"Sultans of Swing" from _Dire Straits_ (1978)
Dire Straits, bassist John Illsley
Standard tuning
Played with pick, almost certainly a P—bass
Based on the master isolated bass track found here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJI3BSkjGnE
All other tabs I've seen for this have MANY fewer ghost notes, in
particular lots of singles where in the isolated track it's clear
they are doubles (quick down—up). This makes the song harder, but
more interesting, to play.
Intro
G |——————————————————|—————————————————————||———————————————————||
D |——————————————————|—————————————————————||———————————————————||
A |—5—xx5—xx5—xx5303—|—5—xx5—xx5—xx5—xx530—||—5—xx5—xx5—xx53030—||
E |——————————————————|—————————————————————||———————————————————||
Verse A.1
G ||———————————————————————————————————||
D ||———————————————————————————————————||
A ||—5—xx5—x53—x31—x10—xx0—xx0—xx0—x3——||
E ||———————————————————————————————————||
G |———————————————|———————————————|————————————————|
D |—3x3————3x3————|———————————————|————————————————|
A |—————35—————50—|—3x3————3x3————|—1x1————1x1—————|
E |———————————————|—————35—————53—|—————31—————30——|
Verse A.2
G |———————————————|————————————————|
D |———————————————|————————————————|
A |—5—xx5—305—11——|3—xx3—xx3—3—————|
E |—————————————3—|————————————035—|
Verse B.1
G |——————————————————————————————————|———————————————————————————————————|
D |——————————————————————————————————|———————————————————————————————————|
A |—5—xx5—xx3—xx1—100—xx0—xx0—xx0—03—|—5—xx5—x53—x31—x10—xx0—xx0—xx0—x3——|
E |——————————————————————————————————|———————————————————————————————————|
G |———————————————|———————————————|————————————————|
D |—3x3———————————|———————————————|————————————————|
A |—————53————————|—3x3————3x3————|—1x1————1x1——3——|
E |————————1x1—35—|—————53—————13—|—————13—————3———|
Verse B.2
G |———————————————|———————————————|—————————————————|
D |———————————————|———————————————|—————————————————|
A |—5—xx5—305—11——|3—xx3—xx3—11———|3—xx3—xx3—x3—————|
E |—————————————3—|————————————3——|—————————————035—|
Chorus
G ||—————————————————|——————————————||
D ||—————————————————|——————————————||
A ||—5—xx—531—1———10—|—3x3—1—3x3—03—||
E ||———————————13————|——————3———————||
Verse B.1
Verse A.2
Verse B.1
Verse B.2
Chorus
Verse B.1
Verse B.2
Verse B.1
Verse B.2
Chorus
Verse A.1
Verse B.2
Chorus
Outro
G |—————————————————|——————————————|
D |—————————————————|——————————————|
A |—5—xx5—xx1x1—————|—3x3—1—3x3—03—|
E |—————————————13——|——————3———————|
Chorus
Outro 2
G ||———x20———————————|——————————————||
D ||——————3——————————|——————————————||
A ||—5——————1—1———10—|—3x3—1—3x3—03—||
E ||———————————13————|——————3———————|| repeat to end
Dire Straits was a British rock band, formed by Mark Knopfler (vocals and lead guitar), his younger brother David Knopfler (rhythm guitar and vocals), John Illsley (bass guitar and vocals), and Pick Withers (drums and percussion), and managed by Ed Bicknell, active between 1977 and 1995. Although the band was formed in an era when punk rock was at the forefront, Dire Straits played a more bluesy style, albeit with a stripped-down sound that appealed to audiences weary of the overproduced stadium rock of the 1970s.[citation needed] In their early days, Mark and David requested that pub owners turn down their sound so that patrons could converse while the band played, an indication of their unassuming demeanor. Despite this oddly self-effacing approach to rock and roll, Dire Straits soon became hugely successful, with their first album going multi-platinum globally.
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:
Each line in a tab represents a string on your 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.
Play the first note by picking it, then press down on a higher fret with another finger without picking again.
G|-------------------| D|-------5h7---------|
Pluck a note and then "pull off" your finger to let a lower fret ring.
G|-------------------| D|-------7p5---------|
Move your finger up (/) or down (\) the fretboard while maintaining pressure.
G|-------------------| D|-------5/7---------|
G|-------7b9---------|
G|-------7~----------|
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.
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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