KOOL THING by Sonic Youth Tab by Chris Lawrence (silvercircle@shaw.ca) TUNINGS ------- Thurston: F#F#F#F#EB Lee: F#F#F#F#EB LAYOUT: A - B - C - B - C - B - C - D - E - F - E - B - C - B - C A SECTION 00:00-00:12 Thurston starts with: B------------------------------- E------------------------------- F#------------------------------ F#------------------------------ F#--0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0--- F#--0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0--- palm mute Lee plays B------------------------------- E------------------------------- F#--0----------------5b---5-0--- F#--0----------------5b---5-0--- F#--0----------------------(0)-- F#--0----------------------(0)-- B SECTION 00:12-00:25 Thurston: B------------------------------- E------------------------------- F#------7---7-7---7---7---5br--- bend and return. F#------7---7-7---7---7---5br--- optional pinch harmonic... F#--0-0---0-----0---0---0------- F#--0-0---0-----0---0---0------- Lee plays: B------------------------------- E------------------------------- F#------7---7-7---7---7---5br--- bend and return. F#------7---7-7---7---7---5br--- optional pinch harmonic... F#--0-0---0-----0---0---0------- F#--0-0---0-----0---0---0------- C SECTION 00:25-00:37 Thurston: B---------------------------------- E---------------------------------- F#------6-6-6-3-------------------- F#------6-6-6-3-------------------- F#--0-------------3\6-6-6/3-1-1-0-- F#--0-------------3\6-6-6/3-1-1-0-- Lee plays: B-------------------------------- E-------------------------------- F#----------------17---18---19\-- trem pick each note F#----------------17---18---19\-- F#--0--------------/----/----/--- F#--0---------------------------- B SECTION 00:37-00:50 C SECTION 00:50-01:01 B SECTION 01:01-01:14 C SECTION 01:14-01:26 D SECTION 01:26-02:21 Thurston: B--------- E--------- F#---0---- drone open strings, pick behind bridge, feedback, etc etc F#---0---- F#---0---- F#---0---- Lee plays: B--------- E--------- F#---0---- drone open strings, feedback, etc - just make noise in F#! F#---0---- F#---0---- F#---0---- E SECTION 02:21-02:36 On the record, the guitars in this section are almost drowned out by the feedback, but the basic idea is to hit the open strings and then play a super skronk chord with bends (or trem bar). For live versions, they would each just attack a random high skronk chord between the open strings, the album sticks a little closer to the same notes: Thurston: B---------------------------------------------------------------------------- E----------------17--17-17-17-17-17-17---------------18--18-18-18-18-18-18--- F#--0--0--0-0-0--15--15-15-15-15-15-15--0--0--0-0-0--16--16-16-16-16-16-16--- F#--0--0--0-0-0--15--15-15-15-15-15-15--0--0--0-0-0--16--16-16-16-16-16-16--- F#--0--0--0-0-0-------------------------0--0--0-0-0-------------------------- F#--0--0--0-0-0-------------------------0--0--0-0-0-------------------------- Lee: B---------------------------------------------------------------------------- E----------------17--17-17-17-17-17-17---------------18--18-18-18-18-18-18--- F#--0--0--0-0-0--15--15-15-15-15-15-15--0--0--0-0-0--16--16-16-16-16-16-16--- F#--0--0--0-0-0--15--15-15-15-15-15-15--0--0--0-0-0--16--16-16-16-16-16-16--- F#--0--0--0-0-0-------------------------0--0--0-0-0-------------------------- F#--0--0--0-0-0-------------------------0--0--0-0-0-------------------------- Both guitars hang on open noise for a moment before the next section. F SECTION 02:37-03:01 Thurston: B----------------------------------- E----------------------------------- after a few bars, throw in the octaves F#--7-7-10-0-7-9--8-8-10-0-8-8-10--- on the low F# strings... F#--7-7-10-0-7-9--8-8-10-0-8-8-10--- F#---------------------------------- F#---------------------------------- Lee: B------------------------------------------------------------------------------ E------------------------------------------------------------------------------ F#--0---19-19-19--17--17-17-17-17-17-17--0---19-19-19--17--17-17-17-17-17-17--- F#--0----0--0--0--17--17-17-17-17-17-17--0----0--0--0--17--17-17-17-17-17-17--- F#--0----0--0--0-------------------------0----0--0--0-------------------------- F#--0----0--0--0-------------------------0----0--0--0-------------------------- On the demo, he plays something more like: B--------------- E---19-----20--- violently trem pick each chord while bending F#--17-----18--- F#--17-----18--- then go down an octave F#---0------0--- F#---0------0--- exact notes don't really matter each time... I think by the time they were playing live in 1990 he'd already kinda changed what he does here, so just get the feel for the attack. E SECTION 03:01-03:15 B SECTION 03:15-03:27 C SECTION 03:27-03:39 B SECTION 03:39-03:51 C SECTION 03:52-04:06 Last updated: 11/03/22 ------------------------------------------------ THE SONIC YOUTH GUITAR/BASS TABLATURE ARCHIVE: http://www.sonicyouth.com/mustang/tab/index.html ------------------------------------------------