Song: The Stone
Artist: Dave Matthews Band
Album: Before These Crowded Streets & Listener Supported
Tabbed by: Scott Waterman ([email protected])



This bass tab really is one of Steffan's better bass lines.
Remember that you're in 6/8 and its got a very strong triplet feel,
especially when he is playing root notes. IE: Chorus



The Stone
—————————

Time Signature: 6/8
Key: D minor (Chorus: F major)
Tabbed for a 5 string bass

He might play this intro an octave higher, but I think it sounds better played
on the B string.

Intro — Main Figure (Aeolian Mode (Natural Minor))          
G——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
A——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
E————————5—————5——5——————————————5—————5——5————————————————————|
B—————3—————6————————5——6——5——3—————6————————5——6——5———————————|
                                                                        

                          
Verse                                                Played After Slide 
     Slide      (I'm unsure of this          to Nowhere Every 3rd Time
                       but it seems to work)     (Not on 1st Verse)    
G————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|——————————————14——|
D—————————————————————————6——————————————————————————————|———————14——x——————|
A———————————————————————————————————————6——7——8——————————|———12—————————————|
E——————5——3————————————6—————x——5———8———————————————5——3—|——————————————————|
B———3——————————/————————————————————————————————3———————|——————————————————|

G——————————————————————————————————————————| 
D——————————————————————————————————————————| 
A——————————————————6———————————————————————| 
E——————5——3———————————————————————6——7——8——| 
B———3———————————6—————x——5—————8———————————|


                      Lead into Chorus 
                      (Decending F major Scale 
                      which ends on the 7th to lead back to F)          
G———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D—————————————————————10——x——8——7——8——x——7——5——7——x——5——3——5——x——3——2———
A———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
E——————5——3—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
B———3———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
                                                                        

Chorus           
G————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D——————————————————————————10—————————————————————————————10—————————
A———8——x——8——8—————10——12——————x——10——7——x——7——7——10——12——————x——10——
E————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
B————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
                                                                            
G———————————————7——5————————————————————5————————|
D—————————————————————7———————————5————————5—————|
A———5——x——5——5———————————5—————3—————3————————3——|
E————————————————————————————————————————————————|
B————————————————————————————————————————————————|
                                                                        
On Listener Supported Steffan has some variation in the chorus line right
before they end on the Bridge. I think he just takes a lot of the action 
out of it.  Try playing the roots and getting rid of the triplet feel.

On Before These Crowded Streets the song is ended with a fadeout on the 
chorus. 

Bridge Back to Verse   

(Phrygian Mode)                                                        
G———————————————————|
D———————————————————|
A——————7————5————8——|
E———5————8————6—————|
B———————————————————|
                                              
—————————————————————————

That's Basically it. I'll leave it up to you guys to get the form down.
Once you've got it down it's not difficult at all.  If anyone has any
comments about this, please let me know.  I know some parts of it are 
generally wrong, but in all it's the bestbass tab of the bare renditions
I've seen on the internet.        

—Scott

About Dave Matthews Band

Dave Matthews Band, sometimes shortened to DMB, is an American rock band formed in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1991. Founding members were singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, violinist Boyd Tinsley, drummer Carter Beauford, and saxophonist LeRoi Moore. In August 2008, LeRoi Moore died due to complications from an ATV accident. Grammy Award-winner Jeff Coffin, of Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, has since filled Moore's spot as the band's saxophonist. Rashawn Ross and Tim Reynolds have also become full time touring members of the band. With musicians who each have roots in differing genres, including jazz, classical, soul, rock, bluegrass, and hip-hop, the band has come together to create an eclectic sound which has earned them fans from a variety of quarters.

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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Dave Matthews Band — The Stone (ver 2) bass tabs