song: Close to Home
artist: The Get Up Kids
album: Something to Write Home About
tabbed by: John Krohn ([email protected])

This song is played fairly high on the neck for most of the time, which makes
this tab kind of hard to follow, because of all the fret #'s in double digits. Stick 
With it though, I guarantee this is 100% correct, down to every fill and nuance. Oh, 
by the way, there is a Get Up Kids bass tab website out there that has been ripping 
off my tabs and claiming them as their own. Make no mistake, the version that appears 
on the bass tab archive is always the original, most correct version. Anything else 
floating around out there is incorrect, or incomplete at best. 

This intro/verse riff is very cool. A good example of why your basslines shouldn't
 chug along in straight 8th notes following the guitar.

The individual parts are first, then the order of the parts. == means to let the note
 ring, a ^ denotes a hammer—on or pull—off.

intro

G ————————————————————————————
D /9—————————————/9———9———————
A ——10===9—————————9==—10==——
E ————————7^9^7==—————————————

verse 

G ———————————————————————————————————
D ————————/9—————————————9———9———————
A 5^7^5===——10===9————————9==—10==——
E ————————————————7^9^7==————————————

chorus 1

G ———————————————————
D ———————————————————
A ———————————————————
E 7^9^777775533333333

chorus 2a

G ——————————————————————————————————
D —————————/9———————————————————————
A 5^7^55555——10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10
E ——————————————————————————————————

chorus 2b

G ——————————————————————————————
D ——————————————————————————————
A 99—999—9——————————————————————
E ————————33—333—355—555—577—777    X3

post chorus 1

G —————————————————————————————————————————————
D —————————————————————————————————————————————
A 5^7^55555552^4^22222/1414—10—10—10—10—10—————
E —————————————————————————————————————————3===

post chorus 2

G —————————————————————————————————————————————————
D —————————————————————————————————————————————————
A 55557799————997^9^72^4^22222/14141010101010101010
E ————————5555—————————————————————————————————————    X2

outro

G ———————————————————————————————————————————————
D ———————————————————————————————————————————————
A —————————————————————————————————————————77——99
E 7^9^7777755333333/141412121212149^121010——99——     X3

G ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D ————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
A —————————————————————————————————————————————7799————997^9^7
E 7^9^7777755333333/141412121212149^1210101010————9999———————

G ———————————————————————————————————————————————
D ———————————————————————————————————————————————
A —————————————————————————————————————————77——99
E 7^9^7777755333333/141412121212149^121010——99——

G ———————————————————————————————————
D ———————————5—5—5—5—5—2—2—4—2———————
A ————————————————————————————245====
E 7^9^7777755————————————————————————

I know this part is confusing, but I wanted to tab exactly what the 
bass is doing.. just remember those are all 10's, 12's, and 14's, we
don't use the first fret at all for the outro.

Order:

intro
verse X2
chorus 1
chorus 2a
chorus 1
chorus 2b 
post chorus 1
verse X3
chorus 1
chorus 2a
chorus 1
chorus 2b 
post chorus 2 
outro

About Get Up Kids

The Get Up Kids are an American emo band from Kansas City, Missouri. Formed in 1995, the band was a major player in the mid-90's emo scene, otherwise known as the "second wave" of emo music. As they gained prominence, they began touring with bands such as Green Day and Weezer before becoming headliners themselves, eventually embarking on international tours of Japan and Europe. They founded Heroes & Villains Records, an imprint of the successful indie rock label Vagrant Records. While the imprint was started to release albums by The Get Up Kids, it served as a launching pad for several side-projects such as The New Amsterdams and Reggie and the Full Effect.

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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Get Up Kids — Close To Home bass tabs