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First Strike Is Deadly
Testament
Text File
#----------------------------------PLEASE NOTE---------------------------------#
#This file is the author's own work and represents their interpretation of the #
#song. You may only use this file for private study, scholarship, or research. #
#------------------------------------------------------------------------------#
FIRST STRIKE IS DEADLY (Bassline)
As recorded by Testament
(From the 1987 Album THE LEGACY)
Transcribed by cbliss66@aol.com
Words by Souza, Christian Music by Peterson, Skolnick
Arranged by Testament
Gtr I (E A D G) - 'Bass'
Intro
Fast Rock Q=210
4/4 3/4
Gtr I
E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E
||------------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------||
||o-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-------------o||
||o-------2-------2-|-------2---------|-----------------|-------------o||
||--0-3-2---0-3-2---|-0-3-2---0-1-1-1-|-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-|-1-1-1-1-1-1--||
Slower Q=200
$
4/4
E Q. E Q. E Q S S E E E E E Q. E Q. E Q. H
|---------------|------------------|---------------|--------------|
|---------------|------------------|---------------|--------------|
|---------------|------------------|---------------|--------------|
|-0------0------|-0----0-0-0-0-0-0-|-0------0------|-0------7\----|
E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E
||------------------|-----------------|-----------------|-------------------||
||o-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|------------------o||
||o-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-4s5---------2s3--o||
||--0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-1-|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-|-----0-3s2-0-------||
To Coda
q q E E Q q E E E E E E q q E E Q E E. E. E. E. E
||---------------|----------------|--------------|-------------------||
||o--------------|----------------|--------------|------------------o||
||o---------2s3--|------2s3-2-0---|---------2s3--|-2-0--2--3--5--3--o||
||--2--2--2------|-2--2---------2-|-2--2--2------|-------------------||
1st and 2nd Verses
Faster Q=206
E E E E E E E E E E E a Q E E E E E E E E E E E E E. E. Q E E
||------------------|------------------|-----------------|-----------------|
||o-----------------|------------------|-----------------|-----------------|
||o-----------------|------------------|-----------------|-2-0--2--3----3--|
||--2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-|-2-2-2-2s3--2-0-2-|-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-|------------0----|
E E E E E E E E E E E a Q E E E E E E E E E E E E E. E. Q Q
|-----------------|------------------|-----------------|---------------|
|-----------------|------------------|-----------------|---------------|
|-----------------|------------------|-----------------|-2-0--2--3--3--|
|-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-|-2-2-2-2s3--2-0-2-|-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-|---------------|
E E E E E E E E E E E a Q E E E E E E E E E E E E E. E. Q E E
|-----------------|------------------|-----------------|----------------|
|-----------------|------------------|-----------------|----------------|
|-----------------|------------------|-----------------|-2-0--2--3----3-|
|-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-|-2-2-2-2s3--2-0-2-|-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-|------------0---|
E E E E E E E E E E E a Q E E E E E E E E E E E E E. E. E. E. E
|-----------------|------------------|-----------------|------------------||
|-----------------|------------------|-----------------|------------------||
|-----------------|------------------|-----------------|-2-0--2--3--5--3--||
|-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-|-2-2-2-2s3--2-0-2-|-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-|------------------||
Chorus
E E E E E E Q E E E E E E E E E E E E E E Q E E. E. E. E. E
|----------------|-----------------|----------------|-----------------|
|----------------|-----------------|----------------|-----------------|
|-----------2s3--|-------2s3-2-0---|-----------2s3--|-2-0--2--3--5--3-|
|-2-2-2-2-2------|-2-2-2---------2-|-2-2-2-2-2------|-----------------|
1.
