Led Zeppelin - What Is And What Should Never Be guitar tab
What is And What Should Never Be
Words and Music Jimmy Page and Robert Plant
from Led Zeppelin II (The Brown Bomber)
Transcribed by Ted DaCosta
Here's the words, tab and solo to this great Zep tune. Here's the breakdown.
Verses: Jimmy basically plays and A13 and E9 during the slower verses.
Here's how I form these chords :
A13 E9 and these varied forms
e----------|----0---------7--------------------------------------
B---7------|----7---------0--------------------------------------
G---6------|----7---------7-----7--------------------------------
D---5------|----6---------6-----6--------------------------------
A----------|--------------------7--------------------------------
E----------|-----------------------------------------------------
I suggest to do a little ad-lib with the E9 chord variations until you find
something that works and sounds good to you.
Chorus : (heavy guitar sound with distortion)
notation : h - hammer
p - pulloff
b - bend
e---------------------------------|----------------2-------------------------
B---------------------------------|----------------3--2----------------------
G---------------------------------|-------------2--2--2----------------------
D----5h7---7-7-7p5---5--5--5------|-4--4---4----2--4--2----------------------
A----0-----0---------0--0----0--0-|-0--0-0----0-0-----0--0-------------------
E---------------------------------|------------------------------------------
e---------------------------------|----------------2-------------------------
B---------------------------------|----------------3--2--2-------------------
G---------------------------------|-------------2--2--2--2-------------------
D----7---7---7p5-----5-------5----|-4-4-4-4---2-2-----2--2-------------------
A----0---0-0---------0--0-0----0--|-0-0-0-0---0-0-----0--0-------------------
E-----------------3---------------|----------------------0-------------------
e-----------------------------|
B-4-4-4-4---------------------|
G-4-4-4-4----4---4---4---4----|
D-4-4-4-4----4---4---4---4----|
A-2-2-2-2--0---0---0---0------|
E-----------------------------|
let ring
e-----------------------0-------------|--------|-----------------
B-----------------------0---4--2------|--2-----|-----------------
G-----4---4---4----4----1---4--3------|--2-----|-----------------
D-----4---4---4----4----2---4--4------|--2-----|-----------------
A-----------------------2---2--4------|--0-----|--2--------------
E---4---4---4----4------0------2------|------3b|--0--------------
1/2 step
Jimmy plays slide on the solo (I don't, I'm not the best slide player, so if
you can't, just slide to the notes rather than picking each note, it sounds ok
especially if you add a little delay.)
notation : s = slide (e.g. xsy means pick note x and slide from note x to
note y)
e-------------------------|--------|-------------------|---------------------
B-------------------------|--------|------5--7s9--7s9--|--7s2----------------
G----------9--9s13--11s13-|--11s6--|--4-6----7s9--7s9--|--7s2----------------
D---9--11-----------------|--------|-------------------|---------------------
A-------------------------|--------|-------------------|---------------------
E-------------------------|--------|-------------------|---------------------
e---------12---10-12-10---------------|--------------------------------------
B---7s12----------------10s12---10s12-|-10s12s14-------12--------------------
G-------------------------------------|--------------------------------------
D-------------------------------------|--------------------------------------
A-------------------------------------|--------------------------------------
E-------------------------------------|--------------------------------------
e--14s16--10s12-----------------------|--------------------------------------
B----------------10s12---10-8-10------|--10s14-------------------------------
G-------------------------------------|--------------------------------------
D-------------------------------------|--------------------------------------
A-------------------------------------|--------------------------------------
E-------------------------------------|--------------------------------------
e----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------
B-------14-------14------------14--14----|------14-14-14----14---------------
G--------------------------14------------|----------------------------14-----
D--7s14----14-14------5s14--------------7s14-14----------14------12---14-----
A----------------------------------------|-----------------------12----------
E----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------
e----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------
B-------14-------14------------14--14----|------14-14-14----14---------------
G--------------------------14------------|----------------------------14-----
D--7s14----14-14------5s14--------------7s14-14----------14------12---14-----
A----------------------------------------|-----------------------12----------
E----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------
e----------------------------------------|-------------------7---------------
B----------16----16-------------16--16---|------16-16-16--9--7---------------
G-------16----16----16-------16----------|---16-----------9------------------
D--9s16-----------------9s16-----------7s|16---------------------------------
A----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------
E----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------
e----------------------|-----------------------------------|-------|---|----
B--14s17-16-14---------|--14s12s14--14s12s14--12s14--12s14-|12s9s7s|sss|s2--
G------------------14--|-----------------------------------|-----7s|sss|s2--
D---------------14-----|-----------------------------------|-----7s|sss|s2--
A----------------------|-----------------------------------|-------|---|----
E----------------------|-----------------------------------|-------|---|----
Note that on the solo if you aren't playing slide just bar the A
on the 14th fret and the B on the 16th fret with your ring finger. It allows
you to let the notes ring and makes the fingering very easy.
Sometimes I substitute the following A chord and B chords for the
A on the 14th and the B on the 16th respectivley, but still play the same
notes. Obviously you don't do this if you play the solo with a slide.
A B
e-----9-----------11-----------
B-----10----------12-----------
G-----9-----------11-----------
D------------------------------
A------------------------------
E------------------------------
Outro : Distorted, play to the end of the song. After playing the following
part twice, from the third time on mute the strings in between the notes
that are played to get that "chuka" effect.
e-----------------|-----------------------------------------------------------
B------------9-9--|---------------9-9-9-9-------------------------------------
G------------9-9--|----7---7-7----9-9-9-9-------------------------------------
D---9-9------9-11-|--7-7---7-9----9-9-9-9-------------------------------------
A---9-11-----0----|--7-9---0------7-7-7-7-------------------------------------
E-----------------|---------------0-0-0-0-------------------------------------
Now putting it altogether :
And if I say to you tomorrow, take my hand child come with me.
It's to a castle I will take you, Well what's to be they say will be.
