Metallica
The Small Hours
written by Holocaust
as performed on Garage Days Re—revisited
tab by [email protected]


Tune down 1 full step

At one point in the same section of every Verse, there is a different bass fill each time. 
They are at the bottom of the tabs (all six fills).



/——————————————————————————————————————Verse————————————————————————————————————————————————

            Bass Part 1                                  where
   /—————————————————————————————                  /—fill goes— /——Part 1

F|————————————————————————|———————|———————|———————|——————————————|——————————|—————|
C|————————————————————————|———%———|———%———|———%———|——————————————|——————————|——%——|
G|————————————————————————|———————|———————|———————|——————————————|——————————|—————|
D|——0—0——2h3—2h3——0—0——3——|———————|———————|———————|——————————————|——————————|—————|


     



  Chorus——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

F|——————————————————————————————————|———————————————————————————————————|
C|—o————————————————————————————————|—————————————————————————————————o—|
G|—o————————————————5———————————————|——————————————5———————7———7h8p7——o—|
D|————0—0—0———5—7—————7—5—7——5—3————|——0—0—0———5—7————7—5———————————————|





After these, there's a break and then a speeded up riff which serves as a guitar solo.

                4 times,  then 
F|————————————————|———————|
C|————————————————|———————|
G|————————————————|———————|
D|——0—————1———2—1—|—(0)———|



      (this is the speeded up riff)
F|——————————————————————————————|————————————————————————————————|
C|——————————————————————————————|————————————————————————————————|
G|——————————————————————————————|————————————————————————————————|
D|——0—000—000—000—000—006—0—008—|——0—000—000—000—000—006—0—0032——|



Play the above speed riff again and again until immediately after solo stops, then


F|———————————————————————————————|
C|———————————————————————————————|
G|———————————————————————————————|
D|——0—000—000—000—000—006—0—008——|

F|———————————————————————————————————————————|————————————————————————|
C|———————————————————————————————————————————|————————————————————————|
G|———————————————————————————————————————————|————————————————————————|
D|——0—000—000—000—000—008——0—0010——|——0—000—000—000—000—0010——0—0012——|

F|—————————————————————————————————|
C|—————————————————————————————————|
G|—————————————————————————————————|
D|——0—000—000—000—000—0012——0—012——|



Then back to the verse, chorus and then closing riff, which is directly below:

              3 times,   then
F|————————————————————|———————————————————————————|
C|————————————————————|———————————————————————————|
G|————————————————————|——————————————————————1————|
D|——0————0—1—2———2—1——|——0————0—1—2———2—1——————0——|




   /——Fill 1————————
F|————————————————————|
C|————————————————————|
G|—————5——————————————|
D|——/7————7—5———3———1—|


    /——Fill 2———————————————————————
F|———————————————————————————————————|
C|————————3h5———————5———————5—————4——|
G|——3h5———————5p3————————————————————|
D|———————————————————————3—————2—————|

    /——Fill3———————————————————
F|——————————————————————————————|
C|——————————————————————————————|
G|—7——————————5—7—5—————————————|
D|———————5h7—————————5———3———1——|


  /——Fill 4———————————————————
F|—————————————————————————————|
C|———————3h5———————————————————|
G|——3h5——————5—————————————————|
D|—————————————————5———3——2——1—|



    /——Fill 5————————————————
F|————————————————————————————|
C|—————————————————————————22—|
G|———————1h3——————————————————|
D|——3h5———————3—3———2———1—————|


    /——Fill 6——————————————————————————————————————————
F|——————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
C|————————4h6———————————————————————————————————————————|
G|——4h6———————4—————————————————————————————————————————|
D|—————————————————5———3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—2—2—2—2—1—1—1—1——|

(on the last fill, 6, pluck the hammer—on's really strong, then slow down, 
 then on the rapidly declining low notes, go pretty fast.)



                     Lyrics:

Look out at the darkness, and you will see.    
Just call my name and I'll be there.                  
You cannot touch me, you would not dare.     
I am the chill that's in the air.                          
And I try to get through to you, in my own special way,   
As the barriers crumble at the end of the day.                    
Dark rivers are flowing back into the past.  
You are the fish for which I cast.                  
And what of the future, what is to be.           
As the rivers flow into the sea.                     
And I try to get through to you, in my own special way,  
As the barriers crumble at the end of the day.                   
Do not take for granted, powers out there.  
Don't step into the demon's lair.                   
Time is an illusion, rising from time.           
Steep is the mountain which we climb.       
And I try to get through to you, in my own special way,  
As the barriers crumble at the end of the day.

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! 🎸

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Metallica — The Small Hours (ver 2) bass tabs