• Song:

    Hummer

  • Artist:

    Smashing Pumpkins

  • Album:

    Unplugged: 100% Pure Ac...

hummer -- by smashing pumpkins

This song is a little tougher than the earlier three because it's a lot longer
and a bit more complicated.  First, tune your low E string (6th string) down a
whole step to a D.  The intro is a sitar-like line with some weird noise
gate/static effect:

Repeat 10x

--2h3p2-------------2h3p2-----2-3--
--------4-3-1-3-3-3-------x-x------
-----------------------------------
-----------------------------------
-----------------------------------
-----------------------------------


Then play this fuzzed main riff:

----------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------12--
--11-11b12b11---11-11b12b11---12--11b12b11---11-11b12b11----12--
--------------0-------------0--------------0-------------0---9--
---9--9b10b9--0--9--9b10b9--0-10---9b10b9--0--9--9b10b9--0--10--
--------------0-------------0--------------0-------------0------

                                                                     sust.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------12--
--11-11b12b11---11-11b12b11---12--12b14b12--11b12b11---11-11b12b11----12--
--------------0-------------0------------------------0-------------0---9--
---9--9b10b9--0--9--9b10b9--0-10--10b12b10---9b10b9--0--9--9b10b9--0--10--
--------------0-------------0------------------------0-------------0------


Now play this distorted line:

                                slow
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
--7--7-----7--7-----7------------------7-9--9/11-11-------11-11--------
--7--7-5h7-7--7-5h7-7--9-9-9-9----------------------14p12-------14p12--
--5--5-5h7-5--5-5h7-5----------9-b10b9---------------------------------
-------5h7------5h7----------------------------------------------------

                 trem.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------/15---------------------
----------11--9--b6b7b2-----11b12b11----11h12-14------14-11-b12b11-14-----
-------------------------------------12-12----14-------------------14-12--
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
--/9-9-9-9-9--7--b4b5b0---------------------------------------------------

           sust.
----------------
----------------
--11b12b11------
--14-------14---
-----------15---
----------------

Now play these clean chords under the first verse:

Repeat 4x ---------|

|--0----0--0---0---|
|--3----3--3---1---|
|--2----0--0---0---|
|--0----2--2---2---|
|------------------|
|------------------|

Then play these distorted chords:


---------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------
--2--2-2--2-2-/5--5-5--5-5-\0--0-/7--7-7-7-7\5-5-5--\2-2-2--2/7-7-7--
--2--2-2--2-2-/5--5-5--5-5-\0--0-/7--7-7-7-7\5-5-5--\2-2-2--2/7-7-7--
--2--2-2--2-2-/5--5-5--5-5-\0--0-/7--7-7-7-7\5-5-5--\2-2-2--2/7-7-7--

Go back to the clean chords, repeating 3x and adding this the 4th time:

  dist.
----------------
----------------
----------------
--2-2/10-10-10--
--2-2/10-10-10--
--2-2/10-10-10--


Play the fuzzed main riff again, with these distorted chords under it:


  repeat 3x                    play 4th time      sust
------------------------------|-----------------------|----------
------------------------------|-----------------------|----------
------------------------------|-----------------------|----------
--0-5h7-0-0-0--2-2-/10-10-10--|--0-5h7-0-0-0--2-2-/5--|-2-2-2-2--
--0-5h7-0-0-0--2-2-/10-10-10--|--0-5h7-0-0-0--2-2-/5--|-2-2-2-2--
--0-5h7-0-0-0--2-2-/10-10-10--|--0-5h7-0-0-0--2-2-/5--|-2-2-2-2--


Now, play these chords with the following line over it:

  repeat 2x
-------------------------------------------------------------------|
-------------------------------------------------------------------|
-------------------------------------------------------------------|
--0-0-0-0-2--2-2-2-2--5-5-5--5-5--0-0-0-0-2--2-2-2-2-/10-10-10-10--|
--0-0-0-0-2--2-2-2-2--5-5-5--5-5--0-0-0-0-2--2-2-2-2-/10-10-10-10--|
--0-0-0-0-2--2-2-2-2--5-5-5--5-5--0-0-0-0-2--2-2-2-2-/10-10-10-10--|


-------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------
--9-10-10-10-10-9-10---9\7\5--9--9-10-10-10-10-9-10--9-9\3---
-------------------------------------------------------------

                                                      into solo....
-------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------5-7---
--9-10-10-10-10-9-10---9\5--9--9-10-10-10-9-10-9-9\5-7-------
-------------------------------------------------------------


guitar solo, very fuzzed out
to play this solo completely correct, you're going to have to tranpose up
an octave, and then slap some of that Octaver on there, but I thought it
would just be easier if I transcribed it in the lower octave... go buy that
effect, or an Octave Fuzz....

