Testament - Musical Death bass tab
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Subject: TAB: Musical Death(A Dirge) by Testament
Musical Death - A Dirge - by Testament
Originally recorded on the album The New Order (1988)
Music by Eric Peterson and Alex Skolnick
Transcribed by Mark Vignati (gs01mcv@panther.gsu.edu) with
much help from Brian Vaught (gs01bgv@panther.gsu.edu)
I'm no good at solos, so all I could do was the rhythms.
If anyone can improve this, append the solos, etc. it would
be greatly appreciated.
The time values of the notes are written above the staff.
w=whole note, h=half, q=quarter, e=eighth, etc.
An r immediately after a time value indicates a rest of
that time value.
Notes in parentheses are tied from the previous measure.
Intro/Riff 1
e e e e e e e er e e e e e e e e
|------------5---8----|--7-5-4---4---4-----|
|-o------5------------|--------3---3-------|
|------5--------------|--------------------|
|-o--7----------------|-----------------7--|
|----0-----0---0------|-----------------0--|
|---------------------|--------------------|
(e) e e e e e e er e e e e e e e e
|------------5---8----|--------------------|
|--------5------------|--6-5---------------|
|------5--------------|------7---7---7-----|
|--(7)----------------|--------6---6----7--|
|--(0)-----0---0------|-----------------0--|
|---------------------|--------------------|
(e) e e e e e e er e e e e e e e e
|------------5---8----|-13--12--10----10------10-------|
|--------5------------|-------------9-----9-------9----|
|------5--------------|--------------------------------|
|--(7)----------------|--------------------------------|
|--(0)-----0---0------|--------------------------------|
|---------------------|--------------------------------|
e er e er e er e er h h
|---13----10-----7-----4-----|------------------------|
|---15----12-----9-----6-----|----5---------5-------o-|
|----------------------------|----5---------4---------|
|----------------------------|----7---------6-------o-|
|----------------------------|------------------------|
|----------------------------|------------------------|
Riff one goes twice alone, then twice with solo one (Alex)
Right after the last time it goes to this connecting riff
as Alex winds up his solo:
e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e w
|----1-----0h1---1--|---1-----0h1---1--|---1-----0h1---1-|--1---|
|------3-------3----|-----3-------3----|-----3-------3---|--3---|
|--2-----2----------|-3-----3----------|-4-----4---------|--3---|
|-------------------|------------------|-----------------|------|
|-------------------|------------------|-----------------|------|
|-------------------|------------------|-----------------|------|
Then comes solo two (Eric), over Riff 2:
e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e
|------1-----0h1---1--|---1-----0h1---1--|---1-----0h1---1-|
|-o------3-------3----|-----3-------3----|-----3-------3---|
|----2-----2----------|-3-----3----------|-4-----4---------|
|-o-------------------|------------------|-----------------|
|---------------------|------------------|-----------------|
|---------------------|------------------|-----------------|
___________________ __________________
/ 1-3 / 4
e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e w
|---1-----0h1---1-----||----1-----0h1---1--|---1-----|
|-----3-------3-----o-||------3-------3----|---3-----|
|-3-----3-------------||--3-----3----------|---2-----|
|-------------------o-||-------------------|---0-----|
|---------------------||-------------------|---------|
|---------------------||-------------------|---------|
There is a one bar pause, then Riff two goes through again,
this time for solo three (Alex on acoustic). This pauses at
the end, just like for solo two, then it goes to solo four
(Alex) over the heavy riff (Riff 3):
q. e e e q e e e e q. e
|----------------------|-------------------------|
|----------------------|-------------------------|
|--7----------------3--|-(3)------------4--------|
|--7-------7--7--7--3--|-(3)---3--3--3--4-----4--|
|--5-------5--5--5--1--|-(1)---1--1--1--2-----2--|
|----------------------|-------------------------|
e e q. e e e q. e e e q
|----------------------|----------------------|
|----------------------|----------------------|
|--------3-------------|--7--------------3----|
|--4--4--3----3--3--3--|--7-----7--7--7--3----|
|--2--2--1----1--1--1--|--5-----5--5--5--1----|
|----------------------|----------------------|
e e e e q. e e e h.
|----------------------|-------------------------|
|----------------------|-------------------------|
|-(3)-----------4------|----------5--------------|
|-(3)--3--3--3--4----2-|--4--4----5--------------|
|-(1)--1--1--1--2----4-|--2--2----3--------------|
|----------------------|-------------------------|
Then the rhythm goes back to riff 2 for the rest of solo four.
After solo four there is a one bar rest and then riff two plays
until fade-out.
