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Thickfreakness

Black Keys

Text File

Pretend your guitar has such a thick southern accent that everyone can barely understand
:D
[tab]
e---------------------------------------------------------------|
B---------------------------------------------------------------|
G-----/c\n------------------------------------------------------|
D---------------------------------------------------------------|
A------------/y-------------------------------------------------|
E---------------------------------------------------------------|

I don't have a slide and am not sure what frets are actually reached
with the opening slides. Judging from several live versions, the actual
notes are completely arbitrary, as long as what you are doing builds to the main riff.

           muted/distortion/fuzz/the ugliest-messiest sound
                         your equipment can make
e---------------------------------|----------------------------------|
B---------------------------------|----------------------------------|
G--------------------------------x-x---------------------------------|
D------5h7-5---------------------x-x---------------------------------|
A------------7p6-5-3-5-5p3-------0-0---------------------------------|
E--------------------------5-3-5-0-0---------------------------------|

The initial hammering thing varies, sometimes it's more like this:
  |
  |       sometimes it's clearly this
e-|----------|----------------------|------|
B------------|----------------------|------|
G-----5------|----------------------5------|
D-----5h7-5--|----------------------5h7-5--|
A-----x------|-----------------------------|
E------------|-----------------------------|

The next little part also seems to be the source of some confusion:

e--------------|-----------------|-----------------------------|
B--------------|-----------------|-----------------------------|
G--------------|-----------------|-----Just About--------------|
D--------------|-----------------|--any other variation of-----|
A---7-6-5-3-5--|--7\6-(6)\5-3-5--|--this you can --------------|
E---|----------|--|--------------|--come up with---------------|
    |             |
    |             This one is throwing people off I think, where just the
    |             tiniest little bit of the 6 is picked into the 5. He frets
    |             all three notes with his ring finger when he does this
    |             on video which is where this silly 7\5 idea came from.
    |             This is the way it's played on the studio version
    |             as much as 50% of the time this section occurs.
    |
Can play all separate notes

Moving on:

e-----------------------------------------------|
B-----------------------------------------------|
G---5-------------------------------------------|
D---5h7-5---------------------------------------|
A---x------7\6-(6)\5-3-5-3h5-3h5--5p3-----------|
E-------------------------------------5-3-------|

e---------------------------------------------------------------|
B---------------------------------------------------------------|
G------------------------------x-x------------------------------|
D---5h7-5----------------------x-x---5h7-5-------------5--------|
A---x------7-6p5-3-5-5p3-------0-0---------7p6-5-3-5/7-7--------|
E------------------------5-3-5-0-0------------------------------|


E|---------------------------------------------------------------|
B|---------------------------------------------------------------|
G|----------2---2---2---2--(2)-(2)-(2)----2---2---2---2p0--------|
D|-(5)\-----2---2---2---2--(2)-(2)-(2)----2---2---2-------2p0----|
A|-(7)\---0---0---0-----0--(0)-(0)-(0)--0---0---0-------------3b-|
E|----------------------|---0---3---4----------------------------|
                        |
This chord is lightly played and rings while the other notes are played.
If you're playing with a pick, hit the 2's on an upstroke and palm-mute.


E|------------------------------------------------|----------------|
B|------------------------------------------------|----------------|
G|------2---2---2---2--(2)-(2)-(2)----2---2---2---|---2-(2)--------|
D|------2---2---2---2--(2)-(2)-(2)----2---2---2---|---2-(2)--------|
A|----0---0---0-----0--(0)-(0)-(0)--0---0---0-----|------0---------|
E|----------------------0---3---4-----------------|---------|------|
                                                            |
                                                          The 2x through
                                                 this is CLEARLY played
                                                  leading into this next part


e-------------------------------------------------------------|
B----------------------------------------8-5------------------|
G-------5--5h7--5------5---------------5------9\7--5----------|
D--2/7--7--7----0--5/7---7----------/7---------------7--------|
A--0------------0---------------5---0-------------------------|
E---------------------------8-8-------------------------------|

I typically let the open notes ring for as long as possible. I like to play
it this way because playing it higher and with sliding into the riff and at
the ends sort of approximates the vocals. Also, the song is plucked not picked, and 
it lower on the neck (correct position) with a pick makes it nearly impossible to get all 
notes in there.

Correctly:

e------------------------------3-0-----------------------------|
B---1-3-1-----1--------------1------5/3p1----------------------|
G-2-------1/2---2----------2--------------2--------------------|
D----------------------0---------------------------------------|
A------------------3-3-----------------------------------------|
E--------------------------------------------------------------|

It sounds like there's quite a few other notes in here. I'd
recommend hitting as many open stings and other notes as possible, as long
as the notes above are easily distinguishable from the rest of what you're
doing, you're doing okay :)

e-------------------------0-3-------------|
B-------------------1-3-4-----------------|
G---------------0-2-----------------------|
D---------0-1-2---------------------------|
A-----0-3---------------------------------|
E-0-3-------------------------------------|
Anything from this should work out.


-Part repeats with the small variation previously mentioned-

e--------------------------------------------------------------|
B--------------------------------------------------------------|
G----2---2---2---2---------9-7------7-5----7fb-7-5-------------|
D----2---2---2---2----------------------------------7----------|
A--0---0---0-------0-------------------------------------------|
E--------------------3-2--------3b-----------------------------|

End:
e---------------------------------------------------------------|
B---------------------------------------------------------------|
G----5----------------------------------------------------------|
D----5h7-5---------------------7--------------------------------|
A----x-----7-6p5-3-5-5/7-5-3---7--------------------------------|
E----------------------------3-5--------------------------------|


I still have the solo and the transitions back to the main riff to
figure out and I'll add them when I do. And they will be correct.
[/tab]

pb pre-bend
fb full bend
b half bend or less
7fb9 = play 7, bend, and strike again "as a 9"
7fb = bend 7->9 and note stops
7fbr = play note, bend to 9, release only striking the note the first time

 /  slide up
 \  slide down
 h  hammer-on
 p  pull-off
 ~  vibrato
 +  artificial harmonic
 x  Mute note
 () Ghost/Guide note - A ringing note, or a note played into the next
                                           quickly by hammer or slide

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Thickfreakness

Black Keys