Tom: Bb
E|E|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------||
BAC K SKINHEAD - Kanye West
E|E|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------||
Tabbed by: Aays
E-mail: blankepitaph@live.ca
This is not the kind of music I usually listen to really, but the production on this
song really grabbed my attention and next thing I knew I was jamming along to it on my acoustic.
What I like to do is play this fingerstyle on an acoustic guitar, while using my right
hand to get some percussive things going to match the insanely tribal rhythm section
Kanye has going in this song.
Tuning: Drop D (DADGBe)
Intro+Main Motif
E|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|--3--3-/6--8--1--1--4--3--3--3--4--3--3--3--4--3---------------------------|
A|--3--3-/6--8--1--1--4--3--1--1--4--3--1--1--4--3---------------------------|
E|--3--3-/6--8--1--1--4--3--------4--3--------4--3---------------------------|
Verse (w/ percussion tabbed out)
E|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|---3-x--3-3--x-3-x-3---------------------------------------------------------|
E|-----w-w--s-s--w-s-w-s---------------------------------------------------------|
Basically what I do here is hammer this note with my left hand while matching the
percussion with my right on the body of the acoustic. (w - 'bass drum' by slamming wrist
against guitar, s - 'snare' by slapping the underside of the guitar)
Bridge ('four in the morning…')
E|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|---6------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|---5------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|---3------------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|---3------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|---3------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Here I just strum at this chord here and there while matching the percussion of the
song, exclusively with the wrist each time. The note in the song is an F an octave
lower, so
if you're planning on doing an acoustic cover of this song feel free to use the fact
that this is a higher octave to give it your own personal flair.
Variation near the End (Final Chorus - 'God! God!)
E|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|--3--3-/6--8--1--1--4--3--3--3--4--3--3--3--6--8---------------------------|
A|--3--3-/6--8--1--1--4--3--1--1--4--3--1--1--6--8---------------------------|
E|--3--3-/6--8--1--1--4--3--------4--3--------6--8---------------------------|
Ending
E|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|--3--3-/6--8--1--1--4--3--3--3--4--3--3------------------------------------|
A|--3--3-/6--8--1--1--4--3--1--1--4--3--1------------------------------------|
E|--3--3-/6--8--1--1--4--3--------4--3---------------------------------------|
Ends on Bb
************************************
| / slide up
| \ slide down
| h hammer-on
| p pull-off
| ~ vibrato
| + harmonic
| x Mute note
| b Bend
| pb Pre-bend
| br Bend release
| pbr Pre-bend release
| brb Bend release bend
