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Dire Straits — Sultans of Swing (ver 5) bass tabs



(submitted by SunByrne)
"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


Tablature player for this song:
Dire Straits - Sultans of Swing (ver 5) Bass Tab

About Dire Straits

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.

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! 🎸

Other versions of Sultans of Swing

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