SONG: Helena
BAND: My Chemical Romance
BY: Tito Henao ([email protected])

NOTES:
—I have a pedal Zoom 506II Bass, for this song I made two clean effects and use the effect 
with less gain to play the intro and the bridge, following the guitar (the only reason 
is to give a stronger sound for the song) and the other one with most gain to play the complete 
song. If you don't have a pedal or you simply don't like it, don't play it.
—In the intro and in the verse you can play E on A|—7—| or E|—0—|, personally I like on A|—7—|.
—The rythm in the verse and in the chorus are different, the verse is quick and in the chorus 
you must follow the drums rythm.

Intro
G|———————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|———————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
A|—4444444444444444—77777777—————————————————————————————|
E|——————————————————————————77774444—55555555h4p55555555—|

G|——————————————————|
D|——————————————————|
A|—2222444466666666—|
E|——————————————————|

Verse
G|———————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|———————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
A|—4444444444444444—77777777—————————————————————————————|
E|——————————————————————————77774444—55555555h4p55555555—|

G|—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
A|—4444444422222222——————————————————4444444422222222——————————————————|
E|——————————————————4444444455555555——————————————————4444444455555555—|

G|——————————————————|
D|——————————————————|
A|—4444444466666666—|
E|——————————————————|

Chorus
G|————————————————————————————————————————|
D|—22222222————————————————————————————2~—|
A|——————————22223333—44444444—33333333————|
E|————————————————————————————————————————|

Verse

Chorus Continued
G|—————————————————————————————————————|
D|—22222222————————————————————————————|
A|——————————22223333—44444444—33333333—|
E|—————————————————————————————————————|

G|————————————————————————————————————————|
D|—22222222————————————————————————————2~—|
A|——————————22223333—44444444—33333333————|
E|————————————————————————————————————————|

Bridge
G|—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
A|—7777777777777777—9999999999999999—7777777777777777—6666666666666666—|
E|—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|

G|—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
A|—7777777777777777—9999999999999999—7777777777777777—6666666666666666—|
E|—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|

G|—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|—9999999999999999—6666666666666666—9999999999999999—6666666666666666—|
A|—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
E|—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|

G|——————————————————8888888888888888———————————————————————————————————|
D|—9999999999999999————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
A|—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
E|———————————————————————————————————7777777777777777—6666666666666666—|

Chorus Continued

Wait for Guitar Outro Riff and then

End on
G|————|
D|————|
A|—0~—|
E|————|

About My Chemical Romance

My Chemical Romance is an American rock band from New Jersey, formed in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, guitarists Ray Toro and Frank Iero, and bassist Mikey Way. Shortly after forming, the band signed to Eyeball Records and released their debut album I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love in 2002. They signed with Reprise Records the next year and released their major label debut Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge in 2004; the album was a commercial success, selling over one million copies.

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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My Chemical Romance — Helena (ver 2) bass tabs