Elliott Smith - Ballad Of Big Nothing Chords & Tabs

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			  Ballad of Big Nothing - Elliott Smith
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Tabbed by: eric johnson
Email: ericu@umich.edu

Tuning: Open C (CGCEGC)

After getting the right tuning and once you get all patterns down this song is actually pretty easy to play compared to a lot of his stuff. Some parts, especially the chorus, may not (are not) 100% right but sound pretty good and seem to match pretty close with what he played live. Check out some of the videos on youtube, but if it's not elliott make sure they're playing it in open C!

I tried to give the basic structures, just listen to it to figure it out. It's not really specific to which strings you strum, I just tried to point out the main features. Keep in mind you're in an open tuning, so strum loose and have fun.

Intro
|---------------------0---------------0------------------------------------|
|---------------------0---------0----0-----------0------------------------|
|-------------------- 3---------3----0-----------3------------------------|
|-------12 (slide) 4-----12/4----4-------12/4------------------------|
|---------------------0---------2----0-----------2-------------------------|
|---------------------0---------------0-------------------------------------|

|----------------0--2--4--5------7----------------------------------------|
|----------------0--0--0--0------0---------------------------------------|
|--4-6-4-6----1--1--3--0------7---------------------------------------|
|--5----5------ 2--2--4--5------5----------------------------------------|
|--5----5-------2--2--4--5------0----------------------------------------|
|--0----0-------0--0--0--0------0----------------------------------------|

Verse
[ Tab from: https://www.guitartabs.cc/tabs/e/elliott_smith/ballad_of_big_nothing_crd_ver_2.html ]
|---7----0-------------------------------------2-----------------------------|
|---0----9*-(add 10 then back to 9)---2-----------------------------|
|---7----8------------------------------------2------------------------------|
|---5----0------------------------------------2------------------------------|
|---0----0------------------------------------2------------------------------|
|---0----0------------------------------------2------------------------------|
  
|--7------0--0--5--------7------0--0--2---0---7-----------------------------------|
|--0--5--0--9--5--------0--5--0--9--2---0---7--(add 8 then--10)-----------|
|--7--5--3--8--5--------7--5--3--8--2---1---7-----------------------------------|
|--5--5--5--0--5--------5--5--5--0--2---2---7-----------------------------------|
|--0----------0--5--------0---------0--2---2---7-----------------------------------|
|--0----------0--5--------0---------0--2---0---7-----------------------------------|


Verse Transition/Chorus

|--0---0---0---0------0----0----0-------------------0---0-------then--------------------|
|--5---4---5---7------9----7----5----4----2-------5---2---------repeat----------|
|--4---3---3---5------8----0----0----3----3-------4---1-----------------------------|
|--5---5---5---7------7----0----0----4----4-------5---2------------------------------|
|--5--------------------9----7----5----2-----2------5---2-------------------------------|
|------------------------0----0----0----------------------------------------------------------|

To go back into the 2nd verse just play the xx5340 shape for a few strums then kick right back in



The 2nd time you do the chorus play it a few times and then go to this for the "though it doesn't mean a thing" part.
|----7---4---9---2--------0---------------------------------------------------|
|----7---4---9---2--------5---------------------------------------------------|
|----7---4---9---2--------4---------------------------------------------------|
|----7---4---9---2--------5---------------------------------------------------|
|----7---4---9---2--------5---------------------------------------------------|
|----7---4---9---2--------0---------------------------------------------------|


Then just repeat the basic intro scheme and end it with an open strum


Enjoy!
eric

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