-------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------
--7b8-7(8)b7-5--4h5p4-------5h7----7b8-7-5-7--7b8-7--5p4-----
----------------------5-5/7-----5------------------------5---
-------------------------------------------------------------

                                     slow bend up   vib   band comes in
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------8p7--------------------------------------------------
-------------7-7------9p7----/7-7-7--9-b-b-b-b-b-b-b11--\-----/7-------
------5--7/9--------------5--------------------------------------------
--5/7------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------


okay, after the solo is over, play these chords 4x:

------------------------
--3--3-3--3-3-3---3-3---
--2--2-2--2-2-2---2-2---
--2--2-2--2-2-2---2-2---
--5--5-3--3-3-3p2-2-2---
------------------------

then play this progression back into the main fuzzed riff from before:
(pm = palm mute)
                   pm         pm
--------------------------------0--
--3-3---3-3----3-----3----3-----3--
--2-2---2-2----2p0---0----0-----0--
--2-2---2-2----2p0---0----0-----0--
--2-2p0-0-0--0-0-----0----0-----0--
-----------------5-5-5--5-5p4-4-4--


----------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------12--
--11-11b12b11---11-11b12b11---12--11b12b11---11-11b12b11----12--
--------------0-------------0--------------0-------------0---9--
---9--9b10b9--0--9--9b10b9--0-10---9b10b9--0--9--9b10b9--0--10--
--------------0-------------0--------------0-------------0------

                                                                long sust.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------12--
--11-11b12b11---11-11b12b11---12--12b14b12--11b12b11---11-11b12b11----12--
--------------0-------------0------------------------0-------------0---9--
---9--9b10b9--0--9--9b10b9--0-10--10b12b10---9b10b9--0--9--9b10b9--0--10--
--------------0-------------0------------------------0-------------0------


now this part is a clean guitar, with a bass doubling riff:
play this 5x:

-----------------------------------------------------------0--------
-------------------------------------------------------3-----3------
-----------------------------------------------------0---0-----0----
--7--7--7--7--/11--11--11--11--11-11\5--5--5--5--5\4-------------4--
---0--0--0--0----0---0---0---0--------0--0--0--0--------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------

then play this twice into the outro:

--------------------------5----------5--
--------------------------5------5-5-5--
--------------------------7--9p7-7-7-7--
-------------------4-5--5-5--5---5-5-5--
--7-7-7-5--5/7-7-7----------------------
----------------------------------------

the rest of the song is an instrumental guitar outro with a lot of delay:


-----------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------10-----------------------12--
--7h9--7h9p7---7\6----6-7-7/9-10b11----10(11)-9-------14p12------
-------------9-----7-----------------------------11--------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------

                                                     vib.
----------------------------------------------------------
--14(15)b14p12---------14(15)b14-12---------17p15-14------
---------------14--12---------------14--12-----------16---
----------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------

   repeat twice
|  --------------------------17-17-17--------------------------17-17-17--
|  --17p14-15p14-17p14-15p14-----------17p14-15p14-17p14-15p14-----------
|: ----------------------------------------------------------------------
|: ----------------------------------------------------------------------
|  ----------------------------------------------------------------------
|  ----------------------------------------------------------------------


--15-14----------------------------------  |
--------17--15-14------------------------  |
------------------16-14------------------ :|
-------------------------17-16-17-16-14-- :|
-----------------------------------------  |
-----------------------------------------  |


------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------14-b15b14-----------------------------------------
--16-b17b16-14--14h16------------14--h16--17-16-14-12-11-9-7-5-4-2-0----
---------------------------------------------------------------------4--
------------------------------------------------------------------------

               slow strum into feedback
---------------0---
---------------3---
---------------2---
---------------0---
--2-0----------0---
------5-4-2-4--0---

Lyrics to Hummer:

Faith lies in the ways of sin
Chased the charmed but I don't want them anymore
And in their eyes I was alive -- a fool's disguise
Take me away from here

Shame my tongue fat with promise all along
When I woke up from that sleep
I was happier than I'd ever been

When you decide that your life is a prize
Renew, revive, it's all right honey, it's all right, yeah

Happines will make you wonder
Will I feel ok
It scared the disenchanted
Far away

Yeah, I want something new
But what am I supposed to do
I-I, I love you
Yeah, I-I love you
It's true

Life's a bummer, when you're a hummer
Life's a drag

Ask yourself a question, anyone but me, I ain't free
Ask yourself a question, anyone but me, I ain't free
Do you feel
Love is real?
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