Rape Me (Ver 3) Bass Tabs - Nirvana @ BigBassTabs.com


Intro
Eb|—————————|
Bb|—————————|
Gb|—————————|
Db|—x—x—x—x—| palm mute as shown; then into the main riff
Ab|—x—x—x—x—| 
Eb|—x—x—x—x—| 

 Main Riff
Eb|————————————————————————————————————————| (X2)
Bb|————————————————————————————————————————| Dont worry to much about
Gb|———————————————5—5—————————————————————| the palm muting and stuff,
Db|—7——7——x—x—x—x—5—5—0—2—2—x—x—x—x—5—5—| listen to the track and
Ab|—7——7——x—x—x—x—3—3—0—2—2—x—x—x—x—5——5—| youll 
hear how Kurt plays
Eb|—5——5—x—x—x—x————————0—0—x—x—x—x—3—3—| the song  its simple

Verse 1
Eb|————————————————————————————————————————|
Bb|————————————————————————————————————————|
Gb|—————————————5——————————————————————————|
Db|————7——————————(0)————2—————————5———————|
Ab|——————(0)—3—————————————(0)———5———0—————|
Eb|—5—————————————————0————————3———————————|
    Rape me...

 Chorus (Distortion)
Eb|————————————————————————————————————————|
Bb|————————————————————————————————————————|
Gb|—————————————5—5—5——————————————————————|
Db|—7———7—7—————5—5—5—2—2——5——5—5——————————| repeat x3
Ab|—7———7—7—————3—3—3—2—2——5——5—5——————————| then:
Eb|—5———5—5———————————0—0——3——3—3——————————|
   Im not the only  one, I  . . .

Eb|————————————————————————————————————————|
Bb|————————————————————————————————————————|
Gb|—————————————5—5—5——————————————————————| 
Db|—7———7—7—————5—5—5—2—2~—5——5—5——————————| let (~) ring into
Ab|—7———7—7—————3—3—3—2—2~—5——5—5——————————| last three notes
Eb|—5———5—5———————————0—0~—3——3—3——————————|
   Im not the only  one

 Verse 2      *
Eb|————————————————————————————————————————| [Note: (*) Changes on
Bb|————————————————————————————————————————|           Verse 3 ONLY]
Gb|————————5——5——5—————————————————————————| 
Db|—7————x—5——5——5—2——2———5——5——5——————————| continue riff
Ab|—7————x—————————2——2———5——5——5——————————| throughout verse
Eb|—5——————————————0——0———3——3——3——————————|
   Hate me . . .        *

—Repeat Chorus

 Bridge (Distortion)
Eb|————————————————————————————————————————|
Bb|————————————————————————————————————————|
Gb|—6~~~—————————6——6———2~~~—2——2—2————————| 
Db|—6~~~—————————6——6———2~~~—2——2—2————————| 
Ab|—4~~~—————————4——4———0~~~—0——0—0————————| 
Eb|————————————————————————————————————————|
   My favourite inside source. . .

Eb|————————————————————————————————————————| 
Bb|————————————————————————————————————————| 
Gb|————————————————————————————————————————| 
Db|—6~~~———————————6——6—2~~~——2——2—2———————| repeat from Bridge
Ab|—6~~~———————————6——6—2~~~——2——2—2———————| for the last two lines
Eb|—4~~~———————————4——4—0~~~——0——0—0———————| then:
   Ill kiss your open sores. . .

 Interlude (Distortion)
Eb|——————————————————————0—————————————————|
Bb|————————————————————————0———————————————|
Gb|————————————————————————————————————————| 
Db|—3——3—3———5——5—5———2~~~———2—————————————| 
Ab|—3——3—3—x—5——5—5—x—2~~~———2—————————————| 
Eb|—1——1—1—x—3——3—3—x—0~~~—————————————————|

—Repeat Verse 2 with Verse 1 lyrics then:

 Verse 3 Ending(Comes in at * point on Verse)(Distortion)
   *
Eb|———————————| 
Bb|———————————| 
Gb|———————————| 
Db|———5—5/9——| Im not 100% sure where Kurt slides
Ab|———5—5/9——| up to but I think its the 7th fret (as shown)
Eb|———3—3/7——| 
   *
—Repeat Chorus then:

 Outro (Distortion)
Eb|————————————————————————————————————————|
Bb|————————————————————————————————————————|
Gb|——————————5————5————————————————————————| 
Db|—7————7———5————5———2———2————5————5—————| 
Ab|—7————7———3————3———2————2————5————5—————| repeat x4
Eb|—5————5————————————0————0————3————3—————| then:
   Rape me!(Rape me) Rape me! (Rape me)

Eb|—————————————| 
Bb|—————————————| 
Gb|—————————————| 
Db|—7————7~~~~——| Guitar fades away
Ab|—7————7~~~~——| with voice
Eb|—5————5~~~~——|

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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Nirvana — Rape Me (ver 3) bass tabs