
Black Sabbath
Rat Salad

Terrence "Geezer" Butler
Tuning: Standard

                          Tablature Notation
~         Hold Note
b         Bend
r         Release Bend
h         Hammer—On
p         Pull—Off
/         Slide Up
\         Slide Down
*pb       Pre—Bend
Mute: * * Mute Notes Above Stars
b(#)      Bend String Until Note In (#) Is Reached
b(#)r     Bend String Until Note In (#) Is Reached Then Release To 
Original Note
x         Ghost—Note Play Note On String but has no recognizable pitch
———       Notes W/ More ———'s Indicate Longer Space Between Notes  
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Wait For Intro

0:04
G|———————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|—5———3———————————————————————————5———3—————————|
A|—————————5———————————————————————————————5—————|
E|—————————————3———————————————————————————————3—|

0:14
G|—————————————————————————————————————|
D|—————————————————————————————————————|
A|—————————3———3h4———3h4———3h4————3————|
E|—3———5———————————6—————6—————6—————6—|
  Guitar Comes In W/ This Riff at 0:12

0:17
G|—————————————————————3————————————————————————————————3—————|
D|—————————————————3h5—————5————————————————————————3h5—————5—|
A|—————————3———4————————————————————————————3———4—————————————|
E|—3———6————————————————————————————3———6—————————————————————|

0:26                             0:31            0:34
G|————————————————3—————3——5b—5b—|———————————————|—3—————5b——3————|
D|—————————————3—————5———————————|—5—3———————————|————5—————————5—|
A|———————3——4————————————————————|—————5———4—3———|————————————————|
E|—3——6——————————————————————————|—————————————6—|————————————————|

This Bit Is Very Tricky But If You Listen Very Closely, You Can
Hear The Timing A Bit Better. I Added More/Less of ———— and added 
times
above so you can get the timing better.

0:36                      0:38                     0:40
G|————————————————————————|——————————————————————5—|————————————————————————|
D|—5———5——3—5——5———5——3———|—5———5——3—5——5———5——3———|—5———5——3—5——5———5——3———|
A|——————————————————————5—|————————————————————————|——————————————————————5—|
E|————————————————————————|————————————————————————|————————————————————————|

0:43                      0:45                     0:47
G|——————————————————————5—|————————————————————————|————————————————————————|
D|—5———5——3—5——5———5——3———|—5———5——3—5——5———5——3———|—5———5——3—5——5———5——3———|
A|————————————————————————|——————————————————————5—|——————————————————————5—|
E|————————————————————————|————————————————————————|————————————————————————|

0:50                      0:52                     0:54
G|————————————————————————|——————————————————————5—|————————————————————————|
D|—5———5——3—5——5———5——3———|—5———5——3—5——5———5——3———|—5———5——3—5——5———5——3———|
A|——————————————————————5—|————————————————————————|——————————————————————5—|
E|————————————————————————|————————————————————————|————————————————————————|

0:57
G|—————————————————————3————————————————————————————————3—————|
D|—————————————————3h5—————5————————————————————————3h5—————5—|
A|—————————3———4————————————————————————————3———4—————————————|
E|—3———6————————————————————————————3———6—————————————————————|

1:06                             1:11               1:13
G|————————————————3—————3——5b—5b—|———————————————|—3—————5b——3————|
D|—————————————3—————5———————————|—5—3———————————|————5—————————5—|
A|———————3——4————————————————————|—————5———4—3———|————————————————|
E|—3——6——————————————————————————|—————————————6—|————————————————|

1:16—2:06
Drum Solo—No Bass
Bass Re—Enters At...

2:07
G|—————————————————————3————————————————————————————————3—————|
D|—————————————————3h5—————5————————————————————————3h5—————5—|
A|—————————3———4————————————————————————————3———4—————————————|
E|—3———6————————————————————————————3———6—————————————————————|

2:16                             2:21            2:23
G|————————————————3—————3——5b—5b—|———————————————|—3—————5b——3————|
D|—————————————3—————5———————————|—5—3———————————|————5—————————5—|
A|———————3——4————————————————————|—————5———4—3———|————————————————|
E|—3——6——————————————————————————|—————————————6—|————————————————|

Have Fun

About Black Sabbath

Black Sabbath are an English rock band, formed in Birmingham in 1968 by Ozzy Osbourne (lead vocals), Tony Iommi (guitar), Geezer Butler (electric bass), and Bill Ward (drums and percussion). The band has since experienced multiple lineup changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of twenty-two musicians have at one time been members of Black Sabbath. Originally formed as a heavy blues-rock band named Earth, the band began incorporating occult- and horror-inspired lyrics with tuned-down guitars, changing their name to Black Sabbath and achieving multiple platinum records in the 1970s. Despite an association with occult and horror themes, Black Sabbath also composed songs dealing with social and political issues such as drugs and war.

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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Black Sabbath — Rat Salad bass tabs