"Not For You"
                     from "Vitalogy" by Pearl Jam
                        Tabbed by: Jeff Szymona


This is my first attempt at bass tabbing..."Not For You" is a relatively
easy song, and you should be able to pick out everything here with a
listen...

The skeleton of the verse part goes like this:
G:—————————————————
D:—————————————————
A:——7—7—7—7—7—4—5——
E:—————————————————

Examples of some variations you can try:
G:————||———————————————————————————————||
D:————||———————————————————————————————||
A:——7—||—7—7—7—7—4—5———5—5—5—5—5—5—5/7—||
E:————||———————————————————————————————||

G:——————————————————————————————
D:——————————————————————————————
A:——7—7—7—7—7—4—5—————————5—5—4—
E:——————————————————————————————
Or, just try anything that feels good!


For the last line of verse, there's a twist that blends into the chorus:
G:———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D:———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
A:——7—7—7—7—7—4—5———5—5—5—5—5—5—4—2—2—2—2—2—4————————————————————
E:————————————————————————————————————————————3——3—3——3—3—2—(0)——

(CHORUS)
G:————————————————————————————————————————————
D:————————————————————————————————————————————
A:——(4)/7——7——7—7——(7)/2——2—2——2—2————————————
E:——————————————————————————————————3—2—(0)———
Again, feel free to change the exact way you play this line...I took a
sort of liberty with the end of the line, and the beginning slide...I'm
not completely sure Jeff Ament does that in the song, but it sounds good
when playing it.


The "My friends they don't..." part, just do this:
G:——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D:——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
A:——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
E:——0—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—5—5—5—5—5—5—5—5—5—5—5—5—5—5—5—5—
And repeat


For the "All that's sacred..." part, try this:
G:—||———————————————————————————————||—————
D:—||——————————————————2————————————||—————
A:—||—2—4—2———————————————2—————————||—4—5—
E:—||———————4—2—0———————————4—2—0———||—————
          (Do this 2 times)

And then back to the verse riff


Then as the song gets all hectic, it's mostly the chorus, but it goes
back to the verse riff at the very end before everything else becomes
chaos...

For the subtle fadeout, the beginning, at least, goes like this:
G:————————————————————————————————————————————
D:————————————————————————————————————————————
A:—7—————9h10—12————15—14—12—10———9h10p9/7—5——
E:————————————————————————————————————————————
Then it gets hairy...This is close:
G:———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D:———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
A:——10——9——7———9—5——7—3——5—2——3—0—————3—————2h3——5—3—————————————
E:———————————————————————————————————————————————————5———h3——0———

Well, that's it.  I just worked out a few things quickly and without my
amp, so my ears may have lied to me somewhere...please feel free to mail
me with any possible corrections or any comments at: [email protected]
WWW page: http://wilkes.edu/~jszymon

About Pearl Jam

Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, guitar), Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), and Mike McCready (lead guitar). The band's current drummer is Matt Cameron, also of Soundgarden, who has been with the band since 1998.

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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Pearl Jam — Not For You (ver 2) bass tabs