------------------------|
  E|-------------*-----------------|      -------------------------------|


Bridge - 4/4 time
  Rhythm
e|-8---------------|-------------|----------------|-5-------------|
B|-8---------------|-8-----------|-7------7---7-8-|-5-------------|
G|-9------9-10-12--|-8-----------|-7------7---7-7-|-6-------------|
D|-10--------------|-8-----------|-9------9---9-9-|-7-------------|
A|-10--------------|-6-----------|-9------9-------|-7-------------|
E|-8---------------|-------------|-7------7-------|-5-------------|
 |
 | Lead
e|-------------8-8-|-6-------8-7-|-7------------5-|-5---5-7---7-5-7-|
B|-------------8-8-|-8-------8-7-|-7--------7-8---|-5---------------|
G|-------------9-9-|-8-----------|-7--------------|-6---------------|
D|-----------------|-------------|----------------|-----------------|
A|-----------------|-------------|----------------|-----------------|
E|-----------------|-------------|----------------|-----------------|

for 'Bridge' repeat, Rhythm plays same chords. Lead changes.

Lead Bridge Repeat:
e|-8-10-8-10-8-10-8-10-|-8-10-8-10-8-10-8-10-|-7-10-7-10-7-10-7-10-|-5-7-5-7-5-7-5-7-|
B|---------------------|---------------------|---------------------|-----------------|
G|---------------------|---------------------|---------------------|-----------------|
D|---------------------|---------------------|---------------------|-----------------|
A|---------------------|---------------------|---------------------|-----------------|
E|---------------------|---------------------|---------------------|-----------------|

Play Intro again

Play Chorus 4x and fade out

Fade out Chorus (2:35)
e|------------------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
B|------------------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
G|-14-14-14-14-14-14-14---|-9-9-9-9-9-9-9---|-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-|-7-7-7-7-7-7-7/--|
D|------------------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
A|-12-12-12-12-12-12-12---|-7-7-7-7-7-7-7---|-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|-5-5-5-5-5-5-5/--|
E|------------------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|

e|------------------------|-----------------|------------------------|
B|------------------------|-----------------|------------------------|
G|/14-14-14-14-14-14-14\--|-9-9-9-9-9-9-9---|-9/11-11-11-11-11-11-11-|
D|------------------------|-----------------|------------------------|
A|/12-12-12-12-12-12-12\--|-7-7-7-7-7-7-7---|-7/9--9--9--9--9--9--9--|
E|------------------------|-----------------|------------------------|

e|------------------------|-------------------------|---------------------------|
B|------------------------|-------------------------|---------------------------|
G|-11-11-11-11-11-11------|-12-12-12-12-12-12-------|---------------------------|
D|-------------------12---|-------------------12-14-|-14/16\14-14-14-14-14-14---|
A|-9--9--9--9--9--9-------|-10-10-10-10-10-10-------|---------------------------|
E|-------------------10---|-------------------10-12-|-12/14\12-12-12-12-12-12---|

e|-------------------------|---------------------|------------------------|
B|-------------------------|---------------------|------------------------|
G|-------------------------|---------------------|-14-14-14-14-14-14-14---|
D|-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-|-12-12-12-12-9-9-7---|------------------------|
A|-------------------------|---------------------|-12-12-12-12-12-12-12---|
E|-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-|-10-10-10-10-7-7-5---|------------------------|

fade out


key:
| /  slide up
| \  slide down
| h  hammer-on
| p  pull-off
| ~  vibrato
| x  Mute note
| <  volume swell (back off volume knob, then turn up while playing)