Artist: Stabbing Westward
Song: Shame
Album: Wither, Blister, Burn & Peel

Tabbed for bass by Vraptor7

This tab looks long, but it's just a little detailed in places.
I suggest you sit and follow it while listening through the song
before you try it out. I'm sure that the keyboard plays some of
these notes, but my answer to that is simply that it can be all
done by a bass and sounds great as it is.
Another thing, a response to some feedback I've recieved — I think
the bass plays different notes to the guitar during the verse and
and chorus. Might be obvious to some, but you can't used this as a
base for the guitars in the song.

Note : I've used a low B string tuned up to a D for the tab for
easier playing.


Below are the names of the sections I've made after it with all
the tabs, the order to play them in and the number of times to go
through the whole of each of them.
So the song structure is as follows:

1) INTRO(x2)
2) VERSE(x4)
3) CHORUS(x1)
4) INTRO(x2)
5) VERSE(x4)
6) CHORUS(x1)
7) INTRO(x6) —note that there are a few erratic D's played in
this section, you can decide when to play them
as you see fit. On the last two runs through
just keep playing E
8) CHORUS(x1)
9) CHORUS(x1) —note that this is played differently — see the
last section
10) VERSE(x4) —let the last E ring freely ;)



1) INTRO :

Here I've just given the notes, it's really up to you to choose
the rhythm and frequency to play them with. You can actually hear it
clearly enough, it's just hard to convey it through tabs.

G|————————————————————————
D|————————————————————————
A|————————————————————————
E|———0———0———0———0———3—3——
D|————————————————————————

|————————————————————————
|————————————————————————
|————————————————————————
|———0———0———0———0————————
|———————————————————0—0——


2) VERSE :

|———————————————————————————————————————
|———————————————————————————————————————
|———————————————————————————————————————
|———0———12—0—12———0———12—0—12———0———12——
|———————————————————————————————————————

|————————————————————————————————————————
|————————————————————————————————————————
|————————————————————————————————————————
|———0———12—0—12———0———12—0—12———0————————
|———————————————————————————————————5—5——

|———————————————————————————————————————
|———————————————————————————————————————
|———————————————————————————————————————
|———0———12—0—12———0———12—0—12———0———12——
|———————————————————————————————————————

|————————————————————————————————————————
|————————————————————————————————————————
|————————————————————————————————————————
|———0———12—0—12———0———12—0—12———0————————
|———————————————————————————————————0—0——

3) CHORUS :

I decided it was best if I outlined the whole chorus rather than
risk any complications.

|————————————————————————————————————————
|————————————————————————————————————————
|————————————————————————————————————————
|———————0—0—0—0———————0—0—0—0———————0—0——
|———0—————————————0—————————————0————————

|————————————————————————————————————————
|————————————————————————————————————————
|———2———3—3—3—3———2———3—3—3—3———2———3—3——
|————————————————————————————————————————
|————————————————————————————————————————

|————————————————————————————————————————
|————————————————————————————————————————
|————————————————————————————————————————
|———3———5—5—5—5———3———5—5—5—5———3———5—5——
|————————————————————————————————————————

|————————————————————————————————————————
|————————————————————————————————————————
|————————————————————————————————————————
|———0———3—3—3—3———0———3—3—3—3———0———3—3——
|————————————————————————————————————————

|————————————————————————————————————————
|————————————————————————————————————————
|————————————————————————————————————————
|———————0—0—0—0———————0—0—0—0———————0—0——
|———0—————————————0—————————————0————————

|————————————————————————————————————————
|————————————————————————————————————————
|———2———3—3—3—3———2———3—3—3—3———2———3—3——
|————————————————————————————————————————
|————————————————————————————————————————

|————————————————————————————————————————
|————————————————————————————————————————
|———————0—0—0—0———————0—0—0—0———————0—0——
|———3—————————————3—————————————3————————
|————————————————————————————————————————

|——————————————————
|——————————————————
|———————0———2———5——
|———3——————————————
|——————————————————

4) CHORUS at the end

|————————————————————————————————————————
|————————————————————————————————————————
|————————————————————————————————————————
|———————0—0—0—0———————0—0—0—0———————0—0——
|———0—————————————0—————————————0————————

(that first bit sounds like it should be an octave higher but I can't
decide — Well I kept it the same, but you can do whatever sounds
good to you)

|————————————————————————————————————————
|————————————————————————————————————————
|———2———3—3—3—3———2———3—3—3—3———2———3—3——
|————————————————————————————————————————
|————————————————————————————————————————

|————————————————————————————————————————
|————————————————————————————————————————
|————————————————————————————————————————
|———3———5—5—5—5———3———5—5—5—5———3————————
|————————————————————————————————————————

|——————————————————
|——————————————————
|———————0———2———5——
|———3——————————————
|——————————————————

|————————————————————————————————————————
|————————————————————————————————————————
|————————————————————————————————————————
|———————0—0—0—0———————0—0—0—0———————0—0——
|———0—————————————0—————————————0————————

|————————————————————————————————————————
|————————————————————————————————————————
|————————————————————————————————————————
|———————0—0—0—0———————0—0—0—0———————0—0——
|———0—————————————0—————————————0————————

|————————————————————————————————————————
|————————————————————————————————————————
|————————————————————————————————————————
|———————0—0—0—0———————0—0—0—0———————0—0——
|———0—————————————0—————————————0————————

|————————————————————————————————————————
|————————————————————————————————————————
|————————————————————————————————————————
|———————0—0—0—0———————0—0—0—0———————0—0——
|———0—————————————0—————————————0————————


And that, as they say, is it.

Contact me if you disagree with anything.

Enjoy,

Nabeel Burney
aka Vraptor7
[email protected]

About Stabbing Westward

Stabbing Westward was an American industrial rock and alternative rock band. They formed in 1985 in Chicago, Illinois and began recording in the 1990s.

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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Stabbing Westward — Shame bass tabs