"Kate" by Ben Folds Five

Tabbed by Paul Fivey with a little help from
a very mixed up tab which appears on a BF5 fan site.

Comments to: [email protected]

Verse:

G———————————————————————————————————      
D———————————————3——————————————3————       
A——————————3——5————————————3——5—————      
E——1———4—5—————————1———4—5——————————      
                             (Three times @ first verse)


G———————————————————————————————————
D———————————————————————————————————
A——————————5——7—8——————————5——7—8———
E——3———5—6—————————3———5—6——————————

G———————————————————————————————————
D——————————3——5—7——————————3——5—7———
A——————3—5—————————————3—5——————————
E——6———————————————6————————————————

G———————————————————————————————————      
D———————————————3——————————————3————       
A——————————3——5————————————3——5—————      
E——1———4—5—————————1———4—5——————————    

Chorus:

G——————————————————————————————————————————————
D————————7————7—————————6————6—————————————————     ***  See note 
A——————————————————————————————————————————————
E———5—5————5————5——4—4————4————4——3—————3———3——

G—————————————————————————————
D—————————————————————————————
A—————————————————————————————
E——X——3——5——6————8—————8—8—8—8





G———————————————————————————————————      
D———————————————3——————————————3————       
A——————————3——5————————————3——5—————      
E——1———4—5—————————1———4—5——————————    

Then after a while there's a bridge, where the lyrics go:
"Down by the...."

G————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D————————10————10——————————8———8————————8————8—————————6————6————
A————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
E———8—8—————8——————8——6—6————6———6—6—6————6————6——4—4————4————4——

G————————————————————————10———10————————————————————————
D————————6————6—————/8—8————8—————————5———5—————————————
A———————————————————————————————————————————————————————
E———4—4————4————4—4——————————————3—3————3———3—3——1——————

G———————————————————————
D——————————————————8————
A——8———————8————————————
E———————————————————————

BASS SOLO:

G——————————————————————————————————————————————
D——————————————————————————————————————————————
A——————————————————————————————————————————————
E———1—1—/13—13—13—13—13—————1—1—/13—13—13—13—13

G——————————————————————————————————————————————
D——————————————————————————————————————————————
A——————————————————————————————————————————————
E———3—3—/13—13—13—13—13—————3—3—/13—13—13—13—13

G——————————————————————————————————————————————
D——————————————————————————————————————————————
A——————————————————————————————————————————————
E———6—6—/13—13—13—13—13—————6—6—/13—13—13—13—13

G————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D————————————————————————————————————————————————————
A————————————————————————————————————————————————————
E———1—1—/13———13—13—13——13—13—13——13—13—13——13—13—13—



G—————————————————————
D—————————————————————
A—————————————————————
E—13—13—13——13—13—13——

Play this solo through twice then go to the bridge
which this time round contains a cool little fill.

At the point of the three stars ***  play:

G——————————————————
D——5—5—5————5—5—5——
A——————————————————
E——————————————————

This is played after the two low G notes in the gap
you'd normally leave.

The last chorus does the whole "I wanna be" part 
then goes to the "Kate" parts normally but then things 
start to vary. So, on the first "Kate" 
break off from the normal chorus and play what's below
then end.

G———————————————————————————————————      
D———————————————3——————————————3————       
A——————————3——5————————————3——5—————      
E——1———4—5—————————1———4—5—————————— 

G———————————————————————————————————      
D———————————————3——————————3——5—6———       
A——————————3——5————————3—4——————————      
E——1———4—5—————————6————————————————    This section
is played twice, then
   
G——————————————————      
D—————————3——5—6———       
A—————3—4——————————      
E—6————————————————   This line is played three times
then the song ends.

Whew! That's a big tab, but certainly better than any
I've found on the net so far.  If you have a BF5 site
feel free to steal it, I don't care.

The only tricky bit of this song is the transition 
from the chorus to the verse, but if you listen to 
the song and try to imagine playing the line, it
helps (try hurrying the first two notes of the walk
that follows if that helps.)

As usual, any questions, problems or anything, 
just email me.

About Ben Folds Five

Ben Folds Five was an alternative rock trio formed in 1993 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The group comprised Ben Folds (vocals, piano, and principal songwriting), Robert Sledge (bass guitar and backing vocals), and Darren Jessee (drums, backing vocals and co-writer for some songs). The group achieved mainstream success in the alternative, indie and pop music scenes. The band is best known for the hit single "Brick" from their 1997 album Whatever and Ever Amen, which gained airplay on many mainstream radio stations.

How to Read Bass Tabs

Bass tablature (tabs) is an easy way to learn songs without needing to read traditional sheet music. Here’s a quick guide to understanding the symbols and techniques commonly found in tabs:

1. The Basics

Strings and Frets:
Each line in a tab represents a string on your bass:
- The top line is the highest-pitched string (G on a 4-string bass).
- The bottom line is the lowest-pitched string (E on a 4-string bass).
Numbers on the lines indicate which fret to press. For example:
```
G|-------------------|

D|-------------------|

A|---3---------------|

E|-------------------|

            
```
This means you play the 3rd fret on the A string.

2. Common Techniques

Hammer-On (h):
Play the first note by picking it, then press down on a higher fret with another finger without picking again.
```
G|-------------------|

D|-------5h7---------|

            
```
Pull-Off (p):
Pluck a note and then "pull off" your finger to let a lower fret ring.
```
G|-------------------|

D|-------7p5---------|

            
```
Slide (/ or \):
Move your finger up (/) or down (\) the fretboard while maintaining pressure.
```
G|-------------------|

D|-------5/7---------|

            
```

3. Advanced Techniques

Bend (b): Push the string up or down to raise the pitch. Example: G|-------7b9---------|
Vibrato (~): Shake the string slightly after playing a note to create a vibrating sound. Example: G|-------7~----------|
Muted Notes (x): Rest your finger lightly on the string without pressing a fret and pluck for a percussive "click" sound.

4. Rhythm and Timing

Tabs don’t always indicate timing, so listen to the song while reading the tab. Wider spaces between numbers mean longer pauses, while closer numbers indicate quicker notes.

5. Slap and Pop

Slap (s): Strike the string with the side of your thumb for a percussive sound.
Pop (p): Pull the string away from the fretboard and let it snap back.

Practice Makes Perfect

Tabs are a great tool to learn songs, but mastering the techniques takes practice. Listen carefully to the original track and play along to lock in the rhythm. Don’t rush — smooth, accurate playing is more important than speed. Happy jamming! 🎸

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Ben Folds Five — Kate bass tabs