MASSAGE THE HISTORY by Sonic Youth Tab by Chris Lawrence (silvercircle@shaw.ca) TUNINGS ------- Thurston DDAF#AD (right) Lee DDDDAA (left) Kim DADABD (middle) LAYOUT: A - B - A - B - C - D - E - F - G - A - B A SECTION 00:00-01:13 Thurston comes in after everybody else has done one run through the progression: Hold these shapes: D---0----0--- A---3----5--- F#--4----6--- and use your index and pinky fingers to play the melody lines below A---5----7--- D---5----7--- D------------ D----------3^0--5-3-0---------3-------5-3-0-3-5-------5---------5-------7--7-7-0--- A---0--3^0------0-0-5-----3^5-0--5-3--0-0-5-0-0---5---0-7---5^7-0---7^5-0--0-0-0--- F#--4-----------4-4-4-----4------4-4--------------6-----6---6-------6---6---------- A---5---------------------------------------------7-------------------------------- D---5---------------------------------------------7-------------------------------- D---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is one where you really just need to play it over and over til you get the feel for the pattern. I didn't include all the strumming. He plays a variation each time. Most of Lee's part in this song involves him rubbing a metal slide over the frets with his picking hand. It should be relatively easy to figure out, but he rubs the slide "up and down" to sustain the droning notes at specific frets, but also moves it back and forth between frets for a very warbly kind of effect (also heavily encouraged by his analog delay). Once you get the hang of it, his part becomes very fun! You might want to mute the strings behind he slide with your fretting hand. The first sound you hear in the song is him rubbing the slide at the 5th fret, so aim to replicate that: A--*~5~*-- --*~7~*-- A--*~5~*-- --*~7~*-- D--*~5~*-- then slowly move up when the bass notes change: --*~7~*-- then back to 5 and repeat D--*~5~*-- --*~7~*-- D--------- --------- D--------- --------- You can include the low D strings but they aren't prominent. Kim plays a repeated harmonic motif: D------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- B------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- x 2 A------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D---*12*-*12*-*12*-*12*-*12*-*12*-*12*-*12*-*12*-*12*-*12*-*12*-*12*-*12*-*12*-*12*--- D------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- B------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- x 2 A---*12*-*12*-*12*-*12*-*12*-*12*-*12*-*12*-*12*-*12*-*12*-*12*-*12*-*12*-*12*-*12*--- D------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Play whole thing four times. B SECTION 01:13-01:44 Thurston: For the next part, hold these shapes: D----0----0--- A---10---12--- F#--11---13--- A---12---14--- D------------- D------------- D-------12--0---------10---10---0----12---12-12--14--14-14-14--14--0---0--0--0--14---14-14--0--- A---10-----12---10^12--0----0--12-10--0----0--0--12--12-12-12--12-12--12-12-12--12---12-12-12--- F#--11-------------------------------------------13---------------13--13-13-13-------------13--- A---12-------------------------------------------14--------------------------------------------- D----0------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ D----0------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Play twice. Lee moves up and covers two notes over each chord: A--*~19~*--*~17~*-----*~19~*--*~17~*----- --*~14~*--*~12~*-----*~14~*--*~12~*---- A--*~19~*--*~17~*-----*~19~*--*~17~*----- bass note --*~14~*--*~12~*-----*~14~*--*~12~*---- D---------------------------------------- changes --------------------------------------- D---------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- D---------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- D---------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- I don't hear the notes on the D strings in this part. Kim continues the same harmonic riff from the previous section. She plays it twice. A SECTION 01:44-02:35 Play progression three times. B SECTION 02:35-03:07 C SECTION 03:08-03:46 Thurston hits all of the open strings for a bit, then starts these shapes when Kim begins singing: D----------0------0----- A----------0------0----- F#--8------3------0----- listen for the picking A---8------3------0----- D---8------3------0----- x 2 D---8------3------0----- The last time she sings "you're so close to me", he turns distortion on when he gets to the open D chord at the end of the progression, and begins running skronky harmonics up and down the fretboard. Lee strikes a big open D to start: A------- A------- D---0--- D---0--- D---0--- D---0--- Then he puts the slide on his finger and plays "properly" when Kim sings: A-----8~~---------3~--------12~~--12~~~~--------8~~--------------12~~---12~~~~-- A-----8~~-8-------3~~-------12~~--12~~~~--------8~~-/3~~--3\\12~~12~~---12~~~~-- D--\8-------8/-/3-------\12~~-----12~~~~-----\8-----/3~~--3\\12~~-------12~~~~-- D--\8----------/3-----3\\12~~-----12~~~~-----\8-----/3~~--3\\12~~-------12~~~~-- D------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D---------------------------------^^------------------------------------^^------ For the two ^^ chords, rub the slide at the 12th fret kinda like the verses. Low D is optional during this section. Kim starts with some big D chords: