Song: Inaudible Melodies
Artist: Jack Johnson
Album: Brushfire Fairytales
Tabbed by: Andrei Herasimchuk ([email protected])

The tab submitted by Chris Spence, while sounding fine, is incorrect and
too simple, missing the hammers and such. Much of Merlo's bass lines are in
higher registers on most of the album, as a quick note.

This tab should be more accurate.

Notation:
h is Hammer on
p is Pull off
/ slide

Intro: Guitar solo and drums

Bass comes in at 00:00:13, or after four measures of rest.

G|———————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|——————————9——7——————————9——7—————————11/———————|
A|—7—8—9—————————7—8—9—————————7—8—9—————————————|
E|———————————————————————————————————————————————|

Verse: "Brushfire fairytales..."

G|———————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|————————————————————————9——7—9h—7p—9h———9——————|
A|—9——7—9h—7p—9h———9—————————————————————————————|
E|———————————————————————————————————————————————|

G|———————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|————————————————————————9——7—9h—7p—9h———9——————|
A|—9——7—9h—7p—9h———9—————————————————————————————|
E|———————————————————————————————————————————————|

G|———————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|—11——9—11h—9p—11h——11———9——7—9h—7p—9h———9——————|
A|———————————————————————————————————————————————|
E|———————————————————————————————————————————————|

G|———————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|————————————————————————11—————————————————————|
A|—9——7—9h—7p—9h———9—————————————————————————————|
E|———————————————————————————————————————————————|

Repeat for "Well dust off your thinking caps..."

Chorus: "Slow down everyone, you're moving too fast..."

G|———————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|————————————————————————8——6—8h—6p—8h———8——————|
A|—9——7—9h—7p—9h———9—————————————————————————————|
E|———————————————————————————————————————————————|

G|———————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|—9——7—9h—7p—9h———9—————————————————————————————|
A|————————————————————————11——9—11h—9p—11h——11———|
E|———————————————————————————————————————————————|

Repeat for "Inaudible melodies serve narrational strategies ..."

Chorus: "Visual relevancy frame—lines tell me what to see..."

G|———————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|————————————————————————8——6—8h—6p—8h———8——————|
A|—9——7—9h—7p—9h———9—————————————————————————————|
E|———————————————————————————————————————————————|

G|———————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|—9—9—9—9—9—9—9—9———————————————————————————————|
A|—————————————————————11—11—11—11—11—11—11—11/——|
E|———————————————————————————————————————————————|

Chorus: "Slow down everyone, you're moving too fast..."


G|———————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|————————————————————————8——6—8h—6p—8h———8——————|
A|—9——7—9h—7p—9h———9—————————————————————————————|
E|———————————————————————————————————————————————|

G|———————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|—9——7—9h—7p—9h———9—————————————————————————————|
A|————————————————————————11——9—11h—9p—11h——11———|
E|———————————————————————————————————————————————|

Repeat for guitar solo.

Chorus: "Well Plato's cave is full of freaks..."


G|———————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|————————————————————————8——————————————————————|
A|—9—————————————————————————————————————————————|
E|———————————————————————————————————————————————|

G|———————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|—9—————————————————————————————————————————————|
A|————————————————————————11—————————10——————————|
E|———————————————————————————————————————————————|

Chorus: "And just slow down everyone, you're moving too fast..."


G|———————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|————————————————————————8——6—8h—6p—8h———8——————|
A|—9——7—9h—7p—9h———9—————————————————————————————|
E|———————————————————————————————————————————————|

G|———————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|—9——7—9h—7p—9h———9—————————————————————————————|
A|————————————————————————11——9—11h—9p—11h——11———|
E|———————————————————————————————————————————————|

Repeat one more time.

Outro.

G|———————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|———————11————13——————————9————8————————————————|
A|——9————————————————13——————————————11————9—————|
E|———————————————————————————————————————————————|

About Johnson, Jack

Jack Hody Johnson (born May 18, 1975) is a Hawaii resident, singer-songwriter, musician, filmmaker and surfer known for his work in the soft rock and acoustic genres. In 2001, he achieved commercial success after the release of his debut album, Brushfire Fairytales. He has since released four more albums and a number of EPs. He is also known for organizing an annual event, the K?kua Festival.

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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Johnson, Jack — Inaudible Melodies (ver 3) bass tabs