Blackbird - Bass tab
Transcribed and tabbed by Joe Britton
Artist - Jaco Pastorius
Album - Word of Mouth
Track - Black Bird
Written by the Beatles, Arranged for bass by Jaco Pastorius.
This tab is just the basic idea, there are a few small variations in parts.
Any comments, questions etc. E-mail:
Larrylaffer_uk@yahoo.co.uk
Rhythm fig. 1
_______ _______ _______ ______ ____ ________ ________
4 |-|-|-| |-|-|-| |-|-|-| |-r | | | |--|-|-| |--|-|-|
4 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
G||---6-------7-------9--------18---18--|--(18)----18--------18---------
D||*----7-------7-------7-----------14--|--(14)-------14--------14------
A||*------0-0-----0-0-----0-0-----------|-------0--------0-0-------0-0--
E||-------------------------------------|-------------------------------
________ ________ ________ ________ ______ ____
|--|-|-| |--|-|-| |--|-|-| |--|-|-| |-r | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
G--18---------|--11---------14--------13---------16---14--|-(14)----
D-----14------|-----12---------12--------12-----------16--|-(16)----
A--------0-0--|--------0-0--------0-0-------0-0-----------|------0--
E-------------|-------------------------------------------|---------
1____________________2__________
________ ________ ________ _____ ____ | _____ ____
|--|-|-| |--|-|-| |--|-|-| | -| | | | | | -| | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | |. |_| |__O | |. |_| |_|
G--14--------14---------14---------|--13--14---11-------||--13--14---11-
D-----16--------15---------15------|--14--14---12------*||--14--14---12-
A--------0-0-------0-0--------0-0--|--0---0----0-------*||--0---0----0--
E----------------------------------|--------------------||--------------
_____ ______ ______ ____ ____
| | |--| | |--| | | | | | | |
| | O | | | | | | O | |__| | O
G----/11--|--10---|--9-------9--------8---|------14------------|
D---------|--12---|----11------11-----9---|--/12--------2------|
A---------|--0----|-------0-------0---0---|-------------0------|
E---------|-------|-----------------------|--------------------|
Rest Then repeat whole of rhythm fig. 1, With this fill in the first
time bar:
_____ ____ ________ __________
| -| | | | r |-|--|-| |--|--|--|
|. |__| |__O O | | | | | | | |
G|--13--14--11------|-----11-9------------------|
D|--14--14--12------|----------11-9-------------|
A|--0---0---0-------|---------------12-9--------|
E|------------------|--------------------12-10--|
Rhythm Fig. 2
________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________
|--|-|-| |--|-|-| |--|-|-| |--|-|-| |--|-|-| |--|-|-|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
G|--19--------19--------14--------14---------|-9--------9---------
D|-----17--------16--------14--------12------|---10-------10------
A|--------0-0-------0-0-------0-0-------0-0--|------0-0------0-0--
E|-------------------------------------------|--------------------
[ Tab from: https://www.guitartabs.cc/tabs/j/jaco_pastorius/blackbird_btab.html ]
________ ________ ________ ________ ________ ________
|--|-|-| |--|-|-| |--|-|-| |--|-|-| |--|-|-| |--|-|-|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
G---11--------11---------|--19--------19--------14--------14---------|
D------12--------12------|-----17--------16--------14--------12------|
A---------0-0-------0-0--|--------0-0-------0-0-------0-0-------0-0--|
E------------------------|-------------------------------------------|
1___________________2_______
________ ________ _______ _______ | ________ ________
|--|-|-| |--|-|-| |-|-|-| |-|-|-| | |--|-|-| |--|-|-| | 2
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | O 4
G|-9--------9--------8-------8---------||-9--------9----------8--|-------|
D|---10-------10-------9-------9------*||---10-------10-------9--|-1-bar-|
A|------0-0------0-0-----0-0-----0-0--*||------0-0------0-0---0--|-rest--|
E|-------------------------------------||------------------------|-------|
Then Rhythm fig. 1, Skip first time bar, then rest, then:
Rhythm fig. 3
4
4 All 16th notes
G|--6-------7-------9-------18---------|--18--------18---------
D|----7-------7-------7--------16------|-----17--------16------
A|------0-0-----0-0-----0-0-------0-0--|--------0-0-------0-0--
E|-------------------------------------|-----------------------
G|--18---------14---------11-------14--------|--13--------16---------
D|-----14---------12---------7--------9------|-----11--------15------
A|--------0-0--------0-0-------0-0------0-0--|--------0-0-------0-0--
E|-------------------------------------------|-----------------------
_____ ____
| -| | | |
|. |_| |____O
G--14--------14---------|--12--14----9--------
D-----16--------15------|---------------------
A--------0-0-------0-0--|------------8--------
E-----------------------|---------------------
Bass 1
Bass 1 holds the double stop, and bass 2 comes in with this riff:
__________ __________ __________
r |--|--|--| |--|--|--| |--|--|--|
O.__| | | | | | | | | | | |
G|------------------|----------------17-------17-
D|------------17-19-|-19-17-19-19-------19-19----
A|---------19-------|----------------------------
E|------------------|----------------------------
bass 2
__________ __________ ____
|--|--|--| |--|--|--| |--|
| | | | | | | | | |
G--19-17-------------------|--------
D--------19-19-17-19-19-17-|--------
A--------------------------|-19-17--
E--------------------------|--------
After riff go to Rhythm fig. 1,(this riff slightly overlaps into Rhythm 1)
After Rhythm fig. 1, go to Rhythm fig 2. Then back to Rhythm fig. 1. Skip first time bar then end.
Tab and rhythm explanation:
| |\
O = whole note |__| = crotchet tied to quaver
|
O = minim\half note x = dead note
| (4) = ghost note (held on
| = crotchet\quarter note from previous bar)
___
|\ | | 5\ = slide down
| or | | = quaver\eigth note
___
| |-| 5/ = slide up
| or | | = semi-quaver\sixteenth note
| 5tr6 = trill
|. = dotted quaver etc.
r
| = crotchet rest\quarter note rest
r\
| = quaver rest\eighth note rest etc.
__3__
| | |
| | | = quaver triplets
__3____
| | | |
| | | | = quaver triplets + quaver
____
|- r
| | = semi-quaver + quaver rest
_______
|- | -|
| | | = semi-quaver + quaver + semi-quaver