D----------------------- B----------------------- A----------------------- D--------------0-------- A---0----------0-------- D---0----------0-------- When she begins singing, she plays these chords. The rhythm isn't shown but should be clear: D--------------------------- B--------------------------- A--------------------------- D---8--------3--------0----- make a bunch of skronky noise after the open D A---8--------3--------0----- D---8--------3--------0----- x 2 D SECTION 03:47-04:32 Thurston keeps strumming flurries of jagged moving harmonics from, say, the 1st to 5th fret. At 4:02 he starts bashing a chord on each beat, but it's kinda like he's half-hitting the open strings (particularly the low Ds) combined with high harmonics at the 17th fret. Lee rubs his slide at the 12th fret for the start of this section, then starts letting the middle open D slip in around 4 minutes in. He continues to freak out with the slide until the next section. You can always use the low Ds for extra heaviness although it sounds like that's mostly Kim and Thurston on this song. Kim keeps playing heavy chords: D------------------------------ B------------------------------ A------------------------------ D---8------5------3------5----- A---8------5------3------5----- each chord is played roughly 16 times D---8------5------3------5----- E SECTION 04:32-05:02 Thurston: D---5-0-5-0-5-0-5-0-5-0-5-0-5-0-5-0-5--7-0-7-0-7-0-7-0-7-0-7-0-7-0-7-0-7-0-7--- A---0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0--0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0--- F#--6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6--8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8--- x 4 A---7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7--9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9--- D---7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7--------9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9--------- D------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lee pauses and comes back in after Thurston has played his progression once: A---10-7-10-7-10-7-10-7--12-9-12-9-12-9-12-9--- A---10-7-10-7-10-7-10-7--12-9-12-9-12-9-12-9--- D----7-7--7-7--7-7--7-7---9-9--9-9--9-9--9-9--- x 3 D----7-7--7-7--7-7--7-7---9-9--9-9--9-9--9-9--- D---------------------------------------------- D---------------------------------------------- Kim briefly drops out when Thurston first starts this section, and comes back in at 4:40 going between these two chords: D----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- B----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- x 3 D----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A---14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16--- D---14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16--- F SECTION 05:02-05:31 Thurston turns his distortion on and hits a big open D, then moves harmonics up and down between frets while strumming rapidly. Lee explodes on another big open D chord, alternating strumming chaotically at the 17th fret and the open strings. Kim hits a big open D like everyone else, and makes a bunch of random sliding skronky noise while building to the next part. G SECTION 05:31-06:13 Thurston blasts away at this chord: D-----0--- A----12--- F#---12--- as Steve winds down, start playing softer and cleaner A-----0--- D-----0--- D-----0--- Lee drills away at this chord: A----0--- A---12--- D----0--- as Steve winds down, start playing softer and cleaner D---12--- D----0--- D----0--- I think I hear the octaves on the record, but live he seems to just hit all the open strings, so maybe I'm hearing stray notes from the three other giant D chords being played. Kim saws away at this chord: D-------- B-------- A---12--- as Steve winds down, start playing softer and cleaner D---12--- A----0--- D----0--- A SECTION 06:13-07:36 Thurston plays a variation of his verse riff five times. Lee stays silent during Thurston's first chord, then comes in on: A---*~19~*--- A---*~19~*--- D---*~19~*--- D---*~19~*--- D------------ D------------ Then it's the same as the intro, just an octave higher: A---*~17~*----*~19~*--- A---*~17~*----*~19~*--- D---*~17~*----*~19~*--- D---*~17~*----*~19~*--- D---------------------- D---------------------- He drops back down to 5 and 7 for the "wishin you were here with me" part. Kim plays her 2-note harmonic riff til the end. When she first comes back in, she starts on the A note since Thurston gets a bar to himself. B SECTION 07:36-09:51 Thurston plays his riff twice then drops out. Lee: A--*~19~*--*~17~*-----*~19~*--*~17~*----- --*~14~*--*~12~*-----*~14~*--*~12~*---- A--*~19~*--*~17~*-----*~19~*--*~17~*----- bass note --*~14~*--*~12~*-----*~14~*--*~12~*---- D---------------------------------------- changes --------------------------------------- D---------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- D---------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- D---------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- At 8:07 he moves the slide to the 12th fret and rubs til the end. Kim's guitar is the last one standing, trailing off on the final A harmonics. Last updated: 09/30/24 ------------------------------------------------ THE SONIC YOUTH GUITAR/BASS TABLATURE ARCHIVE: http://www.sonicyouth.com/mustang/tab/index.html ------------------------------------------------