Artist: Violent Femmes
Song Title: Add It Up
Ok, this song is relatively simple, excluding the many bass solos.
And it was also very hard to tab. I'm sure the verse and other
parts are correct, almost sure on the solos.
h = hammer on
~ = Let Ring
p = pull off
Standard Tuning
Intro:
G|—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D|—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
A|—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
E|—7—7—7—5h7—7—7—5h7—7—7—5—77—5h7—7—7—5h7—7—7—5h7—7—7—5—77—
G|———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|—7—7~———7—7~————————————————————7h9p7——————————————————————|
A|—7—7~———7—7~—————————————9h10p9———————10—9—7———————————————|
E|—5—5~———5—5~——————7—9—10————————————————————10—9—7—————————|
Verse Thing: "Why can't i get...."
G|—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
A|—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
E|—7—7—7—5h7—7—7—5h7—7—7—5—77—5h7—7—7—5h7—7—7—5h7—7—7—5—77—|
G|—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|—7—7~———7—7~—————————————————————————————————————————————|
A|—7—7~———7—7~—————————————————————————————————————————————|
E|—5—5~———5—5~———————————7—————————————————————————————————|
Ok, that is the basic outline of the song, just follow above.
Now i'm gonna put one of the solos...it contains a lot of the
parts of the other solos in the song
G|————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
D|—9—7————7——————————————————————————————7—10—9—7—————————————
A|—————10———10—9—7—9—7——————————9—10—9—7——————————10—9—7——————
E|—————————————————————9—7—9—10——————————————————————————10—9—
G|—9——11——13——14——16——————————————————————————————————————————|
D|—7——9———11——12——14———————————————————7h9p7——————————————————|
A|——————————————————————————————7—9—10———————9h10p9—7—————————|
E|———————————————————————7—9—10———————————————————————10—9—7——|
That's basically the main riff with some variations to it
it's close enough.
And then there is the soft part:
Soft Part:
G|————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|————————————————————————————————————————————|
A|———99—————979———99—————979——————77—————77———|
E|—7————7—7—————7————7—7————————5————5—5——————|
Variation of soft part:
G|—————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
D|—————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
A|—————————————————————————————————————————————————————|
E|—7~——22—5——7~——22—5——7~——22—5——7~——22—5—5—5~———5—5~——|
And that's basically the whole song..just repeat parts.
Also just use different variations of the solo on those
solo parts
PLEASE RATE
Questions or comments? Email:
[email protected]

About Violent Femmes

The Violent Femmes was an American alternative rock band that existed from 1980 to 2009, originally formed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The band performed as a trio, including: singer, guitarist and songwriter Gordon Gano, bassist Brian Ritchie, and two drummers, Victor DeLorenzo (1980-1993/2002-2009) and Guy Hoffman (1993-2002).

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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Violent Femmes — Add It Up bass tabs