Ritual

Song

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

M E S H U G G A H

R I T U A L

From their amazing '94 EP "None"

Version 2 - Some mistakes were fixed..

Tabbed by: Jason Mathie

Mathie@unixg.ubc.ca

I decided to figure out the chorus riff in this song, but the whole song

is so cool I ended up working it all out. Thanks to Drew Heaton for

starting it out.

Comments:

Meshuggah play seven-string guitars tuned down a semitone to Bb. This is

transcribed for a six-string, so tune to Bb Eb Ab Db Gb Bb. Note the

Maj.3rd is between the 1+2nd strings, not the 2+3rd.

Generally one dash is a 16th note or a 32nd note in length, so either ----

or -------- is one beat. I decided since the rhythms are fairly complex I

would add markers above/below each line to show quarter note beats. So,

the | symbols are there to make learning the timing easier.

Notation explanation:

---------

-5:--4:-- Time Signature changes. If you don't understand, listen

-4:--4:-- to the song.

---------

The important things needed to sound like Meshuggah is to nail the rhythms

accurately, and to palm mute the right notes. Pay attention to those

P.Ms.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Riff A - clean guitar, about as fast as you can play it

Bb|-----------0-------------0---------|-----------0-------------0-|
Gb|---------0---0---------0---0-------|---------0---0---------0---|
Db|4:-----4-------4-----4-------4-----|3:-----4-------4-----4-----|
Ab|4:---4-------------4-----------4---|4:---4-------------4-------|
Eb|---2-------------3---------------0-|---2-------------3---------|
Bb|-----------------------------------|---------------------------|

| | | | | | |

Play Riff A 8x, with the following little solo after 4x:

Lead 1 played very loosely

Bb|------------------|---------------|------------------|-----------------|
Gb|---6------7\66----|---6------7\44-|---6----7/9-------|-----111112121111|
Db|4:----------------|3:-------------|4:----------------|3:---------------|
Ab|4:-4-----55\44----|4:-4-----55\22-|4:-4----5/7-------|4:--99-9-10109-9-|
Eb|------------------|---------------|------------------|-----------------|
Bb|------------------|---------------|------------------|-----------------|

| | | | | | | | | | | | | |

Bb|--------------------|--------------|-------------------|--------------|
Gb|-------/14141212----|-----11126----|-----66-7-9--9-----|-----9-6-4----|
Db|4:------------------|3:------------|4:-----------------|3:------------|
Ab|4:-----/12121010----|4:--99-104----|4:---44-5-7-77-----|4:--77-4-2----|
Eb|--------------------|--------------|-------------------|--------------|
Bb|--------------------|--------------|-------------------|--------------|

| | | | | | | | | | | | | |

Riff B - distortion

| | | | | | |

Db|---4--4---4--4-4444|---4--4---4--4-|
Ab|4:-4--4---4--4-4444|3:-4--4---4--4-|
Eb|4:-2-22-223-33-3333|4:-2-22-223-33-|
Bb|-------------------|---------------|

P.M . .. . . ..

Play Riff B 6x, with vocals last 4x

Riff C /=== 1 ================\/=== 2 ================\/=

Db||-----------------|-------------------5--||----------------/8-8--||-
Ab||3:-------6\5-6\5-|4:-------6\5-6-5---4-*||4:-------6\5-6-5-----*||-
Eb||4:--4--4-6\5-6\5-|4:--4--4-6\5-6-5---3-*||4:--4--4-6\5-6-5/6-6-*||-
Bb||---2-32--4\3-4\3-|---2-32--4\3-4-3-22---||---2-32--4\3-4-3------||-

P.M ..... ..... .. .....

| | | | | | | | | | |

=\/=== 3 ================\/=== 4 ================\

Db -||----------------------||----------------/7-7--||
Ab -||4:-------6\5-6-5---4-*||4:-------6\5-6-5-----*||
Eb -||4:--4--4-6\5-6-5---3-*||4:--4--4-6\5-6-5/5-5-*||
Bb -||---2-32--4\3-4-3-222--||---2-32--4\3-4-3------||

P.M ..... .. .....

| | | | | | | |

Play Riff C

Play Riff B 6x, with vocals last 4x

Play Riff C

Then play the following:

