Criminal — bassline
By Fiona Apple (c) 1996 FHW Publishing
This little transcription by Mark Cichra([email protected])

Okay, here goes...

NOTE: None of these frets are double digit numbers, so when you see "13",
it means 1st fret then 3rd fret, not the 13th fret.

Intro:

G|———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D|—————————————1—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
A|3——333———1—3———313——333——1—3——————————(play 3 times)———————————————————————
E|——————3————————————————3—————1—3———————————————————————————————————————————

the fourth time
G|———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D|—————————————1—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
A|3——333———1—3———313——333——3——321———————(go right into the verse)————————————
E|——————3————————————————13——————————————————————————————————————————————————


Verse Part One:

G|———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D|———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
A|———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
E|—5—————————————35—5——————3—1———01—1———3—(play 4 times, then right into
   I've been a bad      bad  girl...                       verse part 2.)
   



Verse Part Two:


G|———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D|———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
A|3——311——13——————————3—311——1————————1—3——311——1————————————————————————————
E|——————————1——111——3——————————5——555—————————————4——433——3—1——111——3—4—444—3
   Don't...                                                   (to the chorus
    Help...                                                         now)


Chorus:

G|———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D|———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
A|—————————3——333—————(play twice)———————————————————————————————————————————
E|1——111—3—————————3—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
  What...

then
G|———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D|———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
A|—————————3——311—1——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
E|1——111—3——————————4——433—3—1—1—1——1—1—1—1——3————————(back to verse part 1
                                                        or to the intro
                                                        riff then the middle
                                                                part)

You'll notice that in the chorus, you play a lot of F (1st fret E string).
Instead of just playing the same idiot note over and over again, you can
play fills in F. Here are two good ones:
G|———————————————————————————————    G|————————1——————————————————————————
D|——1—3——————————————————————————    D|————13————3—1——————————————————————
A|——————3———————(then hit the C)—    A|——13——————————————(then hit the C)—
E|1———————1—3————————————————————    E|1——————————————————————————————————


The middle part thing:

G|———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D|1——1——————————————1——1————————————————————————————————————————————————————
A|————22—2—————22—2—————22—2—————————————————————————————————————————————————
E|—————————4——4——————————————4——444—4—————(play again, but the second time
  Let me...                                     drag out the last note pattern
                                                for another measure. Then go
                                                back to the chorus.)


The song fades out playing the intro over and over again.
That's it. Have fun!

About Fiona Apple

Fiona Apple McAfee Maggart (born September 13, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter. She gained popularity through her 1996 debut album Tidal, especially with the Grammy Award-winning single "Criminal" and its music video. Her music is influenced by everything from early jazz, pop, to alt-rock. It is also characterized by Apple's candid personal lyrics and imaginative productions, often featuring idiosyncratic arrangements with instruments as varied as the french horn and optigan.

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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Fiona Apple — Criminal bass tabs