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SCRATCHING THE SURFACE - Saga
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Written by: J.Gilmour/J.Crichton
Album: "Heads Or Tales" (1983, Maze Records/Canada)
Guitarist: Ian Crichton
Tabbed by: Anne Drury
Email: zerofret_ad@hotmail.com
Date: July 19, 2007
INTRO:
(2x)
E --|----------------------------------|----------------------------------|
B --|o---------------------------------|---------------------------------o|
G --|----------------------------------|----------------------------------|
D -5|--5=--5-5-5=--5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|-5=--5-5-5=--5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5--|
A -3|o-3=--3-3-3=--3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-|-3=--3-3-3=--3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-o|
E --|----------------------------------|----------------------------------|
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
1ST VERSE: (follow staves as numbered)
C F
E ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
B ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
G ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
D -5-5=--5-5-5=--5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|-5-5=--5-5-5=--5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|
A -3-3=--3-3-3=--3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-|-3-3=--3-3-3=--3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-|
E ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1. So you won't tell me where you've been up to now
3. You're well on your way, but never leaving the chair
5. Watching widely to glimpse the full view
7. You say that you see me, well, I see you, too, I
9. Scratching the surface and you can't get away, You've
G F (G)
E ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
B ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
G ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
D -5-5=--5-5-5=--5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|-5-5=--5-5-5=--5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|
A -3-3=--3-3-3=--3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-|-3-3=--3-3-3=--3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-|
E ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2. I don't know, they've seen you come and go, oh
4. Playing scenes on TV screens
6. While the hours have their hands all over you
8. look behind, what do you find, all but an empty room
10.travelled far, and so far you have nothing to say
(Play the bracketed G chord only the last time through, with line 10.)
CHORUS: (follow staves as numbered)
Am G Em F G
E ------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
B -----12--13-12----------------------|-----12--13-12---------------13--12-|
G -14------------14-12------12--14-12-|-14------------14-12---12-14--------|
D -----------------------12-----------|------------------------------------|
A ------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
E ------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
1. Scratching the surface, You better come up for air
2. Scratching the surface, You better come up for air
Am G Em F G
E ------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
B -----12--13-12----------------------|-----12--13-12-------13~----12~-----|
G -14------------14-12------12--14-12-|-14------------14-12----------------|
D -----------------------12-----------|------------------------------------|
A ------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
E ------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
2. A new experience to get you there
4. Strapped to the media, a ma - chine to fear
1. C F
2. G F
E ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
B ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
G ---------------------------------|---------------------------------| 2x
D -5-5=--5-5-5=--5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|-5-5=--5-5-5=--5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|
A -3-3=--3-3-3=--3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-|-3-3=--3-3-3=--3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-|
E ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2ND VERSE: (played same as 1st Verse)
You're onto something, then it slips right away
It's in your hand, follow through right in, in front of you
You say that you hear me, well, I hear you, too
My secret is no secret outside of the tube
So you won't tell me what you've done up to now
You're watching me, I'm watching you decide, oh
Scratching the surface, you can't get away
You tried so hard, and so far you have nothing to say
Play CHORUS, then:
C
E ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
B ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
G ---------------------------------|---------------------------------| 2x
D -5-5=--5-5-5=--5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|-5-5=--5-5-5=--5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|
A -3-3=--3-3-3=--3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-|-3-3=--3-3-3=--3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-|
E ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
GUITAR SOLO: (the chord through the whole solo is C)
E ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
B ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
G -12^w-12-10---12^w---12----------|-12^w-12-10---12^w---12-10-9-----|
D ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
A ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
E ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
E ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
B ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
G -12^w-12-10---12^w---12----------|-12^w-12-10---12^w---12-10-9-----|
D ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
A ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
E ---------------------------------|-----------------------------3-3-|
[ Tab from: https://www.guitartabs.cc/tabs/s/saga/scratching_the_surface_tab.html ]
E ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
B ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
G ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
D -2-----3-----5---=---=---=-------|-=---=---~-~-~-------------------|
A ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
E ---------------------------------|-----------------------------3-3-|
(bar vibrato)
E ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
B ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
G ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
D -2-----3-----2-=-=\\-(0)---=-----|-=---=---~-~-~-------------------|
A ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
E ---------------------------------|-----------------------------3-3-|
(bar vibrato)
E ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
B ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
G ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
D -2-----3-----5-=-//(7)---=---=---|-=---=---=--r5-------------------|
A ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
E ---------------------------------|-----------------------------3-3-|
E ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
B ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
G ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
D -2-----3-----2-=-=\\-(0)---=-----|-=---=---~-~-~-------------------|
A ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
E ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
(bar vibrato)
_
E ---------------------------------|---------------------------------| |
B ---15----13----------------------|---------------------------------| |
G ------15---------12----\/15------|---------------------------------| |
D ---------------------------------|---15--14~-------------0-2-------| |
A ---------------------------------|----------------------3---3------| |
E ---------------------------------|-------------------3-3-----3-----| |
. ... ... |
|2x
E ---------------------------------|---------------------------------| |
B ---15----13----------------------|------------------------------(8)| |
G ------15---------12----\/15------|----------0-2--------------------| |
D ---------------------------------|---0-2-3-3-------------0-2-------| |
A ---------------------------------|----------------------3---3------| |
E ---------------------------------|-------------------3-3-----3-----| |
. . . .. . . ... ... _|
E ---------------------------------|
B /17-8/17----------------------17-|
G -----------19p17~--------17h19---|
D ---------------------------------|
A ---------------------------------|
E ---------------------------------|
E ------------------------------------------------------------|
B -18p17--------17-20p17--------17-18p17--------17-20p17------|
G ------19p17-19--------19p17h19--------19p17h19--------19p17-|
D ------------------------------------------------------------|
A ------------------------------------------------------------|
E ------------------------------------------------------------|
E ------------------------------------------------------------|
B ---17-18p17--------17-20p17---------------------------------|
G -19--------19p17h19--------19p17---e-t-c--------------------|
D ------------------------------------------------------------|
A ------------------------------------------------------------|
E ------------------------------------------------------------|
E ---------------------------------------------15-17-18-20-20-18-17-------|
B ------------------------------------15-17-18----------------------20-17-|
G 15-15-15-15-14-12----------12-14-17-------------------------------------|
D ------------------14-14-15----------------------------------------------|
A ------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E ------------------------------------------------------------------------|
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
E ---------------------------------|
B -20^w----------------------------|
G ---------------------------------|
D ---------------------------------|
A ---------------------------------|
E ---------------------------------|
(Scratching the surface...)
Play CHORUS
OUTRO:
C F
E ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
B ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
G ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
D -5-5=--5-5-5=--5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|-5-5=--5-5-5=--5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|
A -3-3=--3-3-3=--3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-|-3-3=--3-3-3=--3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-|
E ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
G F
E ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
B ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
G ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
D -5-5=--5-5-5=--5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|-5-5=--5-5-5=--5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|
A -3-3=--3-3-3=--3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-|-3-3=--3-3-3=--3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-|
E ---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Scratching the surface (oh)
(Repeat the 4 measures of the Outro to fade)
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Notes:
-Bar lines indicate measures of 4/4 time.
-In this tab, dots (...) under a staff indicate that the note or chord
should be palm muted.
-The tabbed part for the Intro and the Verse is a keyboard part transcribed
for guitar.
-The part in measures 20-21 of the guitar solo tabbed as -8/17-8/17 isn't
actually done using slides. It's done with a trem bar, but I couldn't
figure it out exactly, so opted to just write in the notes being played.
^...bend (w=whole tone) h...hammer on
r...release bend p...pull off
/...slide up =...hold note or chord
o ~...vibrato
o...repeat (the measures between the symbols)
Trem bar symbols:
//...raise bar to indicated pitch
\\...lower bar to indicated pitch
\/...depress bar, strike note, then allow bar to come back up to the pitch
of the fretted note
(This file is the transcriber's own work and represents
their interpretation of the song.)
