Song: (I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea — Elvis Costello and the Attractions
Album: This Year's Model
Played by: Bruce Thomas
Tabbed by: Connor Mayer ([email protected])

This is right as far as I can tell. It's somewhat hard to hear because of the piano playing 
along.
He plays some slight variations as he goes through, like plucking a note twice instead 
of once,
but it basically follows this. Also, there's that spot in the second chorus with the 
wacky slide that
I'm not completely sure about.


Tuning : E A D G Time Signature: 4/4


Main Riff

|————11——————9———————————————————|
|9—————12————————————9—12————14——|
|————————12————————10————1212——12|
|————————————————————————————————|

Pre—chorus 1

|————11——————————————————————————|————————————————————————————————|————————————————————————————————|
|9—————12————14——————9—12————1114|————9———————1114————9—————11—14—|————————————————————————————————|
|————————1212——————10————12——————|10————1012————————10——1012——————|10————109—————9—7—————7—————————|
|————————————————————————————————|————————————————————————————————|————————————————————————10——10——|

Chorus 1

|————————————————————————————————|————————————————————————————————|
|————————————————————————3h4p3h4—|————————————————————————3———0———|
|——109—7—————————————2———————————|————2—5—————————————2—5—————————|
|————————10——10/3—3————3—————————|——3————————10/3—3———————————————|


|————————————————————————————————|————————————————————————————————|
|————————————————————————3h4p3h4—|————————————————————————3h4p3h4—|
|————2—5—————————————2———————————|————2—5—————————————2—5—————————|
|——3————————10/3—3—————3—————————|——3————————10/3—3———————————————|


|————————————————————————————————|
|————————————————————————————————|
|————2—5—————————————————————————|
|——3————————10/3—0———0———————————|

Main Riff

|————11——————————————————————————|
|9—————12——14————————9—12————14——|
|————————12————————10————1212——12|
|————————————————————————————————|

Pre—Chorus 2

|————11——————————————————————————|————————————————————————————————|————————————————————————————————|
|9—————12————14——————9—12————1114|————9———————1114————9—————1114——|————————————————————————————————|
|————————1212——————10————12——————|10————1012————————10——1012——— 12|10————109—————9—7—————7—————————|
|————————————————————————————————|————————————————————————————————|————————————————————————10——10——|

Chorus 2

|————————————————————————————————|————————————————————————————————|
|————————————————————————3h4p3h4—|————————————————————————3h4p3h4—|
|——109—7—————————————2———————————|———2—5——5/4/5/4/5———2———————————|
|————————10——10/3—3————3—————————|—3————————————————3———3—————————|


|————————————————————————————————|————————————————————————————————|
|————————————————————————3h4p3h4—|————————————————————————3h4p3h4—|
|————2—5—————————————2———————————|————2—5—————————————2—5—————————|
|——3—————————103—3————3—————————|——3—————————103—3——————————————|

|————————————————————————————————|
|————————————————————————————————|
|————2—5—————————————————————————|
|——3————————10/3—0———0———————————|

Main Riff

|————11——————————————————————————|
|9—————12——14————————9—12————14——|
|————————12————————10————1212——12|
|————————————————————————————————|

About Elvis Costello

Declan Patrick MacManus (born 25 August 1954), known by the stage name Elvis Costello, is a British singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the New Wave musical genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader than that of most popular songs. His music has drawn on many diverse genres; the critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine describes him as a "pop encyclopedia," able to "reinvent the past in his own image".

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! 🎸

Forum

Elvis Costello — Chelsea bass tabs