Artist: The Dambuilders
Song: Smell
Album: The Islington Porn Tapes (or Encendedor)


Comment: Im well aware of the fact that this tab is not too accurate, but this is a 
         cool way to play the song. And hey, i figured that if i bother tabbing it, 
         maybe someone will bother correcting it :—)

Standard tuning: E, A, G, D
Listen to the cd for timing

00:06

G |————————————————|————————————————|
D |————————————————|————————————————|
A |—55555—00000000—|—55555—00000000—|
E |————————————————|————————————————|

00:12

G |—————————7—5—————|—————————7—5—————|
D |—5—5h79—————7—5—|—5—5h79—————7—5—|
A |—————————————————|—————————————————|
E |—————————————————|—————————————————|

00:23

G |————————————————|————————————————|
D |————————————————|————————————————|
A |—55555—00000000—|—55555—00000000—|
E |————————————————|————————————————|

00:29

G |—————————7—5—————|—————————7—5—————|
D |—5—5h79—————7—5—|—5—5h79—————7—5—|
A |—————————————————|—————————————————|
E |—————————————————|—————————————————|

00:40

G |———————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D |—00—000—055—555—599—999—999—999—055—555—555—555—9~—|
A |———————————————————————————————————————————————————|
E |———————————————————————————————————————————————————|
 
00:50 (i have no idea what he plays here Follow the lyrics for timing  as most of this part 
is purely improvised. Feel free to do the same :—))

G |—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————r—|
D |————————————————————————79——————————————————————7—9—————e—|
A |—7/5———————————————8—5—————————8———7————5———0—————————5—s—|
E |——————————79————————————————————————————————————————————t—|

  strained  worship  longs for you     my burned out heart      nowhere

01:12

G |———————————————————|———————————————————|———————————————————|———————————————————|
D |—77777777—00000000—|—77777777—00000000—|—77777777—00000000—|—77777777—00000000—|
A |———————————————————|———————————————————|———————————————————|———————————————————|
E |———————————————————|———————————————————|———————————————————|———————————————————|

01:25

G |————————————————|————————————————|
D |————————————————|————————————————|
A |—55555—00000000—|—55555—00000000—|
E |————————————————|————————————————|


01:30

G |—————————7—5—————|—————————7—5—————|
D |—5—5h79—————7—5—|—5—5h79—————7—5—|
A |—————————————————|—————————————————|
E |—————————————————|—————————————————|

01:42 (somewhat improvised ...)

G |————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D |—00—000—055—555—599—999—999—999—055—555—555—555—599—9/0—| 
A |————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
E |————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|

01:53 (solo)

G |————————————————|————————————————|
D |————————————————|————————————————|
A |—55555—00000000—|—55555—00000000—|
E |————————————————|————————————————|

02:00

G |—————————7—5—————|—————————7—5—————|
D |—5—5h79—————7—5—|—5—5h79—————7—5—|
A |—————————————————|—————————————————|
E |—————————————————|—————————————————|

02:10

G |———————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D |—00—000—055—555—599—999—999—999—055—555—555—555—9~—|
A |———————————————————————————————————————————————————|
E |———————————————————————————————————————————————————|
 
02:20 (the improvised part again)

G |—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————r—|
D |————————————————————————79——————————————————————7—9—————e—|
A |—7/5———————————————8—5—————————8———7————5———0—————————5—s—|
E |——————————79————————————————————————————————————————————t—|
 
  strained  worship  longs for you     my burned out heart      nowhere

02:42

G |———————————————————|———————————————————|———————————————————|———————————————————|
D |—77777777—00000000—|—77777777—00000000—|—77777777—00000000—|—77777777—00000000—|
A |———————————————————|———————————————————|———————————————————|———————————————————|
E |———————————————————|———————————————————|———————————————————|———————————————————|

02:54   02:55

G |—r—|—————————5—|
D |—e—|—————5—7———|
A |—s—|—5—7———————|
E |—t—|———————————|


02:57

G |————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|—————|
D |————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|—————|
A |—55555—00000000—|—55555—00000000—|—55555—00000000—|—555—|
E |————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|—————|


03:07

G |——————————5—|
D |—————5—7————|
A |—5—7————————|
E |————————————|

03:09

G |————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|———————|
D |————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|———————|
A |—55555—00000000—|—55555—00000000—|—55555—00000000—|—55555—| 
E |————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|———————|

03:18

G |——————————5—|
D |—————5—7————|
A |—5—7————————|
E |————————————|
 
03:20

G |————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————|
D |————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————|
A |—55555—00000000—|—55555—00000000—|—55555—00000000—|—55—|
E |————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————|

03:27

G |——————————5—|
D |—————5—7————|
A |—5—7————————|
E |————————————|

03:30

G |————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
D |————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|
A |—55555—00000000—|—55555—00000000—|—55555—00000000—|—55555—00000000—|—55555—00000000—|
E |————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|————————————————|


03:47

G |——————————5———|
D |—————5—7————7—|
A |—5—7——————————|
E |——————————————|

And thats it. Like i said, the tab isnt completely correct but this works for me anyway.

About Dambuilders

The Dambuilders was a band in the early 1990s Boston rock scene. The founding members - Dave Derby, Tryan George and Eric Masunaga - hail from Hawaii and had played in a number of bands (such as the Exactones) before moving to Boston in 1990. The band began as the Dambuilders in Hawaii in a three-piece and four-piece configuration. Early violin was provided by Debbie Fox. Subsequent to Debbie Fox's involvement, nearly all of their songs would feature electric violin tracks. Around 1992, the "classic lineup" consisted of Derby (bass and lead vocals); Masunaga (guitar); Kevin March (drums); and Joan Wasser (violin). Many of the bands early recordings were engineered by band-guitarist Eric Masunaga. Eric's studio, The White Room, was also an early home for engineer Darron Burke who worked alongside Eric.

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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Dambuilders — Smell bass tabs