The Wait
written by Killing Joke
as performed by Metallica on Garage Days Re—Revisited
tab by [email protected]


First of all, this song is very random, so you just have to go with the flow.
Almost the whole song is based off of the Verse riff and the Chorus riff. 
There are some improvisions and licks which I will show, but you have to 
just go with the flow and make up stuff to sound like it.


Intro: Fast

G|————————————————————————|
D|————————————————————————|
A|————————————————————————|
E|—/8—0—————12—00—————1/—|



Verse: Fast (percussive; emphasize the notes with ( ) around them)

G|————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|——————————————————————————————————————————————3—|
A|———————————————————————————————————————3———3————|
E|—0—(0)—0—0—(0)—0—0—(0)—0—(0)—0—0———1————————————| 
                                   ——————/——————A lot of times this 
                                                 whole end part is made
G|——————————————————————————————————————|        higher like down here:
D|——————————————————————————————————————|                             |
A|——————————————————————————————————————|                             |
E|—0—(0)—0—0—(0)—0—0—(0)—0—(0)—0—0—1111—|                    |
                                                                              

A lot of times a (2)   
is stuck in here
          /————————————————————————————————————————————————————————/
G|—————————|
D|———————5—|
A|—3———3———|
E|———1—————|



Chorus:

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

G|———————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|—————————————————————————————————————————————o—|
A|—0—0—0—0—2———0—0—0—0—3———0—0—0—0—————————————o—|
E|—————————————————————————————————1——1—1——111———|


Sometimes the A|—0—0—0—0— 's go A|—000—0—0— (if you don't understand what
I mean by this, mail me).


Somewhere along the line, after a few Verses and Chorus's, there is a break
like below:

G|————————————|—————————————|————————————|—————————————————|——————————————|
D|————————————|—————————————|————————————|—————————5———————|——————————————|
A|————————————|—————————————|————————————|———————7———7—5———|——————————————|
E|—00—————————|—00——1111————|—00—————————|—00————————————7—|—0————————————|

G|————8———————————————————————————|————————————————|
D|—11———11————7———5———5———————————|————————————————|
A|—————————————————————7———7—5————|————————————————|
E|——————————————————————————————7—|—0——————————————|


Then you do a lot of stuff like:

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

And stuff like:

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


Just be inventive, and go with the flow of the song. It'll go in and out
of muffled parts and the Main Verse.


Also, after the first, slow wa—wa solo, there is a muffled part for a while.
Then do the bass lick below, to open it up to the next, faster, solo.

G|—————————————————|
D|————5—7—5————————|
A|—7—————————7—5———|
E|———————————————7—|


The end, after one last Chorus, goes like:

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

G|———————————————————————————————————————————|
D|———————————————————————————————————————(5)—|

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 Wait bass tabs