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Violent Femmes — Waiting For The Bus bass tabs



Song Title: Waiting for the Bus
Artist: Violent Femmes
——————————————————————————————————————————————

ok, this is my 1st bass tab. this song has a good bass part, but i haven't found any postings
for it, so i decided to figure it out myself. i'm pretty sure about most of this. it's a
pretty easy song, and it's a bit repetitive. listen to the song for the timing.

Part 1:
—0———0—————————————————— ]
—————————0—2h4—2———————— ] repeat 6 times
———————————————————————— ]
———————————————————————— ]

Part 2 walkdown:
—0———————
———3h2———
—————————
—————————

Part 2:
this part comes after "standing by the corner, waiting for the bus.."

———————0——2—0————————0——2—0—————————————————————
————2—————————————2————————————————0——2—0———————
—3—————————————3————————————————2—————————————2—
—————————————————————————————3—————————————3————

————————————————————0——2—0————————0————
—0h2—0———————————2—————————————2—————2—
———————3h2—0——3—————————————3——————————
———————————————————————————————————————

* Part 3 walkdown:
"my precious time keeps slipping past.."
——————————————————————————————————————
—0———————————0——————————0—————————————
—————————————————————————————3——2———0—
——————————————————————————————————————

Part 3:
—————————————— ]
———————0——2—0— ] repeat 6 times
————2————————— ]
—3———————————— ]

* another Part 1 walkdown:
"the damn city bus moves so slow"
——————————————————————————0———————————
————————————————————————————3——2——0———
——————————————————————————————————————
—————3—————————3——————————————————————

do Part 1 again
then do Part 3 walkdown
then there's a part with just drums & talking..

Part 4 walkdown:
after "will you please open up the back door?"
—0——————————
————3——2——0—
————————————
————————————

Part 4:
———————0——2—0————————0——2—0—————————————————————————————
————2—————————————2————————————————0——2—0————————0——2—0—
—3—————————————3————————————————2—————————————2—————————
—————————————————————————————3—————————————3————————————

*Part 5:
"you got the mother and the kids
E———————————————————————————————3—2——3
"you got the guy and his date"
E————————————————————————————3—2——3
"we all get mad"
E——————————————3—2——3
"we all get laid"
E———————————————3—2——3
"looks like somebody"
E———————————————————3—2——3
"forgot about us"
E———————————————3—2——3
"standin on the corner, waiting for the bus"
—0————————————0————————————————————————————
————————————————3—————3—2—————————————2—0——
———————————————————————————————————————————
———————————————————————————————————————————

do Part 1 again

* Ending:
"my precious time keeps slipping past"
———————————————————————————————————————————
————————————————————————0——————————————————
—5—————————4—5————————————3——2——0——————————
———————————————————————————————————3———————

the rhythm of the lines with the * in front of them are matched up with the words

mail me (abow@discover—net.net) if you have any comments or complaints, and sorry
if the tab is too confusing.. i'm too tired to look it over:)

Submitted by: Amy Bowen (abow@discover—net.net)



Tablature player for this song:
Violent Femmes - Waiting For The Bus Bass Tab

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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