/=== 1,2,3,5 ====================\

Bb|-------3-------3-----3-------3-----||----1-------1-----1-------1-----||-
Gb|-----------4-------------4---------||--------4-------------4---------||-
Db|4:---4---4---4-----4---4---4-------||--4---4---4-----4---4---4------*||-
Ab|4:-2-------------2-------------2---||0-------------0-------------0--*||-
Eb|-----------------------------------||--------------------------------||-
Bb|-----------------------------------||--------------------------------||-

| | | | | | | |

=\/=== 4 ==========================\/=== 6 ==========================\

Bb -||----1-----------------0---------||----1---------------------------||
Gb -||--------4---------2-------2-----||--------4-----------0-------0---||
Db -||--4---4---------5---5---5------*||--4---4-----------4---4---4----*||
Ab -||0---------0--------------------*||0---------0-----4-------4------*||
Eb -||--------------3-----------------||--------------3-----------------||

Bb -||-CleanGtr-----------------------||--------------------------------||

| | | | | | | |

After the 2nd ending, play:

Lead 2

Bb|17---17\15-15-----------------20|19h20p19------------------------|-
Gb|--------------------------------|--------19-16-16--------~~~~~~~~|-
Db|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|-
Ab|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|-
Eb|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|-
Bb|--------------------------------|--------------------------------|-

| | | | | | | |

Bb -|--------------------------------|-------------------------------|-
Gb -|---------12--12\11-11~~-----7---|7/9---7------------------------|-
Db -|--------------------------------|----------7-7/9~~--------------|-
Ab -|--------------------------------|-------------------------------|-
Eb -|--------------------------------|-------------------------------|-
Bb -|--------------------------------|-------------------------------|-

| | | | | | | |

Db -|--------------------------------|-------------------------------|-
Ab -|-----------10-9~~-------//12----|10----9-----------7~~----------|-
Eb -|--------------------------------|------------10-----------------|-
Bb -|--------------------------------|-------------------------------|-

| | | | | | | |

Bb -|-------------------------------|--------------------------17----|19~~
Gb -|-------------------------------|------------------14-/16--------|---
Db -|-------------------------------|-----/9-p7-----12---------------|---
Ab -|/9-----------9------b10r---7p5h|7-------------------------------|---
Eb -|-------------------------------|--------------------------------|---
Bb -|-------------------------------|--------------------------------|---

| | | | | | | |

Hold that last note over the following:

Play 8x, clean guitar

Bb|--------------------0-----0-----|
Gb|------------------0---------0---|
Db|----4-----4-----4-------------4-|
Ab|--2-----4-----4-----------------|
Eb|0-----3-----2-------------------|
Bb|--------------------------------|

| | | |

Play Riff B 12x, after 4x play Lead 1, after 8x is a crazy fast solo. I

bet it uses the 7th string, that's my excuse for not doing it. hehehe

Riff D (distortion)

Bb|-----------------------|
Gb|---3-------4--5--------|
Db|5:-3-------4--5--------|
Ab|4:-1-------2--3--------|
Eb|-----------------------|
Bb|-----------------------|

| | | | |

Play Riff D 4x

At the same time as riff D is a clean guitar riff which I can't hear well

enough. I can hear the open 7th string (high Eb), so it would probably be

hard to play on a 6 string anyways. Also, the solo winds down by playing

single notes as in riff D, dropping an octave each repeat.

Riff E /=== 1 =============================\/=

Db|-----------------5/6-------|-----------------5/6-----------8---||-
Ab|3:---4/5---7/8---5/6-------|4:---4/5---7/8---5/6-----------5--*||-
Eb|4:---4/5---7/8---3/4-------|4:---4/5---7/8---3/4---------6-6--*||-
Bb|---0-2/3-0-5/6-0-----0-0-0-|---0-2/3-0-5/6-0-----0-0-0-0-------||-

P.M . . . . . . . . . . . . .

| | | | | | |

=\/=== 2 =============================\

Db -||-----------------5/6-----------7---|
Ab -||4:---4/5---7/8---5/6---------------|
Eb -||4:---4/5---7/8---3/4---------5-5---|
Bb -||---0-2/3-0-5/6-0-----0-0-0-0-------|

P.M . . . . . . .

| | | |

Play Riff E 4x

Play Riff A 6x, last 4x with vocals

Play Riff B 4x

Riff F

| | | | | | | | | | | | | |

Db|--------/8-------/6-------/7-7-|-----/8-------/7--------3-3--|
Ab|7:-22-22----22-22----22-22-----|22-22----22-22----22-22------|
Eb|4:-22-22/6--22-22/4--22-22/5-5-|22-22/6--22-22/5--22-22-1-1--|
Bb|---00-00----00-00----00-00-----|00-00----00-00----00-00------|

P.M .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..

Play Riff F 6x (fadeout)

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

May 18, 1999

I guess I'll do Sickening now and finish off the EP

E-mail me with any comments, questions, criticism...

Mathie@unixg.ubc.ca