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Higher Ground (12' Vocal Mix) — Red Hot Chili Peppers
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Tabbed by: Chris32895

This is the bass tab for the 12' Vocal Mix of Higher Ground. It is NOT a tab for the original Higher Ground found on Mother's Milk. This is instead a tab of the remix of Higher Ground found on the Out In L.A. compilation album. I couldn't find a good version of this song so I figured I would tab it out for you folks.

Tuning: Eb, Ab, Db, Gb

Verse — Just the main bass line, Flea does change it up a bit here and there
Gb|————————————————————————————|————————————————————————————|———————
Db|—2——————————————————————————|—2—————————————————5————————|—2—————
Ab|———————0——2——5——4——5———4——5—|———————0——2——5——4——————4——5—|———————
Eb|————————————————————————————|————————————————————————————|———————

Gb ——————————————————————|—————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
Db ——————————————————————|—2———————————————————————————————————————————————————|
Ab —0——2——5——4——5———4——5—|—————5—4—3—2—————————————————————————————————————————|
Eb ——————————————————————|—————————————5—4—3—5—3———0———————————————————————————|

Interlude
Just power chords — Gb & A

Chorus
Do not have this yet. It's kind of hard to hear and has some hella fast funky breakdowns.

Solo — The main part that I wanted to transcribe. I feel that this is very accurate. However, feel free to prove me wrong! About every "note" (even the dead ones) should be read as 16th notes.
Gb|———————9———9———————————7—————————|————————9———————————7———6———7———x—|
Db|—————————————————7h9—————————7h9—|——————————————7h9—————————————————|
Ab|—5/7—x———x———x—x—————x———x—x—————|——5/7—x———x—x—————x———x———x———x———|
Eb|—————————————————————————————————|——————————————————————————————————|

Gb|———————9———————————7———7—————————|——————————————————————————————————|
Db|—————————————7h9—————————————7h9—|———8————————7————————5————————————|
Ab|—5/7—x———x—x—————x———x———x—x—————|——————————————————————————————————|
Eb|—————————————————————————————————|—x———6b———x———5b———x———3b———0—————|

Gb|——————————————————————————————————|————————————————————————————————————|
Db|——————————————————————————————————|———————————————————5———5———5———5————|
Ab|———————7——————————x—x—4h5—x—x—5h7—|———————7—————4h5————————————————————|
Eb|—0—R—x———x—x—5h7——————————————————|—0—R—x———x—x—————x———x———x———x——————|

Gb|———————————————————————————————————|————————————7———6———7———6———7—————|
Db|———————————————————————————————————|————————7———————————————————————x—|
Ab|———————7———————————5———4———5———x———|——5h7—x———x———x———x———x———x———x———|
Eb|—0—R—x———x—x—5h7—x———x———x———x—————|——————————————————————————————————|

Gb|———————9—————7h9———12———14———12———x——|———————9—————7h9———12———12h14p12—————x——|
Db|—————————————————————————————————————|————————————————————————————————————————|
Ab|—5/7—x———x—x—————x————x————x————x————|—5/7—x———x—x—————x————x————————————x————|
Eb|—————————————————————————————————————|————————————————————————————————————————|

Gb|———————9———————————7———9———7———x—|—9/15————12————————————————————————|———|
Db|—————————————7h9—————————————————|——————————————14———12——————————————|—2—|
Ab|—5/7—x———x—x—————x———x———x———x———|————————————————————————14———12/———|———|
Eb|—————————————————————————————————|———————————————————————————————————|———|


| /  slide up
| \  slide down
| h  hammer—on
| p  pull—off
| ~  vibrato
| +  harmonic
| x  Mute note
| R  Rest (16th note value)
===============================================================================

About Red Hot Chili Peppers

Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The band's current line-up is Anthony Kiedis (vocals), Michael "Flea" Balzary (bass), Chad Smith (drums) and Josh Klinghoffer (guitar). Their musical style has fused traditional funk with elements of other genres including hip hop, punk rock and psychedelic rock.

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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Red Hot Chili Peppers — Higher Ground (12" Vocal Mix) bass tabs