As played by Dave Matthews Band on 'Under the Table and Dreaming'
Return to Music X
Music X Bass Tab
What Would You Say
As played by Dave Matthews Band on 'Under the Table and Dreaming'
Transcribed at 10:06pn, October 14, 1997, by Cody Rahn.
(Elaboration is welcome)
=slide up
/=slide down
H=hammer
P=pulloff
X=Dead note. Double verticle x's mean rest for the whole measure.
(6)=In this case, the place where a slide was started from, if not
from open.
This is my absolute favorite Dmb song to play. It just plain grooves.
The best part is that it's not difficult at all! Have fun finding
a guitarist that can play the main guitar riff though.. :)
The one thing to remember in this song is that a lot of the notes
that I have set close together are played more quickly and out-of-
time than I could represent in a text file. The bass is easy to hear
in the song, so just listen, and if you don't have the album, get it!
Ok. The guitar and harmonica do the intro together, and the bass comes
in like this.
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
G|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
D|-----------------x-----------------|-----------------x-----------------|
A|-----------------x-----------------|-----------------x-----------------|
E|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
G|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
D|-----------------x-----------------|-----------------x-----------------|
A|-----------------x-----------------|-----------------x-----------------|
E|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
G|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
D|-----------------x-----------------|-----------------x-----------------|
A|-----------------x-----------------|-----------------x-----------------|
E|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
G|-----------------------------------|----------------------24-----------|
D|-----------------x-----------------|--------------------------23------|
A|-----------------x-----------------|-----------------------------------|
E|-----------------------------------|---3-------------------------------|
**********
Verse Riff
**********
Var. 1
Played only during the intro up till the vocals start.
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
G|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
D|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
A|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
E|---5-----------5-5---------5---4---|---3-----------3-3---------3---4---|
Repeat this 4 times.
Var. 2
Done during the verses.
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
G|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
D|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
A|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
E|---5-----------3/5-------------4---|---3-----------3-------3-3-----3---|
"Up and down the puppy's......."
Done until the pre-chorus.
**********
Pre-Chorus
**********
1 & 2 & 3 & 1 & 2 & 3 &
G|---------------------------|---------------------------|
D|---------------1-----------|---------------3-----------|
A|-----------3-------3-------|-----------5-------5-------|
E|---1---1---------------1---|---3---3---------------3---|
"Now rip a way the tears,
1 & 2 & 3 & 1 & 2 & 3 &
G|---------------------------|---------------------------|
D|---------------5-----------|---------------3-----------|
A|-----------7-------7-------|-----------5-------5-------|
E|---5---5---------------5---|---3---3---------------3---|
"Drink a hope to happy years,
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
G|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
D|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
A|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
E|--1------------0-------------------|---1-----------3-------------------|
"And you may find a lifetime's passed me by,"
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
G|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
D|-----------7---7-7---7-7---7---6---|---5-------------------------------|
A|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
E|---5---5---------------------------|-------------------------/21------|
"WHAT WOULD YOU SAY!"
******
Chorus
******
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
G|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
D|-----------7---5-5---5-5---5---7---|-----------------------------------|
A|-----------------------------------|-----------3-3---4-4---4---5---6---|
E|---5---5---------------------------|---3---3---------------------------|
"Don't drop the big one "(if you a monkey on a string)"
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
G|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
D|-----------7---5-5---5-5---5---7---|-----------------------------------|
A|-----------------------------------|-----------3-3---4-4---4---5---6---|
E|---5---5---------------------------|---3---3---------------------------|
"Well, don't cut my lifeline" "(if you a doggie on a chain)"
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
G|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
D|-----------7---5-5---5-5---5---7---|-----------------------------------|
A|-----------------------------------|-----------3-3---4-4---4---5---6---|
E|---5---5---------------------------|---3---3---------------------------|
"Well, don't bite the mailman" "(What would you say?)"
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
G|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
D|-----------7---5-5---5-5---5---5-5-|---5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5---5-5---5-7---|
A|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
E|---5---5---------------------------|-----------------------------------|
Those are the most important three riffs in the song. The coolest one,
though, is the one during the sax solo/bridge. Here's how it leads in.
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
G|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
D|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
A|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
E|---5-----------5-5---------5---4---|---3-----------3-3---------3---4---|
"Every dog has it's day, Every day has it's way of being forgotten"
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
G|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
D|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
A|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
E|---5-------5---4---3---------------|--------------------------/10-----|
"(Mom it's my birthday)" "(What would you say?)"
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
G|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
D|-----------7-7-5-----------5-------|-----------------------------------|
A|-----------------------5h7---7-----|-----------------------------------|
E|---5---5-----------------------5---|---3----------------------/10-----|
"Hey, hey, what could you say?" "(What would you say?)"
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
G|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
D|----------7---5-5---5-5---5--------|-----------------------------------|
A|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
E|--5---5-------------------(4)/8---|--------------------------(4)/6---|
^Slooow^
The guitar plays for 4 measures here, and the bass sliiides in on the 4th
one.
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
G|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
D|-----------------x-----------------|-----------------x-----------------|
A|-----------------x-----------------|-----------------x-----------------|
E|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
G|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
D|-----------------x-----------------|-----------------------------------|
A|-----------------x-----------------|-----------------------------------|
E|-----------------------------------|-----------------------(3)/7------|
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
G|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
D|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
A|-----------------------------------|---------3---2---------------------|
E|-----------0-------5---------------|---5-------------------0---3--3--|
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
G|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
D|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
A|-----------------------------------|---------3---2---------------------|
E|-----------0-------5---------------|---5---------------0-----3--3----|
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
G|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
D|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
A|-----------------------------------|---------3---2---------------------|
E|-----------0-------5---------------|---5---------------0-----3--3----|
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
G|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
D|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
A|-----------------------------------|---------3---2-----5-5-5-5-7---7--|
E|-----------0-------5---------------|---5-------------------------------|
These 8 measures are done twice, and the 8th measure on the last time is
like the rest. During the harmonica solo, the bass goes like this.
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
G|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
D|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
A|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
E|---5-------5-------5-------5-------|---3-------3-----3-3-------3-------|
This is just repeated until they get back into the normal thing again.
That's it! Hope this is enjoyed by all.
Cody-
*****************************************
"Could I have been Anyone Other than Me?"
Dave Mattews
*****************************************
