the Smashing Pumpkins
I am one
Off the Smashing Pumpkins (1988)/
I am One (1990)/
Gish (1991)/
the Peel sessions (1992)/
Earphoria (2002)
Written by Billy Corgan
Performed live in Atlanta,1993
Tabbed by Jimi
Standard Tuning
I used a video cut of a live performance to
create this tab. You can easily play along
with the Gish recording, the solo?s are the
same, but I added notes for the Earphoria
and other live versions.
Turn your mids and basses up. Use much
distortion, no compressors. A wah-wha
pedal is needed for the ending of the
third guitar solo.
Intro:
Only drums for a few bars and the guitars
come in with this distorted riff:
Billy + James
|------------------0~---|
|------0~--------0------|
|----3---------3--------| 2 times
|--4---------4----------|
|--4---------4----------|
|--2---------0----------|
rake over the chords
and then
James
|------------------------------------------------|
|--7-----7---7---7---2-2-7-----7---7---7---2-4---|
|--6-----6---6---6---2-2-6-----6---6---6---2-4---| 2 times
|--4-----4---4---4---2-2-4-----4---4---4---2-4---|
|--------------------0-0-------------------0-2---|
|----0-0---0---0---0-------0-0---0---0---0-------|
I tabbed James? part with the help of a live video.
To get the right sound, I would either mute the Fm5
chords right after playing or use another voicing
for the A and Bm.
A Bm A Bm
|---------------|------------|
|--2---4---(3)--|--10---12---|
|--2---4-or-4---|--9----11---|
|--2---4----4---|--7----9----|
|--0---2----2---|------------|
|---------------|------------|
Billy comes in with the Lead Solo the second time
Billy
|---------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------|
|--4gb6~~----------------------------2h4-4b6r4p2-4b6r4p2--------|
|--4gb6~~-2---4~-----2~----------2h4---------------------4~~~---|
|-----------4----4-2---------2h4--------------------------------|
|------------------------2h5------------------------------------|
Verse:
Billy
|--------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------|
|--11----11--11--11------11----11--11--11----------| 4 times
|--11----11--11?-11--9~~-11----11--11--11--9/11~---|
|--9-----9---9---9-------9-----9---9---9-----------|
|----0-0---0---0---0-------0-0---0---0---0---------|
James
|------------------------------------------------|
|--7-----7---7---7---2-2-7-----7---7---7---2-4---|
|--6-----6---6---6---2-2-6-----6---6---6---2-4---| 4 times
|--4-----4---4---4---2-2-4-----4---4---4---2-4---|
|--------------------0-0-------------------0-2---|
|----0-0---0---0---0-------0-0---0---0---0-------|
"I am one as you are three?"
Bridge:
both guitars 4x Fills: 1st,3rd; 2nd,4th time
|------------------------------|-------|---------|
|------------------------------|-------|---------|
|------------------------------|-11-11-|---------|
|------------------------------|-------|---------|
|------------------------------|-9--9--|-12-14---|
|--12-0-0-0-12-0-0-12-0-0-12-0-|-------|-10-12---|
"Am I as I seem?"
Fill:
Billy + James
|------------------0~---|
|------0~--------0------|
|----3---------3--------| 2 times
|--4---------4----------|
|--4---------4----------|
|--2---------0----------|
"I?m down?"
Solo:
James plays his Verse Riff once
Billy
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|--16b18~-18r16~?14h16p1413~---------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------16gb18~-16h18p1614~-----------------*16*b~~~---|
|--------------------------------------------------14-12----12------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------------12----12~--------------|
Verse: same
Bridge: same
Chorus:
Billy + James
|------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------2-2-------------------2-4---| 4 times
|--4-----4---4---4---2-2-4-----4---4---4---2-4---|
|--4-----4---4---4---0-0-4-----4---4---4---0-2---|
|--2-0-0-2-0-2-0-2-0-----2-0-0-2-0-2-0-2-0-------|
"See you?" "I am one"
Interlude:
Billy (uses the whammy bar on each chord)
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|--2-----------------2-----2-------------2--------------------------|
|--2-----------------2-----2-------------2--------------------------|
|--0-----------------0-----0-------------0--------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
James
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----3-5-5-7-5-7-5-3---------3-5-3-5-5-7-5-7-5-3-5-3-5-7-5-7-8~/---|
|--2~-----------------2~---2~---------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
Guitar Solo:
This Solo was pretty hard to figure out because both guitars start
to solo. Billy?s part usually the louder one. If you don?t like
this attempt or you want to play your own variation of Billy?s or
James? part just improvise with the Fmajor pentatonic scale.
