DEATH VALLEY '69 by SONIC YOUTH Tab by Chris Lawrence (silvercircle@shaw.ca) w/ thanks to Larsen (DoublDwn11) TUNINGS ------- Thurston: F#F#F#F#EB Lee: F#F#F#F#EB A SECTION 00:00-00:28 Thurston starts with: B-------- E-------- F#---0--- trem pick this note then slide backwards from a high note F#---0--- F#---/--- this lasts for 4 reps of kim's bass riff F#---/--- Then play: B--------------------- E--------------------- F#---7----10-11---8--- trem pick F#---7----10-11---8--- F#---/-----/--/---/--- x 4 F#---/--------/------- Lee plays the same thing: B-------- E-------- F#---0--- trem pick this note then slide backwards from a high note F#---0--- F#---/--- this lasts for 4 reps of kim's bass riff F#---/--- Then play: B--------------------- E--------------------- F#---7----10-11---8--- trem pick F#---7----10-11---8--- F#---/-----/--/---/--- x 4 F#---/--------/------- A SECTION (CHORUS) 00:29-00:48 Thurston: B--------0---0---------0---0-0--- E--------0---0---------0---0-0--- F#---0-0-------0-0-0-0----------- F#---0-0-------0-0-0-0----------- use your thumb to mute the F# strings when playing F#---0-0-------0-0-0-0----------- the E chord F#---0-0-------0-0-0-0----------- Lee plays the same: B--------0---0---------0---0-0--- E--------0---0---------0---0-0--- F#---0-0-------0-0-0-0----------- F#---0-0-------0-0-0-0----------- use your thumb to mute the F# strings when playing F#---0-0-------0-0-0-0----------- the E chord F#---0-0-------0-0-0-0----------- A SECTION 00:49-01:15 B SECTION 01:15-03:39 Thurston begins by strumming the 7th fret: B-------- E-------- F#---7--- he lets a few chords ring until he starts singing F#---7--- F#---7--- F#---7--- When he starts singing, he switches to slightly muted harmonics: B----------------- E----------------- F#---*7*-*7*------ play over and over F#---*7*-*7*------ F#---*7*-*7*------ F#---*7*-*7*------ Until the very end of the verse, for the final four cries of "HIT IT", where he just starts trem picking the middle F#s like the intro: B-------- E-------- F#---0--- F#---0--- F#---/--- F#---/--- Lee's part is buried down the middle but he controls most of the tension. B------0------0------0------0----- E--------0------0------0------0--- F#---5------5------5------5------- play twice before vocal starts F#---5------5------5------5------- F#-------------------------------- F#-------------------------------- (you can also just play the 5th fret twice instead of the open B but i think the ringing notes help...?) like this: B--------------------------------- E--------0------0------0------0--- F#---5-5----5-5----5-5----5-5----- F#---5-5----5-5----5-5----5-5----- F#-------------------------------- F#-------------------------------- When the vocal starts, it gets a little harder to hear, but he switches between the 5th and 7th fret: B------0------0------0------0-------0------0------0------0------0------0------0----------------------- E--------0------0------0------0-------0------0------0------0-------0------0------0-------------------- F#---5------5------5------5-------5------5------5------5------5------5------5--------7---------------- F#---5------5------5------5-------5------5------5------5------5------5------5--------7---------------- F#-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------/---------------- F#-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------/---------------- He switches to the 7th fret on the 4th "YOU'RE RIGHT", and picks the 7th fret through "YOU WERE RIIIIGHT" "I WAS ON THE WRONG TRACK" B------0------0------0------0-------0------0------0------0------0------0------0----------------------- E--------0------0------0------0-------0------0------0------0-------0------0------0-------------------- F#---5------5------5------5-------5------5------5------5------5------5------5--------7---------------- F#---5------5------5------5-------5------5------5------5------5------5------5--------7---------------- F#-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------/---------------- F#-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------/---------------- He hits the 7th fret when Thurston sings "AND NOW IN THE CANYON..." This time he sticks to heavily trem picking the 7th fret while they sing "SHE STARTED TO HOLLER": B--------- E--------- F#---7---- hold this note until the THIRD "I DIDN'T WANNA"... F#---7---- F#---/---- F#---/---- At that point (2:11) he breaks to harmonics: B---------- you can let the open E and B strings ring out a bit when you strike the harmonix E---------- F#---*7*--- he hits that harmonic chord about 9 times then switches to the 5th fret F#---*7*--- F#---*7*--- F#---*7*--- At 2:27: B---------- E---------- F#---*5*--- F#---*5*--- x 5 F#---*5*--- F#---*5*--- "DEEP IN THE VALLEY" (2:35) B----0--- --0-- E----0--- --0-- F#---5--- strum/pick in similar rhythm then: --7-- "IN THE BACK OF A CHEVY" F#---5--- --7-- F#------- ----- F#------- ----- He sticks to attacking that 7th fret chord, then around 3:00 he starts to build up: B----(0)------ E----(0)------ F#---12--13--- bend/shake the notes while picking, add the 13th fret for dissonance F#---12--12--- (this is the kind of thing that works better by feel than a specific tab) F#----/---/--- F#----/---/--- Around 3:13 he climbs higher: B---------------- E---------------- F#--19--20--21--- keep playing furious variations of the highest notes F#--19--20--21--- during the final ascension of "HIT IT" F#---/---/---/--- F#---/---/---/--- before exploding into the outro/chorus A SECTION 03:39-04:05 This is basically the same as the intro of the song. A SECTION (CHORUS) 04:05-05:11 This time, the drums and bass drop out for one rep of the main chorus riff, then re-enter to play once. Then the vocals enter for the proper chorus, repeating "DEATH VALLEY '69" four times before Lydia squeals over the riff until the end. Beginning with the drum/bass-less run through the riff, it is played 14 times before finishing on F# (all open F# strings). However, after the last "Death Valley '69" is sung, the guitars start doing wild trem picking beginning around the 17th fret and climbing up, bending and shaking as they go. last updated: 09/22/22 ------------------------------------------------ THE SONIC YOUTH GUITAR/BASS TABLATURE ARCHIVE: http://www.sonicyouth.com/mustang/tab/index.html ------------------------------------------------