The Way It Is Bass Tabs - Tesla @ BigBassTabs.com

Tesla
"The Way It is"
off of The Great Radio Controversy
Tabbed by Eric Somdahl (unless you have a legal issue... then it was somebody
else)
 

This is a very taseful bassline from an excellent song. A fretless would be
useful for all of the sliding, pulloffs and hammerons.  I left out some if the
fills but all of the important stuff is there.
 

Wait till after guitar intro, then...
 
G|—————|——————————————————————————|
D|—————|——————————————————————————|
A|—————|————————————————10————————|
E|——5—/|—10————12—13——————————10——|
 
 
Guitar intro...
G|———————————————————————————————————————————————
D|———————————————————————————————————————————————
A|—————————————————————————————10—10—10—10———————
E|——10—10—10——12—13———13—13—13——————————————10———
 
 
 
1st verse                 *see note 1
G|————|——————————————————|——————————————————————|———————————9————|
D|—7/—|—12————12—————————|——————10——————————————|———————10————12—|
A|————|—————12——12—10————|—10h12———12p10————10——|—10h12——————————|
E|————|———————————————13—|———————————————10—————|————————————————|
 
                                      *see note 1
G|————14—16p14————|——————————————————|—————————————————————|———————————9—|
D|/14——————————16—|—12————12—————————|——————10—12p10———————|———————10—————|
A|————————————————|—————12——12—10————|10h12—————————————10—|—10h12————————|
E|————————————————|———————————————13—|———————————————13————|——————————————|
 
 
 
chorus                                              *see note 2
G|—————————————————————————————|————————————————————————————————————————
D|—0———————————————————————————|————————————————————————————————————————
A|——————3——————2———————————————|—————————3—3————5———————————7———————————
E|————3——————3—————3—3————3——2—|—3—3—3——————————————/7——10————10——7—————
 
 
 
                                                        up whole step
G|—————————————————————————————|————————————————————————————————————————
D|—0———————————————————————————|———————————————————————10^——10——————————
A|——————3——————2———————————————|—————————3—3————5———————————————————————
E|————3——————3—————3—3————3——2—|—3—3—3——————————————————————————————————
 
 
 
2nd verse                 
G|——————————————————|——————————————————————|———————————9————|
D|/12————12—————————|——————10——————————————|———————10————12—|
A|—————12——12—10————|—10h12———12p10————10——|—10h12——————————|
E|———————————————13—|———————————————10—————|————————————————|
 
                                      
G|————14—16p14————|——————————————————|—————————————————————|———————————9—|
D|/14——————————16—|—12————12—————————|——————10—12p10———————|———————10—————|
A|————————————————|—————12——12—10————|10h12—————————————10—|—10h12————————|
E|————————————————|———————————————13—|———————————————13————|——————————————|
 

chorus again (getting too lazy, even for cut&paste!  :)
 
This is the "What it is... and what is was" part
 
2 times               *see note 3
G|————————————————————————2——4p2———|————————————————————|
D|*———————————————————0h2————————4—|———————————————————*|
A|*————————————0——0—0——————————————|—5——5—5————————————*|
E|——3——3——3—3——————————————————————|——————————5—3———3———|
 

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

chorus 2x
 
2nd guitar solo
use verse part
 
3rd verse
 
chorus same as before but with this the second time
 
G|————————————————————————|
D|————————————————————————|
A|—7—7———7—9——9—10——10—12—|
E|————————————————————————|
 
 
 
the last 2 phrases of the chorus before the breakdown are
 
G|—————————————————————————————|—————————————————————|
D|—0———————————————————————————|—————————————————————|
A|——————3——————2———————————————|—————————0—0————5————|
E|————3——————3—————3—3————3——2—|—3—3—3———————————————|
 

rest a bit...
 
then just basically go nuts over Gm7, Am7, and Dm7 pentatonic.  I'd have to
look at the guitar music to see if those are the actual chords but if you play
enough notes nobody will notice that you're outside the chord.
 
G|———————————————————|
D|———————————————————|
A|————————————————5——|
E|——3——3———5——5——————|
 
Note 1:  There's a lot of stuff you can do here.  The first lick I put in there
is just about what he's playing.  The second one is just something else that
will fit.  Minor pentatonic scales are your friend!
 
Note 2:  Basically the same as note 1.  Minor pentatonic scales are your
friend... the chord is Dm7
 
Note 3: Get your own pentatonic licks!  I'm not giving any more out! :) The
chord is Am7
 
 
 
 
Eric Somdahl
ICQ #67654004
[email protected]
http://www.esscowebdesign.com

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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Tesla — The Way It Is bass tabs