In the some live versions Billy goes mad with tapping or thrill.
Fmaj Pentatonic
|-------------------------------14-17-|
|-------------------------14-17-------|
|-------------------14-16-------------| root on the
|-------------14-16-------------------| 14th fret
|-------14-16-------------------------|
|-14-17-------------------------------|
Feels good!
James doubles the solo a bit slower and plays the final scale over
the fretboard with an wha-wah pedal.
Billy
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
|--17b19~-19r17~-14h17p14-----------------------------------------|
|-------------------------16b18~-14-14~~-----14-16b18r16p14-------|
|----------------------------------------/16----------------16~---|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
Billy
|-----------------------17b19r17~~--19b21~~-------21b24~~~--------|
|--18p16p14-17b19r17p14---------------------19p17-----------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------\\---|
|---------------------------------------------------------\\---|
|---------------------------------------------------------\\---|
Billy
|--------------------------------------------------------|
|--14h17p14----------------------------------------------|
|-----------16b18-16b18r16~-13h14p1311h13p11------------|
|--------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------12b16~~~---|
|--------------------------------------------------------|
Billy
|---12-10-9-7-5-4-2-0----------------------|
|---------------------3-2-0----------------|
|---------------------------2-1------------|
|-------------------------------4-2--------|
|-----------------------------------4------|
|-------------------------------------2~---|
Bass Break:
D?arcy
|--------------------------|
|--------------------------|
|--------------------0-0---|
|--2-0-0-2-0-2-0-2-0-------|
D?arcy
|--------------------------|
|--------------------------|
|--------------------0-2---|
|--2-0-0-2-0-2-0-2-0-------|
Actually this is played two times, but
if you want to join in the Earphoria
Version, play it a thousand times,
Repeated over and over, while Billy
goes mad.
Guitar Solo:
This solo kicks in after D?arcy?s Bassbrake.
In some live versions (Earphoria!) Billy
substitutes the last solo because the song?s
already too long.
Billy
|----------------------------16r14~-16p14h17b19~-17-19-17-19r17-19r17---|
|--14-----------------17b19~--------------------------------------------|
|--16b18~~~--14h16p14---------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
Billy
|--19r17-14----------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------17-17b19~------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------16h18p1614~-18r16gb18p14~---------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------14h16p14----16~-----------|
|---------------------------------------------------------16-----14gb16~---|
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Billy
|----------|
|----------|
|----------|
|----------|
|----------|
|--14\---|
James? backup:
James
|------------------------------------------------|
|--7-----7---7---7---2-2-7-----7---7---7---2-4---|
|--6-----6---6---6---2-2-6-----6---6---6---2-4---| 4 times
|--4-----4---4---4---2-2-4-----4---4---4---2-4---|
|--------------------0-0-------------------0-2---|
|----0-0---0---0---0-------0-0---0---0---0-------|
Chorus:
Billy + James
|------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------2-2-------------------2-4---| 4 ? 8 times
|--4-----4---4---4---2-2-4-----4---4---4---2-4---|
|--4-----4---4---4---0-0-4-----4---4---4---0-2---|
|--2-0-0-2-0-2-0-2-0-----2-0-0-2-0-2-0-2-0-------|
"See you?" "I am one"
End on:
Billy + James
|---------------------|
|---------------------|
|---------------------| (studio version)
|--4~~~(6)~--4-4\---|
|--4~~~(6)~--4-4\---|
|--2~~~(4)~--2-2\---|
or
Billy + James (crescendo)
|----------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------|
|--4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-\-(4)----------| (Earphoria)
|--4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-\-(4)-4-4\---|
|--2-3-4-5-6-7-8--9--10-\-(2)-4-4\---|
|-------------------------------2-2\---|
