First of all, credits go to Stratovarius for this song, it is amazing. Jari plays
on a five to six—string bass most of the time, but I have a four—string bass, and 
most people I know do as well. If you are playing a six—string bass, you are most
likely talented enough to re—tab it to your liking. This song seems simple compared
to the rest of the band, but Jari plays a bunch of extremely fast fills live, but 
they are not in the original recording, so I will not be including them. Note that
the standard note length is indicated by no space in between fret numbers, and 
double—digit frets are indicated by brackets to simplify things. 

Stratovarius—Speed of Light
Tabbed By: Evan
e mail: [email protected]

Tuning: Standard EADG

Guitar plays first
Intro (play twice) (I am probably going to post an easier way to play the runs later on)
G|————————————————————————————————————————————————6431————————————|
D|111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111————986486436431|
A|————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
E|————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|

Intro (ending; play immediately after the intro)
G|————————————————————————————————————|
D|————————————————————8———6———4———3———|
A|98648642————————————————————————————|
E|————————(11)9769764—————————————————|

Verse (verses 1 and 2)
G|———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|1—1——1—1—1——1—1—1——1—1—1——1————————————————————————————————|
A|———————————————————————————2—2—2—2—2—22—22—2—2—2—2—4———————|
E|———————————————————————————————————————————————————————4———|

Verses (cont.)
G|———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|1—1——1—1—1——1—1—1——1—1—1——1————————————————————————————————|
A|———————————————————————————2—2—2—2—2—22—22—2—2—2—2—2—2—2—2—|
E|———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|

Verses (cont.)
G|————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|————————————————————————————————————————————————|
A|333333333333333344444444444444445555555555555555|
E|————————————————————————————————————————————————|

Verses (cont.)(after each verse the guitar has a short fill) 
G|————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
A|6—6—6—6—4—4—4—4—2—2—2—2—2—2—2—2—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—3—4—4—4—4—4—4—4—4—|
E|————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|





Chorus
G|———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|11111111111111111111111111111111————————————————————————————0000———————————|
A|————————————————————————————————2222222222222222————22221111———————————————|
E|————————————————————————————————————————————————4444———————————————————————|

Chorus (cont.)
G|————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|11111111111111111111111111111111————————————————————————————0———|
A|————————————————————————————————2222222222222222————2———1———————|
E|————————————————————————————————————————————————4———————————————|

Fill (before guitar and piano duet)
G|————|
D|——1—|
A|1———|
E|————|

Guitar and piano duet (play this part twice)
G|————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|1111111111111111————————————————————————————————————————————————|
A|————————————————————————————————44444444444444441111111111111111|
E|————————————————4444444444444444————————————————————————————————|

Guitar and piano duet (cont.)
G|————————————————|
D|————————————————|
A|1111111111111111|
E|————————————————|

Guitar solo (play this part four times)
G|————————————————————————————————| 
D|1—1—1—1—1—1—1—1—————————————————|
A|————————————————————————2—2—2—2—|
E|————————————————4—4—4—4—————————|

Guitar solo (cont.) 
G|————————————————————————————————————————————————11111111————————|
D|11111111111111111111111—111111111111111111111111————————33333333|
A|————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
E|————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|

Guitar solo (cont.)(play this part five times)
G|————————————————|
D|1111111111111111|
A|————————————————|
E|————————————————|

Fill (before chorus) (guitar finishes solo first)
G|————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
A|6———4———2———1———6———4———2———1———6———————4———————2———————1———————|
E|————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|

Chorus (two choruses this time around)
G|———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|11111111111111111111111111111111————————————————————————————0000———————————|
A|————————————————————————————————2222222222222222————22221111———————————————|
E|————————————————————————————————————————————————4444———————————————————————|

Chorus (cont.)
G|————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|11111111111111111111111111111111————————————————————————————0———|
A|————————————————————————————————2222222222222222————2———1———————|
E|————————————————————————————————————————————————4———————————————|

Ending
G|————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|————————————0———————————————————————————0———————1———————————————————————|
A|————2———1———————————————2———————1———————————————————————————————————————|
E|4———————————————4———————————————————————————————————————————————————————|

Ending (cont.) (after guitar fill)
G|—————|
D|——1——|
A|1————|
E|—————|

Credits to Timo Kotipelto, Timo Tolkki, Jens Johansson, Jorg Michael, and Jari Kainulainen.

Version history
Version 1 finished working the kinks out of the song, but one note during the
 guitar solo does not sound right
Version 1.1 I am trying to make it so that the basslines don't get seperated while
 printing 
Version 1.2 finished with the printing problem, and made sure the version history
 doesn't get cut off
Version 1.3 forgot the band name and song title at the top, but it's fixed now

About Stratovarius

Stratovarius is a Finnish power metal band that formed in 1984. Their material contains elements of power metal and symphonic metal. To this day the band has sold over 2.5 million records worldwide. They have been since the 80's, alongside with Helloween & Blind Guardian, one of the pioneers and most influential bands of power metal.

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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Stratovarius — Speed Of Light bass tabs