As played by Dave Mattews Band on 'Crash'
  

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Music X Bass Tab

    
Trippin' Billies

As played by Dave Mattews Band on 'Crash'
    

Transcribed between 10:00pm and 11:00pm, October 19, 1997 by Cody Rahn

=slide down
/=slide up
r=rest
(?)=note that was hit, and held until here. In come cases, held 
    and slid from.

I like this song. It's lots of fun to play, and has lots of room for 
adlibbing, since it's all built around bar chords. There is a TON of
subtle stuff in this song, so if you like to play it different, be my
guest. That's where good music comes from!

Ok, the intro. 

*****
Intro (After cowbell stuff)
*****
     1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &       1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &
G|———————————————————————————————————|———————————————————————————————————|
D|———————————————————————————————————|———————————————————————————————————|
A|———————————————————————————————————|———————————————————————————————————|
E|———————————————————————2———————3———|——————————————————(3)——2———————3———|

     1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &       1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &
G|———————————————————————————————————|———————————————————————————————————|
D|———————————————————————————————————|———————————————————————————————————|
A|———————————————————————————————————|———————————————————————————————————|
E|———(3)/7———(7)5———————2———————3———|——————————————————(3)——————2———3———|

     1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &       1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &
G|———————————————————————————————————|———————————————————————————————————|
D|———————————————————————————————————|———————————————————————————————————|
A|———————————————————————————————————|———————————————————————————————————|
E|———5———7———————————————————————————|———————————————————————————————————|


Repeated twice during intro.


**********
Verse Riff
**********

Note the timing. notes are occationally set one off for a reason, such as
the anticipated note on the 3rd fret of the A string in the first measure.
this note is hit just before the '&', as you can hear in the song.

I've been enlightened as to the proper way to play the verse to this song
Thanks to Steve H. for showing me the right way to play this.


     1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &       1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &
G|———————————————————————————2———————|———————————0———————————————————————|
D|———————————————2———0———4———————3———|———r———0———————————————————0———————|
A|———0———0———4———————————————————————|———————————————0——/2———2———————————|
E|———————————————————————————————————|———————————————————————————————3———|

"We were above, you were standing......"

     1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &       1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &
G|———————————————————————————2———————|———————————————————————————————————|
D|———————————————2———0———4———————r———|———————————————————————————————————|
A|———0———0———4———————————————————————|———————————————————————————————————|
E|———————————————————————————————————|———————2———————3———————————————————|


"We were not yet lovers.."

This is pretty much the same during all the verses, with slides here and
there as usuall. 


******
Chorus
******

Well, I think it's the chorus, that or the Bridge. In any case,
This is as accurate as I can get this without a sequencer. It sounds ok,
so no worries. He's probably played it like this at some point anyway :)

     1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &       1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &
G|———————————————————————————————————|———————————————————————————————————|
D|———————————————7/97———————————————|———————————————————————————————————|
A|———————————9—————————9—7h9p7———————|———————————————————————————————————|
E|———7———7—————————————————————97———|(7)2———3———5———7———————5———————————|

"Eat, Drink, and Be Merry...."


     1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &       1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &
G|———————————————————————————————————|———————————————————————————————————|
D|———————————————7/97———————————————|———————————————————————————————————|
A|———————————9—————————9—7h9p7———————|———————————————————————————————————|
E|—5—7———7—————————————————————97———|(7)2———3———5———7———————5———————5———|

"For tomorrow we die..."


     1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &       1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &
G|———————————————————————————————————|———————————————————————————————————|
D|———————————————7/97———————————————|———————————————————————————————————|
A|———————————9—————————9—7h9p7———————|———————————————————————————————————|
E|———7———7—————————————————————97———|(7)2———3———5———7———————5———————————|

"Eat, Drink, and Be Merry...."


     1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &       1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &
G|———————————————————————————————————|———————————————————————————————————|
D|———————————————7/97———————————————|———————————————————————————————————|
A|———————————9—————————9—7h9p7———————|———————————————————————————————————|
E|—5—7———7—————————————————————97———|(7)2———3———5———7———————————————————|

"For tomorrow we die...                              "'cause we're trippin



     1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &       1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &
G|———————————————————————————2———————|———————————0———————————————————————|
D|———————————————2———0———4———————3———|———r———0———————————————————0———————|
A|———r———0———4———————————————————————|———————————————0——/2———2———————————|
E|———————————————————————————————————|———————————————————————————————3———|

billies"

     1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &       1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &
G|———————————————————————————2———————|———————————————————————————————————|
D|———————————————2———0———4———————r———|———————————————————————————————————|
A|———0———0———4———————————————————————|———————————————————————————————————|
E|———————————————————————————————————|———————2———————3———————————————————|


     1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &       1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &
G|———————————————————————————2———————|———————————0———————————————————————|
D|———————————————2———0———4———————3———|———r———0———————————————————0———————|
A|———r———0———4———————————————————————|———————————————0——/2———2———————————|
E|———————————————————————————————————|———————————————————————————————3———|


     1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &       1   &   2   &   3   &   4   &
G|———————————————————————————2———————|———————————————————————————————————|
D|———————————————2———0———4———————r———|———————————————————————————————————|
A|———0———0———4———————————————————————|———————————————————————————————————|
E|———————————————————————————————————|———————2———————3———————————————————|


It then returns to the Verse Riff. Those are all the big riffs in the song.
The section during the violin solo is a derivative of the pre—chorus/bridge
riff , but basically the same thing. It works fine to just play that section
over and over with slides here and there. That's what I do.

Have a good time with this one!


Cody—

*****************************************
"Could I have been Anyone Other than Me?"

Dave Mattews
*****************************************

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 — Trippin Billies bass tabs