Artist — JOY DIVISION
Album — Permanent: Joy Division 1995
Song Title — Atmosphere
Bassist — Peter Hook

This is one of my favorite Joy Division songs, and although it's not hard
to figure out, I thought it deserves to be on the OLGA, just in case. This
line should be played with a rather melodic, free style, so be sure to throw
a couple of tasty fills for good measure.

* The notes in brackets are the low synth notes, related to but not the same
  as the chord changes
** These notes should be played very softly (piano)

                    (drum fill)    
G——————————————————————————————————————————————11/————————————————————————G
D———————————————————————11———11————————————————11/————————————————————————D
A———4——4——————(4)/—11————————————————————————————————————————(9)/11———————A
E———————————————————————————————————————————————————————9—————————————————E

    (drum fill)  (drum fill)
G—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————G
D———11———11——————————————————————————————————————11———11————————(11)——————D
A————————————————————————4———4————————(4)/(11)————————————————————————————A
E—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————E

     (drum fill) **<>
G—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————G
D——11/—————————————————————11———11——————————————11——11—11—————11——11—11———D
A——11/———————————(9)/—11——————————————————————————————————————————————————A
E—————————9———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————E

  **     <>
G—————————————————————————————————————10————10——————————————10————10——————G
D——11——11—11————11——11—11————11————11————11———————11—————11————11—————————D
A—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————A
E—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————E
    Walk 

       
G———————————10————10—————————————10————10————————————10————10—————————————G
D——11————11————11———————11————11————11——————11————11————11———————11———11——D
A—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————A
E—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————E
   in                  si——lence             Don't walk a—way

                              
G——10————10—————————————10————10—————————————10————10—————————————10————10G
D—————11———————11————11————11———————11————11————11———————11————11————11———D
A—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————A
E—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————E
               in silence                                  See the danger

                   
G———————————10————10————11——10——————11————10————11—10———————————————10————G
D——11————11————11——————————————11————————————11——————10————11————11————11—D
A—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————A
E—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————E
Always danger   Endless talking

     
G——10—————————————10————10————11——10——————11————10————11—10———————————————G
D————————11————11————11——————————————11————————————11——————10————11————11—D
A—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————A
E—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————E
       Life rebuilding      Don't walk

    
G——10————10—————————————10————10————11—11—11——13—11—10——————————11—11—11——G
D—————11———————11————11————11——————————————————————————9———11—————————————D
A—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————A
E—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————E
  a—way
          
      <>**                play verse structure
G——13—11—10—————10————(13)——(11)———10—11—13—11——10——G
D————————————9——————————————————————————————————————D
A———————————————————————————————————————————————————A
E———————————————————————————————————————————————————E

For the other verses you use the same pattern, with some variation in the
fills. To get a similar tone to Pete's, use a pick and some chorus. Pay very
much attention to the dynamics of the bass playing, some of the notes in the
tab should barely even be played, while others are heavily accented. This
song is very easy to play but it takes considerable touch and finesse to make
it sound like the original (hey, it's Pete Hook!! =P)... 

Tabbed and transcribed in it's entirety by Joaqun Snchez
[email protected]
Portions of the Lyrics taken from Shadowplay Homepage 
http://www.warren.org.uk/music/joyd_home.html

About Joy Division

Joy Division were an English rock band formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. Originally named Warsaw, the band primarily consisted of Ian Curtis (vocals and occasional guitar), Bernard Sumner (guitar and keyboards), Peter Hook (bass guitar and backing vocals) and Stephen Morris (drums and percussion).

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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Joy Division — Atmosphere bass tabs