
Tabbed By : The Big Guinea (bassist for STFU)
e—mail: [email protected]

Tuning: standard 5 string — BEADG
Note: There is one part of the song that needs the Open B string. I included a 4—string tab for that part.


Okay, this is my first attempt at a tab. The tabs that I have found are pretty close, but I believe that I nailed this one. This is a fun song to play, so I thought I'd start with it. For all the help that tab has been for me, it's time to give back... enjoy!

Intro
G|—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|————————1—4———————————————————————1—4————————————————————|
A|—2—2—2———————2—2—2—————————2—2—2—————————————————————————|
E|——————————————————————4—2——————————————2—2—0h2———————————|
B|—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|

Verse A ("You know I'm cool, when all the guys...")
G|—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|—————2—————2————————————1—4——————————————————————————————|
A|—0h2———0h2———2—4——2—2———————————————4—2——————————————————|
E|————————————————————————————————2—2—————4————————————————|
B|—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|

Verse A (cont'd)
G|—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|——————2—————2———————————1—4—4/6—6—6—4————————————————————|
A|—0h2————0h2————2—4—2—2—————————————————6—————————————————|
E|—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
B|—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|

Verse B ("But I sold all of my songs...")
G|——————————————————————————————————————————————————————|   
D|————————————————————————————————————————————2—1———————|   
A|————————————————2—1—————————————————————————————2—2———|   
E|—0—0—0—2——2—2——————2—2————0—0—0—2——2—2————————————————|
B|——————————————————————————————————————————————————————|

Verse B (cont'd)
G|———————————————————————————————|   
D|————————————4—4————————————————|   
A|——————————4————————————————————|   
E|—0—0—0—2————————4——————————————|
B|———————————————————————————————|

Chorus ("Yeah Yeah Yeah...")
(I broke the chorus down into 2 parts because only 'Part 1' is repeated at the end of the song)

Chorus — Part 1
G|————————————————————————————————————————————————————|   
D|————————1—2—2————2—1————————————————————————————————|   
A|—2—2—2————————————————2—2—————4—4—4—4———1—1—————————|   
E|————————————————————————————2———————————————————————|
B|————————————————————————————————————————————————————|

Chorus — Part 2
G|———————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|————————1—2—2————2—1——————————————4————————————————————|
A|—2—2—2————————————————2—2—2————4————4——————————————————|
E|————————————————————————————2——————————————0—0—2———————|
B|———————————————————————————————————————————————————————|

Solo (This is where the 'B' String Is needed)

Solo — Part 1
G|———————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|——————2 (let ring and pause)———————————————————————————|
A|—0h2——————————————————————————————0—0—2—2——————————————|
E|——————————————————————————————————————————0h2—0h2——————|
B|——————————————————————————————————————————————————0—0——|

Solo — Part 2
G|—————————————4—3——————————————————————————————4—4———————|
D|—2—2—2——4—4—4———4—4—————————————2—1—————————4———————————|
A|————————————————————————————————————2—2————2——————4—————|
E|————————————————————0—0—0——2—2—2————————0—0—————————————|
B|————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|

============================================================
If you don't have a 5—String, you can do this for the Solo:

Solo — Part 1
G|——————9—(let ring and pause)——————————————————————————|   
D|—7h9—————————————————————————————7—7—9—9——————————————|   
A|—————————————————————————————————————————7h9—7h9——————|   
E|—————————————————————————————————————————————————7—7——|

Solo — Part 2
G|——————————————————————————————————————————————————4—4———|
D|————————————————————————————————2—1—————————————4———————|
A|—7—7—7——9—9—9———9—9—————————————————2—2——————2————————4—|
E|————————————————————0—0—0—2—2—2——————————0—0————————————|
============================================================

Song Structure

Intro (Guitar Only x1 then Bass x3)
Verse A
Verse B
Chorus — Part 1
Chorus — Part 2
Verse A
Verse B
Chorus — Part 1
Chorus — Part 2
Solo — Part 1 (x2)
Solo — Part 2
Chorus — Part 1 (no vocals)
Chorus — Part 2 (no vocals)
Verse A
Verse B
(pause)
Chorus — Part 1 (x4 then fade)

About Reel Big Fish

Reel Big Fish is an American ska punk band from Huntington Beach, California, best known for the 1997 hit "Sell Out." The band gained mainstream recognition in the mid-to-late 1990s, during the third wave of ska with the release of the album Turn the Radio Off. Founding member Aaron Barrett has been with the band since 1992, and horn players Dan Regan and Scott Klopfenstein have been involved with the band for more than 14 years.

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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Reel Big Fish — I'm Cool (ver 2) bass tabs