Reeling in the Years

by Steely Dan

Transcribed by Scott Wilson ([email protected])

My first tabI think most of its here.

Corrections, comments please let me know.

Play this twice:

G|————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|——————55——22———————————55———22—————————77——4454——————77—44——————————|
A|—————————————55————————————————55——————————————7———————————77———————|
E|——33————————————————33——————————————55————————————55————————————————|

Third time play this 1 time:

G|————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|——————55——22————————55—————————————77—4454——————————————————————————|
A|—————————————55————————22——55——————————————7———44557————————————————|
E|——33——————————————33————————————55———————————55—————————————————————|

To finish intro play this 1 time:

G|————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|——————55——22———————————55———22—————————7744————————————————————————|
A|—————————————55————————————————55——————————————77———————————————————|
E|——33————————————————33——————————————55————————————5—————————————————|

VERSE

Play this twice:
G|————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|————————4——4————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
A|——4—5—7———5——7—0—7—5—7—5—4——————————————————————————————————————————|
E|————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|

Then play this:

G|————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|————————5——5—4—4——3———2——————4——4———————————————————————————————————|
A|——4—5—7———7———5——4——4—————4—5——5—7—0—7—5—7—5—4——————————————————————|
E|————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|

Chorus
Swing feel

X2
G|————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|——————77——————77———77———77——————55————55————55———55————55———————————|
A|————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
E|——55———————55————55———55—————33—————33————33———33————33—————————————|

First Chorus ends with:

G|————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|—————————22—3—2H————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
A|——————44——————————4—————2—right into verse 2nd verse—————————————————|
E|——22—————————————————22—————————————————————————————————————————————|
Other Chorus end with:

G|————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|——————22—3—2H————————22—3—2H————————————————————————————————————————|
A|———44—————————————44————————————————————————————————————————————————|
E|—22————————————22———————————————————————————————————————————————————|

Aside from the first chorus you can just ride the G out of that little ending chorus riff 
——and then A back and forth youll figure it out

Solo very similar to intro  repeat 2 x

G|————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|——————55——22———————————55———22—————————7744————————77—44———————————|
A|—————————————55————————————————55——————————————77—————————77————————|
E|——33————————————————33——————————————55————————————55————————————————|

Then play this, it locks in with the drum accents:

G|————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|——————5——2—————5—2————2—5—————7—4————7—4—————4—7————————————————————|
A|——————————5———————5——5———————————7———————7——7———————————————————————|
E|——3——————————3——————————————5———————5———————————————————————————————|
(Repeat as needed)

Back to verse

Chorus

Ride G and A to end.

About Steely Dan

Steely Dan is an American rock band; its core members are Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. The band's popularity peaked in the late 1970s, with the release of seven albums blending elements of jazz, rock, funk, R&B, and pop. Rolling Stone magazine has called them "the perfect musical antiheroes for the Seventies."

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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Steely Dan — Reeling In The Years bass tabs