Grateful Dead— Dark Star Bass Tabs (exact)

Intro:
G————————7—————————7————————————————————————————————————————————
D—9—8—9————9—8—9——————5—7—5—7—5————————5———5—7—————————————————
A—————————————————————————————————7—5—7———7—————————————————————
E————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Main Riff(Played after into up until the corus):
G————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D——————7——————5———5—7————————————————————————————————————————————
A—————————5h7———7————————————————————————————————————————————————
E—5—5————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

This is a line u can alternate in for the main riff to change it up a bit:
G————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D—————7—————————7—5——————————————————————————————————————————————
A—————————5—7———————7—5——————————————————————————————————————————
E—5—5—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

This is another alternate line you can substitute in for the main riff:
G————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D—————7——————5———5—5h7———————————————————————————————————————————
A———————5h7————7—————————————————————————————————————————————————
E—5———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

During the chorus you can just play notes along with the lyrics thats whats 
Phil Lesh (bassist for the dead) does.

This is what I play during the chorus:

G———————————————5—6—8—6—5—4——————66—6—66————————————————————————————————
D——7—7—5—7—5—7———————————————5=———————————12—13—15—13—12—11—10—9—8—7——
A————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
E—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

After the very last note of the chorus go back and play the intro riff then 
jam on the main line and go into the 2nd verse.

About Grateful Dead

The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, jazz, psychedelia, and space rockand for live performances of long musical improvisation. "Their music," writes Lenny Kaye, "touches on ground that most other groups don't even know exists."

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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Grateful Dead — Dark Star bass tabs