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Metallica — The Shortest Straw bass tabs

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THE SHORTEST STRAW

Intro:

G|——————————————————————————————|
D|——————————————————————————————|
A|——————————————————————————————|
E|—0—0—0————0—0—0——0—0—0—3——0—0—|

G|——————————————————————————————|
D|——————————————————————————————|
A|——————————————————————————————|
E|—0—0—0————0—0—0——0—0—0—5——0—0—|

G|——————————————————————————————|
D|——————————————————————————————|
A|——————————————————————————————|
E|—0—0—0————0—0—0——0—0—0—3——0—0—|

G|——————————————————————————————|
D|——————————————————————————————|
A|——————————————————————————————|
E|—0—0—0————0—0—0——0—0—0—0——0—0—|


Chorus:

G|———————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|———————————————————————————————————————————————|
A|———————————————————————————————————————————————|
E|—0—1—0——0—0—000——0—1—0——0—3—0—5——0—1—0—0—0—000—|

G|————————————————|
D|————————————————|
A|————————————————|
E|—0—1—0——0—5—0—3—|

A bar is repeatedly done after a number of the above
Chorus lick. The bar is below (very simple).

G|——————————|
D|——————————|
A|——————————|
E|—3—3——2—2—|



Verse:

G|————————————————————————————————————————|
D|————————————————————————————————————————|
A|————————————————————————————————————————|
E|—0—0—00——00—0—1—0—1——0—0—00——00—0—3—0—3—|

G|——————————————————————————————————————|
D|——————————————————————————————————————|
A|——————————————————————————————————————|
E|—0—0—00—00—0—1—0—1——0—0—00—00—0—3—2—1—|


After 2 or more times of the above, the same lick goes
higher, demonstrated directly below.

G|——————————————————————————————————————|
D|——————————————————————————————————————|
A|——————————————————————————————————————|
E|—2—2—22—22—2—3—2—3——2—2—22—22—2—5—2—5—|

G|——————————————————————————————————————|
D|——————————————————————————————————————|
A|——————————————————————————————————————|
E|—2—2—22—22—2—3—2—3——2—2—22—22—2—5—4—3—|



Main lick (used in several parts of song, and after a
few of the Chorus's...it is also used as a Pre—Chorus. When used
as a
Pre—Chorus, just do the first bar twice):

G|————————————————————————————————————|
D|——————8—7—8\————————————————————————|
A|———/7———————————————————————————————|
E|—0—————————————0—0—0—00——00—0—1—0—1—|

G|——————————————————————————————————|
D|——————8—7—8\——————————————————————|
A|———/7—————————————————————————————|
E|—0—————————————0—0—00——00—0—3—0—3—|

G|——————————————————————————————————|
D|———————8—7—8\—————————————————————|
A|———/7—————————————————————————————|
E|—0—————————————0—0—00——00—0—5—0—5—|

G|——————————————————————————————————|
D|————————8—7—5\————————————————————|
A|———7—8————————————————————————————|
E|—0——————————————3—3—33—33—3—2—2—1—|



Another Bridge or Pre—Chorus is shown below.

G|———————————————|———————————————————|
D|———————————————|———————————————————|
A|—2—2—2—2———————|—7————7—7—8————————|
E|———————————————|———0—————————7h8—8—|

G|—————————————————|————————————————|—————————————————|
D|—————————————————|————————————————|—————————————————|
A|—7h8p7p6—7h8p7p6—|————7—7—8———————|—7h8p7p6—7h8p7p6—|
E|—————————————————|—5————————7h8—8—|—————————————————|


Pre—Solo

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

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

Chorus, then:

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

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

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

Chorus, then back to the song (Verse and Chorus)



The ending is below:

G|—————————|—————————|———————|———————————————————————|
D|—————————|—————————|———————|———————————————————————|
A|—————————|—————————|———————|———————————————————————|
E|—2—3—4—5—|—2—3—4—5—|—3—2—1—|—0—0—00—00—0—0—1—0—1—0—|
Tablature player for this song:
Metallica - The Shortest Straw Bass Tab

About Metallica

Metallica (pronounced /m??tæl?k?/) is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1981. Founded when drummer Lars Ulrich posted an advertisement in a local newspaper, Metallica's line-up has primarily consisted of Ulrich, rhythm guitarist and vocalist James Hetfield and lead guitarist Kirk Hammett, while going through a number of bassists. Currently, the spot is held by Robert Trujillo.

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! 🎸

Other versions of The Shortest Straw

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