King Crimson: Vrooom

Transcribed by Cristbal Marcoleta Friedl

Figure the rhythms out from the recording...
I'm just writing the notes.

Intro:

G:————————————————————————————————
D:———2———3———————————4———5————————
A:————————————2———3———————————6———
E:————————————————————————————————

Pickup:

G:—————————————————————
D:—————————————————————
A:—————————————————————
E:———0———1———2———3—————

A section:

G:————————————————————————————————
D:————————————————————————————————
A:—————————1——2———————————————————
E:———3—3————————————3—3———1——2————

Repeat a lot with occasional variations.

Variation A:

G:————————————————————————————————
D:————————————————————————————————
A:————————1———2———————————————————
E:——3—3———————————3—3————/12—————

Variation B:

G:———————————————————————————————
D:———————————————————————————————
A:————————1———2——————————————————
E:——3—3——————————3———0———1———2———

B section:

G:————————————————————————————————————
D:————————————————————————————————————
A:———7—7———7—7————7—7———4——5——6———
E:————————————————————————————————————

For power, you can play the low E
in unison with the high E.

Repeat 3 times, then play a C and
let it ring a bit, and then resume the
A section.

After a bit...

G:—————————————————
D:—————————————————
A:—————————————————
E:———8———8———8———(keep playing for two measures)

G:——————————————————————————————————————————————
D:——————————————————————————————————————————————
A:———7———7———7———7————9————9—9———9————10————————
E:——————————————————————————————————————————————

Bass Solo Section 1

G:————13^15^13————————————————————————
D:——————————————————12——11————12——————
A:————————————————————————————————————
E:————————————————————————————————————

G:———————————————————————15————————
D:———————————————11^13———————14————
A:———9—11—13———————————————————————
E:—————————————————————————————————

G:—————————12————17——17———15———12^13^12—————————
D:——————————————————————————————————————————15——
A:———10—————————————————————————————————————————
E:——————————————————————————————————————————————

G:—————————————————15^17——————————————————————
D:————14^15——17————————————14———15————————————
A:————————————————————————————————————————————
E:————————————————————————————————————————————

G:————————————————12—————————————————————
D:————13———15—————————————————12—————————
A:——————————————————————13———————————————
E:———————————————————————————————————————

G:——————————————————18^20—————————————————————
D:————17^18——20—————————————17——18———17———————
A:————————————————————————————————————————————
E:————————————————————————————————————————————

The next four notes are actually stick notes an octave down.
If you have a five—string, use it.

G:—————————————————————
D:——1———2———3———4——————
A:—————————————————————
E:—————————————————————

Then resume main riff, then section B.
Section B this time goes straight into the "after a bit"
section, which is a little bit different this time.

After a Bit 2:

G:———————————————————————————————————————————————
D:———————————————————————————————————————————————
A:————————————————————————————————————————7——9———
E:——8—(play for almost two measures)——9——————————

G:——————————————————
D:——————————————————
A:——10——9——7————————
E:——————————————8———

Bass Solo Section 2:

G:————————————————————————————————
D:——13^15^13——————————————————————
A:—————————————————12——11——12—————
E:————————————————————————————————

G:—————————————————————————————————13————
D:————————————————————————————15——————————
A:————————————————————11^13—————————————————
E:———— 9——11——13——————————————————————————

G:——————————————————————————————17——19——21————
D:—————12——17——15——17——19————————————————————
A:———————————————————————————————————————————————
E:———————————————————————————————————————————————

G:——20————————————————————————————————20——19—
D:——————20——18——17————————17——18/20——————————
A:———————————————————18——————————————————————
E:———————————————————————————————————————————

G:———————————18——16—————————————————————————
D:——18———18————————————19———18——15——16———————
A:———————————————————————————————————————————
E:———————————————————————————————————————————

G:———————————13—————————————————11———————————
D:——14——16—————————————12——14—————————————11—
A:————————————————14—————————————————12——————
E:———————————————————————————————————————————

G:————————————————12^14———————————————19^21——
D:———10——12——14———————————18^19——21——————————
A:———————————————————————————————————————————
E:———————————————————————————————————————————

G:————————————————
D:———18——19——18———
A:————————————————
E:————————————————

Outro:

G:——————————————————————————
D:——————————————————————————
A:——1——2——————————3——4——————
E:—————————1——2——————————5——

G:——————————————————————————
D:——————————————————————————
A:——3——4——————————5——6——————
E:—————————3——4——————————7——

G:——————————————————————————
D:——————————————————————————
A:——5——6——————————7——8——————
E:—————————5——6——————————9——


Any comments, corrections, questions please contact me at  [email protected]

VIVA CHILE MIERDA!!!

About King Crimson

King Crimson is an English rock band, founded in 1969 by guitarist Robert Fripp and drummer Michael Giles. Typically categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band have in fact incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during their long history, drawing from jazz, classical and experimental music to psychedelic rock, heavy metal, new wave, hard rock, gamelan, folk music, electronica and drum and bass. Originating in England, the band has had a mixture of English and American personnel since 1981.

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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King Crimson — Vrooom bass tabs