E E E E E E Q E E E E E E E E E E E E E E Q E E. E. E. E. E
|----------------|-----------------|----------------|------------------||
|----------------|-----------------|----------------|-----------------o||
|-----------2s3--|-------2s3-2-0---|-----------2s3--|-2-0--2--3--5--3-o||
|-2-2-2-2-2------|-2-2-2---------2-|-2-2-2-2-2------|------------------||
2. F
E E. E. E. E. E E E. E. E. E. E
|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|
|-2-0--2--3--5--3-|-5-6--5--6--7--8-|
|-----------------|-----------------|
aster Q=213
3/4
E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E
||------------------|-----------------|---------------|
||o-----------------|-----------------|---------------|
||o---------7-8-----|-----------------|---------7-8---|
||--0-0-0-0-----0-0-|-0-0-0-0-6-7-5-6-|-0-0-0-0-------|
2/4 4/4
E E E E E E Q Q E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E
|-------------|-------|-----------------|-----------------|
|---6-7-------|-------|-----------------|-----------------|
|---------7-8-|-------|---------7-8-----|-----------------|
|-0-----0-----|-6--5--|-0-0-0-0-----0-0-|-0-0-0-0-6-7-5-6-|
3/4 2/4 4/4
E E E E E E E E E E E E Q Q E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E
|-------------|-------------|--------||-||------------------|-----------------|
|-------------|---6-7---2-3-|-------o||-||o-----------------|-----------------|
|---------7-8-|-------------|-1-----o||-||o-------------6s7-|-----------------|
|-0-0-0-0-----|-0-----0-----|----1---||-||--0-0-0-7s6-0-----|-0-0-0-7s6-0-3p0-|
3rd Verse
E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E
|-----------------|------------------||-||------------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------o||-||o-----------------|-----------------|
|-------------6s7-|---5-7-5---------o||-||o-------------6s7-|-----------------|
|-0-0-0-7s6-0-----|-0-------3-1-0-1--||-||--0-0-0-7s6-0-----|-0-0-0-7s6-0-3p0-|
Guitar Solo
Slower Q=204
E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E Q E E Q E E +E E E E Q Q
|-----------------|------------------||-||----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|-----------------o||-||o---------------|-----------------|
|-------------6s7-|---5-7-5---------o||-||o---------------|-----------------|
|-0-0-0-7s6-0-----|-0-------3-1-0-1--||-||--0--0-0-0--0-2-|-(2)-2-2-2-2--2--|
Faster Q=215
Q E E Q E E +E E E E Q Q Q E E E E E E Q E E E E E E
|---------------|------------------||-||----------------|----------------|
|---------------|-----------------o||-||----------------|----------------|
|---------------|-----------2-----o||-||----------------|----------------|
|-3--3-3-3--3-5-|-(5)-5-5-5----3---||-||-5--5-5-5-5-5-5-|-1--1-1-1-1-1-1-|
E E E E E E E E Q E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E
|-----------------|----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|----------------|-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-|-----------------|
|-----------------|-3--3-3-3-3-3-3-|-----------------|-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-|
|-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-|----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
Q E E Q E E Q Q E E E E W W
|---------------|---------------|----------|------|
|---------------|---------------|----------|------|
|---------------|----3--2-3-2-0-|----------|------|
|-0--0-0-0--0-0-|-0-------------|-5--------|-1----|
W W W W
|----------|----------|----------|------|
|----------|----------|-3--------|------|
|----------|-3--------|----------|-1----|
|-3--------|----------|----------|------|
Harmony Guitar Part
Slower Q=210
Q E E Q E E Q E E Q E E Q E E Q E E Q E E Q E E
|---------------|---------------||----------------|---------------|
|---------------|---------------||o---------------|---------------|
|---------------|---------------||o---------------|---------------|
|-0--0-0-0--0-0-|-0--0-0-0--0-0-||--5--5-5-5--5-5-|-1--1-1-1--1-1-|
Q E E Q E E Q E E Q E E Q E E Q E E Q E E Q E E
|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
|---------------|---------------|-3--3-3-3--3-3-|---------------|
|---------------|-3--3-3-3--3-3-|---------------|-1--1-1-1--1-1-|
|-3--3-3-3--3-3-|---------------|---------------|---------------|
D.S. al Coda
Q E E Q E E Q E E Q E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E 4x
|---------------|----------------||-||------------------|------------------||
|---------------|---------------o||-||o-----------------|-----------------o||
|---------------|---------------o||-||o-----------------|-4s5---------3s4-o||
|-0--0-0-0--0-0-|-0--0-0-0--0-0--||-||--0-2-3-0-2-3-0-2-|-----0-2s3-0------||
&
q q E E Q q E E E E E E q q E E Q
|--------------|----------------|--------------|
|--------------|----------------|--------------|
|---------2s3--|------2s3-2-0---|---------2s3--|
|-2--2--2------|-2--2---------2-|-2--2--2------|
E E. E. H +H Q +Q
|--------------|------------------*|
|--------------|------------------*|
|-2-0--2--3----|-(3)--------------*|
|--------------|--------2--(2)\---*|
Duration Legend
---------------
W - whole; H - half; Q - quarter; E - 8th; S - 16th; T - 32nd; X - 64th; a - acciaccatura
+ - note tied to previous; . - note dotted; .. - note double dotted
Uncapitalized letters represent notes that are staccato (1/2 duration)
Irregular groupings are notated above the duration line
Duration letters will always appear directly above the note/fret number it represents the
duration for. Duration letters with no fret number below them represent rests. Multi-
bar rests are notated in the form Wxn, where n is the number of bars to rest for. Low
melody durations appear below the staff
Tablature Legend
----------------
h - hammer-on
p - pull-off
b - bend
pb - pre-bend
r - bend release (if no number after the r, then release immediately)
/\ - slide into or out of (from/to "nowhere")
s - legato slide
S - shift slide
- natural harmonic
[n] - artificial harmonic
n(n) - tapped harmonic
~ - vibrato
tr - trill
T - tap
TP - trem. picking
PM - palm muting
\n/ - tremolo bar dip; n = amount to dip
\n - tremolo bar down
n/ - tremolo bar up
/n\ - tremolo bar inverted dip
= - hold bend; also acts as connecting device for hammers/pulls
- volume swell (louder/softer)
x - on rhythm slash represents muted slash
o - on rhythm slash represents single note slash
Misc Legend
-----------
| - bar
|| - double bar
||o - repeat start
o|| - repeat end
*| - double bar (ending)
: - bar (freetime)
$ - Segno
& - Coda
Tempo markers - = BPM(8/16=s8/s16), where s8 = swing 8ths, s16 = swing 16ths
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