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Helter Skelter cover art

Helter Skelter

The Beatles
Tab
4.6(158)

This is tablature — fret positions rather than chord names. Wide lines scroll sideways on their own, so the page never does.

Intro

e|-----0--(repeat)--------------------------------------------------|
B|--12\3--(repeat)--------------------------------------------------|
G|------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|------------------------------------------------------------------|

When I get to the bottom I go back to the top of the

e|-----0--(repeat)--------------------------------------------------|
B|-----2--(repeat)--------------------------------------------------|
G|------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|------------------------------------------------------------------|

slide, where I stop and I turn and I go for a

G

e|-----0--(repeat)--------------------------------------------------|
B|-----1--(repeat)--------------------------------------------------|
G|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|------------------------------------------------5--5--6--6--------|
E|------------------------------------------------3--3--3--3--------|

ride, till I get to the bottom and I see you again.

E

e|------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|--5--5--6---------6------2--2--2--2--3\2--2--2--2-----------------|
E|--3--3--3---------3------0--0--0--0--1\0--0--0--0-----------------|

Yeah yeah yeah!

Verse

E

Well do you don't you want me to make you

I'm coming down fast but don't let me break you

G

Tell me tell me tell me come on tell me the answer

A E

Well you may be a lover but you ain't no dancer.

Chorus

A

e|------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|----------2---2---4---4--5--4--2----------------------------------|
A|----------0---0---0---0-----------5--4--2--0----------------------|
E|------------------------------------------------------------------|

Well, Helter Skelter

E

e|------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|---2---2---4---4--5--4--2-----------------------------------------|
E|---0---0---0---0-----------5--4--2--0-----------------------------|

Helter skelter

A E

e|------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------------------5b(7)--3--5-----------|
G|------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|---2---2---4---4--5--4--2-----------------------------------------|
A|---0---0---0---0-----------5--4--2--0-----------------------------|
E|------------------------------------------------------------------|

Helter skelter Yeah

So much for verses and choruses. The rest are pretty much the same,

except that the rest of the verses hit the G chord a little sooner

(at the beginning of the third line of the verse).

Guitar solo in the middle

E A E

e|----------------------7--7--15b(17)--15b(17)--b(17)15-------------|
B|----------------------0--0----------------------------------------|
G|----------------------9--9----------------------------------------|
D|------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|------------------------------------------------------------------|

'Cos here she comes

A E

e|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|--b(17)15b(17)15---------------13b(14)------------------b(17)15-----------|
G|------------------b(14)12---------------b(14)12b(14)12-----------12-------|
D|---------------------------14----------------------------------------14~--|
A|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Later, there's a neat riff in one of the last verses. I think it

comes right after "will you won't you want me to make you" or something

like that. This is a cool riff with that looonnnng slide.

e|--12--15b(17)--b(17)15--12------12----------------------------------------|
B|----------------------------15------15\10-----10b(12)--b(12)10--8---------|
G|-------------------------------------------9-----------------------7--9---|
D|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|

As the song fades into the first ending, there are some nice bend releases,

while the lyrics repeat "coming down fast":

e|--b(17)15------------------------------------------------------------|
B|-----------b(17)15---------------------------------------------------|
G|--------------------b(16)14------------------------------------------|
D|-----------------------------b(14)12---------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------------b(14)12------------------------|
E|---------------------------------------------------------------------|

Later, there's a whole lot of Hendrix-like guitar noise.

Tab Special Notations:

----0---- play the open string ('fret zero')

----5----  play fret five

----5~--- play fret five with vibrato

---5/7--- play fret five, slide up to fret seven

---7\5--- play fret seven, slide down to fret five

--7\5/7-- play fret seven, slide down to fret five, slide back up

--8b(9)-- play fret eight, bend the string (at fret eight) to reach

the pitch of fret nine

--b(9)8-- play fret eight already bent to the pitch of fret nine,

unbending until it reaches the normal pitch of fret eight

----h7--- hammer-on to fret seven

----p5--- pull-off to fret five

---/7---- slide up to fret 7 (the starting fret of the slide is

undefined, judge by ear)

---15\--- play fret 15, slide down (the ending fret of the slide is

undefined, judge by ear)

---0h3--- play the open string and immediately hammer-on to fret

three

---7p5--- play fret seven and immediately pull-off to fret five

Comments

Spotted a wrong chord, or know a capo position that sounds closer to the record?

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