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Primus — Power Mad (ver 2) bass tabs

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Power Mad from Anti—Pop by Primus
tabbed by Troll ([email protected])

It's close enough to get you funkin away les style with a bit of work and
imagination. I actually recorded myself playing along with it with this
tab and it sounds roughly 98% accurate. We all know its near impossible
to actually play exactly like les, which is good, do it with your own
style and have fun! Hi to #bassplayer EFNet.

i actually had this in the works long before i saw the other one from
basstabarchive.com. that version actually concreted my opinion that
this one is very close indeed, unlike the previously posted version.
So i felt this needed to be posted.

opening riff:

as usual assume E and A strings are slapped and D and G are popped.

"I do not wear panties, I've never worn panties. But its called panties I will wear..."

g—————————————————|————————————————————|——————————————————* repeat 4 times
d—————————1———————|—————————1————3—1———|—1————————————————* the last time
a—1h3—1h3———3—1—3—|—1h3—1h3———3——————3—|———3—1—3——————1—3—* sustain the C
e—————————————————|————————————————————|——————————1—3—————* and:

small pre verse fill:

its sounds as if he actually slaps the D string for that last two notes in the
fill.

"here it comes..."
g————————————————3h5p3——————|
d———————————————————————5—3—|
a—(3)———————————————————————|
e———————————————————————————|

verse parts are funkoliciousness grooving along in and out of the drum beat.
most around the root C (3rd fret on A) i will try to tab it best i can.

X=a dead slap or pop on that string giving the rhythm groovy syncopation to
the drums, Also Les's classic flamenco style strumming seems to be in action
for the chords in this riff and will be idicated with ^

^ ^
g—————5———x—————3h5—5—————5————————————————|
d———————————————3h5—5——————————————2h4—2h4—|
a—3—x———x———x—3———————3—x———x——3—x—————————|
e——————————————————————————————————————————|

^ ^
g—————5———x—————3h5—5—————5————————————————| repeat these in sequence 4 times
d———————————————3h5—5——————————————————————|
a—3—x———x———x—3———————3—x———x——3—x—————————|
e————————————————————————————————————x—2———| or: ——0h2—| it varies i think :)

then it goes into a wierd little mid verse riff thats somewhat like this:

g—————————————*
d—8h10—10p8———* repeat 8 times
a———————————9—* then back into chorus riff:
e—————————————*

^ ^
g—————5———x—————3h5—5—————5————————————————|
d———————————————3h5—5——————————————2h4—2h4—|
a—3—x———x———x—3———————3—x———x——3—x—————————|
e——————————————————————————————————————————|

^ ^
g—————5———x—————3h5—5—————5————————————————| repeat these in sequence twice
d———————————————3h5—5——————————————————————|
a—3—x———x———x—3———————3—x———x——3—x—————————|
e————————————————————————————————————x—2———| or: ——0h2—| it varies i think :)

then into the opening riff again for the chorus:

g—————————————————|————————————————————|——————————————————* repeat *2* times
d—————————1———————|—————————1————3—1———|—1————————————————* the last time
a—1h3—1h3———3—1—3—|—1h3—1h3———3——————3—|———3—1—3——————1—3—* sustain the C
e—————————————————|————————————————————|——————————1—3—————* and:

small pre verse fill second time is a bit different:

g————————x——5———|
d———————————————|
a——3——x——3——x—|
e———————————————|

again into the verse riff, step up the dead slaps a bit more, he gets more
into it but i couldn't possibly tab it all out, use your imagination. :)

^ ^
g—————5———x—————3h5—5—————5————————————————|
d———————————————3h5—5——————————————2h4—2h4—|
a—3—x———x———x—3———————3—x———x——3—x—————————|
e——————————————————————————————————————————|

^ ^
g—————5———x—————3h5—5—————5————————————————| repeat these in sequence twice
d———————————————3h5—5——————————————————————|
a—3—x———x———x—3———————3—x———x——3—x—————————|
e————————————————————————————————————x—2———| or: ——0h2—| it varies i think :)

then again into the mid verse riff although the 8th time its got a crazy fill
that sounds like:

7 8th time quickly
g—————————————*—10—10—8—8——————————————————|
d—8h10—10p8———*——————————10—10—8—8—————————| and back into verse slap riff
a———————————9—*————————————————————9—9—8—8—|
e—————————————*————————————————————————————|

^ ^
g—————5———x—————3h5—5—————5————————————————|
d———————————————3h5—5——————————————2h4—2h4—|
a—3—x———x———x—3———————3—x———x——3—x—————————|
e——————————————————————————————————————————|

^ ^
g—————5———x—————3h5—5—————5————————————————| repeat these in sequence twice
d———————————————3h5—5——————————————————————|
a—3—x———x———x—3———————3—x———x——3—x—————————|
e————————————————————————————————————x—2———| or: ——0h2—| it varies i think :)

and again into opening riff that ends a bit different to end the song:

g—————————————————|————————————————————|——————————————————* repeat 3 times
d—————————1———————|—————————1————3—1———|—1————————————————*
a—1h3—1h3———3—1—3—|—1h3—1h3———3——————3—|———3—1—3——————1—3—* 4th time ends
e—————————————————|————————————————————|——————————1—3—————* like:

g—————————————————|————————————————————|——————————————————|————————————————|
d—————————1———————|—————————1————3—1———|—1————————————————|————————————————|
a—1h3—1h3———3—1—3—|—1h3—1h3———3——————3—|———3—1—3——————1—3—|————1—3————1——3—|
e—————————————————|————————————————————|——————————1—3—————|—1—3————1—3—————|

viola!

hate mail about my tabbing can be directed to [email protected] ENJOY!


Tablature player for this song:
Primus - Power Mad (ver 2) Bass Tab

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! 🎸

Other versions of Power Mad

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8 years, 6 months ago
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8 years, 6 months ago
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