BUBBLEGUM

originally by kim fowley

bass tab by chris lawrence

mike watt covers the bass on this tune.

intro:

G——————————————————————
D—————————————————————— or just hang on either E.. you can do
A————7———7———7———7———7— subtle hammer—ons from the 5th fret to
E——0———0———0———0———0——— the 7th fret each time

and the end, slide up to:

G————————————————————————
D——14—14—14—14—12^14—14—
A————————————————————————
E————————————————————————

then:

G———————————————————————————
D———————————————————————————
A——5—7—10—5—7———————————————
E—————————————0—0—0—0—0—0—0—

verse:

G———————————————————————————
D——————————————————————————— X 2
A——5—7—10—5—7———————————————
E—————————————0—0—0—0—0—0—0—

G——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
A——5—7—10—7—12b—12—12—12r—10—7——5—7—10—5—7—————————————
E——————————————————————————————————————————0—0—0—0—0—0—
                hold bend

repeat etc...

guitar solo:

G———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D—————————————————14——————14————14———————————14——————————14—————
A——5—7—10—7—1214————14——————14————14——12^14————14—12^14————14——
E———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

G—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D———————————————————————16—14——————14^16—14—12————————————————————————————
A——1417—17—19—17—14—17—————————————————————————1417—19—17——14—14—12—10——
E———————————————————————————————0—————————————————————————————————————————

G———————————————12^14^12————12——12—14—12—14b—14—14—14—
D—————————10—12——————————14———————————————————————————
A——12—12—————————————————————————————————————————————
E—————————————————————————————————————————————————————

then the solo changes a bit, but i'm not going to devote anymore time
to tabbing a cover song, especially since watt's all over the place. the
above should be more than enough to indicate which key to play and which
notes to favour. 

back to main riff.

outro bit:

G——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D————2———2———2———2———5———5———5———5———7———7———7———7———10———10———10———10—
A——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
E——0———0———0———0———3———3———3———3———5———5———5———5———8————8————8————8————

————————————————————————————————————————————————
THE SONIC YOUTH GUITAR/BASS TABLATURE ARCHIVE:
http://www.islandnet.com/~mustang/tab/index.html
————————————————————————————————————————————————

About Sonic Youth

Sonic Youth is an American rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore (vocals and guitar), Kim Gordon (vocals, bass, guitar), Lee Ranaldo (vocals and guitar), Steve Shelley (drums), and Mark Ibold (bass).

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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Sonic Youth — Bubblegum bass tabs