Whitesnake - Sailing Ships guitar tab

Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2001 20:12:49 -0500

From: Markus Jakobsson

Subject: w/whitesnake/sailing_ships.tab

I tabbed some Whitesnake songs a few years ago, and to this day people

mail me saying they've found them and liked them (!) and they all ask if I

have a tab for the song Sailing Ships from the Slip Of The Tongue album. I

don't know the whole song but I sort of know the acoustic bits in the first

half of the song and now I've finally gotten tired of writing 'sorry, I

haven't written it down' to those people so here it is. It should take you

through the first two verses and choruses, to where the drums enter. (At

approx 3:30 of the 6:02 minute song, so hopefully this is a large enough

bit to put into the archive ;))

Sailing Ships by Whitesnake

>From the album Slip Of The Tongue

Words and music by David Coverdale & Adrian Vandenberg (I think)

Let most if it ring. If in doubt, listen to the album. You'll probably

want to fingerpick the intro/verse and bridge bits. Steve Vai is what's

known as a 'musician', and as such he adds some strange notes to chords

here and there. My music theory knowledge is not what it could be and hence

the chord names might be complete bollocks and should not be taken as gospel.

(And that goes for the actual tab as well. This is just how I play it,

if you find mistakes pat yourself on the back and play it your way ;))

Notation:

s

/ = slide (up)

s

\ = slide (down)

h = hammer on

Timing: |-1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4-|

Intro/verse bit

Am G C G Am7 G Fsus2

|-------------0---|---------3---1---|-0---------------|--------------s--|

|-1-------3-------|-3---------------|-----3---1---0---|-1-----------3/5-|

|-----2-----------|-----0-----------|---0---0---0---0-|-----0---0-------|

|-------2---------|-------0---------|-----------------|-------3---------|

|-0---------------|-2---------------|-3---2---0-------|-----------------|

|-----------------|-----------------|-------------3---|-1---------------|

G F E Am Dadd4 (I think :))

|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-5---------------|

|-3-------3-------|-1-------0-------|-1-------------3-|---3-------------|

|-----4-----4--s--|---2-------1-----|----------s--0---|-----0-----------|

|-------5-----5\3-|-----3-------2---|---------2/4-----|-------4---------|

|-----------------|-----------------|-0---------------|-----------------|

|-3---------------|-------0---------|-----------------|-----------------|

Am Dadd4 Am7

Repeat, but for the last 2 bars: |-----------------|-----------------|

|-1-------------3-|-----1-----------|

|----------s--0---|--s--------------|

|---------2/4-----|-4\2-------------|

|-0---------------|-----------------|

|-----------------|-----------------|

Bridge bit

(I Think :))

Dm Dsus2 DmAdd6 C/D F

|-1-------1-0-----|-1-------1-0-----|-1/3-----3---5---|-5---------5-----|

|-------3-----3---|-------3-----3---|-------5---------|---------6---6---|

|-----2---------2-|-----3---------3-|-----5-----------|-------5---------|

|-0---------------|-0---------------|-0---------------|-----7-----------|

|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-8---------------|

|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|

Bb Csus4 C G

|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|

|-6-------3---6---|-6-------5-------|-3---------------|-----------------|

|---3---3---------|---5---5---5-----|-4---------------|-----------------|

|-----3-----------|-----5-------5---|-----------------|-----------------|

|-5---------------|-3---------------|-----------------|-----------------|

|-----------------|-----------------|-3---------------|-----------------|

Play the intro/verse bit four times through the verse. There are some

minor variations here and there (mostly those last two bars). If you're

picky... Well, sorry, but I'm not, so you're on your own with those. Play

the bridge bit through the 'Take me with you' part, but for the last bar

grab a pick and play:

|-----------------|

|-----------------|

|-----------------|

|-----------------|

|-----------------|

|---------3-2-----|

Chorus bit (Well, you don't _have_ to use a pick here, but I do)

(I think :))

EmAdd9 G Aadd2add4

|-----------------|-----------------|

|-----------------|---------------0-|

|---------0-------|-----------------|

|-------4---4-----|-----0-------0---|

|-----2-------2---|-h-2----s--4-----|

|-0-------------0-|-3-----3/5-------|

4 times, followed by:

(I think :)) (I think :))

Am7sus2 C Dadd4add6

|-----------------|-----------------|

|---------0-------|---------------0-|

|-------0---0-----|-----0-------0---|

|-----2-------2---|-h-2----s--4-----|

|-0-------------0-|-3-----3/5-------|

|-----------------|-----------------|

2 times, followed by:

C D Asus2

|--------------|--------------|-0^--------------|

|--------------|--------------|-0|--------------|

|-----------|-----------|-2|--------------|

|--------------s--------------|-2|--------------|

|-3-------------3-/-5---------------|-0|--------------|

|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|

(strum chord)

The notes inside are supposed to be natural harmonics. I find

it easiest to hold my pinky stretched over the fifth and seventh

fret and touch all the strings lightly for each note I play, but

everyone's hands do not look like mine so see what's comfortable

for you. Just be sure not to mute any strings with the finger

fretting the A string.

Next, play the verse/intro once for the little solo, and twice for

verse 2 (with minor variations), play the bridge, and the chorus and

you're at the place where little Stevie Vai stops playing acoustic

and where I stop playing altogether since I haven't learnt the rest

of the song. Hope this bit is of some help to someone, even if it's

not the whole song.

/Macke