Smashing Pumpkins - Geek U.s.a guitar tab
The other tabs for this song are so wrong it isn't even funny,
I've made this tab out of watching Billy Corgan play it live,
his interviews with Guitar World magazine, and me slowing the
pitch down and following the lead techniques. This is 100% correct.
I have gone to strenuous lengths to bring you THE PERFECT Geek
U.S.A. tab. The only parts I did not tab were James' fills in the
Bridge, and Chorus
Notes on Intro: The song initially starts with the riff below,
although it is transcribed in the Guitar World articles as starting
with 12 on the low-E string, sliding down and then playing an
open E, live, they play it as shown below.
INTRO Distorted, heavily
=====
x2 1st. 2nd.
|----------------------------------|-----------------------------|
|----------------------------------|-----------------------------|
|----------------------------------|---12--------------7---------|
|----------------------------------|---12--------12----7---------|
|----------------------------------|---10--------12-or-5---------|
|--3/7--0-0-0-0-0-00000------------|-------------10--------------|
*bend this as you pull off, alternately you can bend 14 to match
the pitch of 16
|---------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------|
|--16~~------11/12~~---------*16p14~~---------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------12~~----------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------|
VERSE- Repeat whole verse 2 times
=====
x3
|------------------------|----------------------------------------
|------------------------|----------------------------------------
|--------7---------------|----------7-----------------------------
|--------7---------7/9/5-|----------7---7-6---5-------------------
|--------5---------7/9/5-|----------5---7-6---5-------------------
|-0-00-------0-00--5/7/3-|----0--00-----5-4-0-3-------------------
CHORUS
====== -Play first ending, and and repeat bar 2 then play bar
1 then bar 2 twice.
First Ending
|=========================|
|------------------------|--------------|----------------------------|
|------------------------|--------------|----------------------------|
|--------7--------9-9----|--------------|--------------------9-9-9---|
|--------7--------9-9----|5555--xx-7777-|--------------2-2---9-9-9---|
|--------5--------7-7----|5555--xx-7777-|--7p6---------2-2---7-7-7---|
|--0-000---0-00-0--------|3333--xx-5555-|------5p4p3p0-0-0-0---------|
Second Ending
|==================|
|---------------------|
|---------------------|
|---------------------|
|-----2~~-------------|
|-----2~~-------------|
|-----0~~-------------|
Repeat intro with:
This is sort of like muted sweep picking, Corgan does this alot
in his lead work, simply pick the muted notes quickly as you sweep
pick upward, and then strike the note.
|---------------17b---------12-----------------------------------------|
|-----17-15~~-------------x-----15---x-12-------------------15b--------|
|-----------------------x----------x-------14--12-----12-14------------|
|--------------------------------------------------14------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
Repeat Verse
Interlude ("If by chance")
=========
x4 The note he slides up to on "fail"
|--------------------------------------------------|-------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------|-------------------------|
|---------------------------9----9----9-----999----|------/13~~--------------|
|----7--777--779--999-------9----9----9-----999----|-------------------------|
|----7--777--779--999-------7----7----7-----777----|-------------------------|
|----5--555--557--777----0----0----0----0000-------|-------------------------|
Repeat Chorus
Bridge
======
Emaj7 Amaj7 (x4)
|---------------------------------------------------------------|
|---1-----------------------------------------------------------|
|-----1~~----4b&r-----------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------|
"Then I knew we had been forsaken"
|-------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------|
|--2-2222--4-4444--7-7--7-------------------|
|--2-2222--4-4444--7-7--7-------------------|
|--0-0000--2-2222--5-5--5-------------------|
Main Solo
========= -to get that screeching sound he used an Electro-Harmonix
Micro-Synth
|---------------12h15p12--------12h15p12-----------12h15p12-----12h15p12---12h15p12-----|
|---------15b~~----------15-15b----------15-15b-------------15-----------------------15-|
|--12/15--------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------17/--------|
|------------------------------------------------------------------------17b--x/--------|
|---14b-14bp12-----14p12---------------------------------------14-14/16---------15/-----|
|--------------14--------14-12------------------------12-14p12------------------15/-14~-|
|-------------------------------14/12p10-12--10-12/14-----------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|--x-12~~-14-14~~---x-14b-14b----14-12-14-16-14-12-14-16-14-12-14-16-14-12-14-16-14-14-|
|--x----------------x------------------------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
*hold bend
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------15-16-14-15-17-*15b/17/19/20/21b|
|-12-14-16-16/14--12-14-15-14-12-14-15-16-15-14-16-14-13--------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Wow that took forever to learn, and to tab.
"Words can't define what I feel inside..."
Note(the rhythym on would take too long, so I'll just give the
chords)
|------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------|
|--2-2-2---5-5-5---7-7-7---12-12-12--------------------|
|--2-2-2---5-5-5---7-7-7---12-12-12--------------------|
|--0-0-0---3-3-3---5-5-5---10-10-10--------------------|
James' fill over "My disease"
|--------------------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------------------|
|--13-13-13-13--12-12-12-12--11-11-11-11--14-14-14-14----------|
|---x--x--x--x---x--x--x--x---x--x--x--x---x--x--x--x----------|
|--11-11-11-11--10-10-10-10---9--9--9--9--12-12-12-12----------|
|--------------------------------------------------------------|
Second Solo
===========
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------15---------------------------------------15-----------15----15-----------|
|----------12-----------14bp12----------------------12-----------14b---14b----14b--14/-|
|----12-14-------12------------14-12-------14--12h14------12---------------------------|
|------------------------------------13-12---------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------12h15p12------------------------------------------------------------|
|----------15----------------15p12-----------------------------12-12-15--15-------------|
|-------12----12~~-----------------14p12----12--14/16-------------------------12h14-14--|
|-12-14----------------------------------14-------------12h14---------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------15/17--17----12-15--15------------------------------------------12--15-15-|
|--14-12-12~~-----------12----------------------------------------x-12--12-14-----------|
|---------------------------------------------------------x-12-14-----------------------|
|--------------------------------------------12--14-14-14-------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------12--15--------------------------------------------|
bend and hold the last note of that solo, let it feedback, have
another guitar hit the open low-E and bend the tremolo bar up
and back down slowly.
Outro
=====
let the bass do it's thing for about 2 measures and then:
|----------------------------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------77--666-------------------------|
|--------------------------77--666-------------------------|
|--------------------------55--444-------------------------|
|---12/--3p0-0-0-7p0-0-0-0----0----------------------------|
Repeat until the end.
It took me 2 1/2 hours to tab this, and I'm positive it is at least
98% correct. (without James' fills, or if you're listening
to Siamese Dream, Billy's fills HA!)
Structure
Intro
Verse
Chorus
Intro
Verse
Interlude
Chorus
Bridge
Main Solo
"Words can't define..."
Second Solo
Outro
