THEME WITH NOISE
by Sonic Youth

Tab by Chris Lawrence (silvercircle@shaw.ca)

TUNINGS
-------
Thurston: EEF#GEB
Lee:	  EEBBF#F#

All instruments sound 1/2 step down from above tunings.


A SECTION				00:00-02:46

Thurston repeats a variation on a simple 5th to 7th to 12th fret harmonic riff. In this version,
he emphasizes the semi-tone present in this tuning. Each repetition is played slightly differently,
and sometimes he slips in open strings when he misses the harmonic. He doesn't always end the 7th fret
run with the open string, but often enough.

B-------------------------------------------------*5*------
E----------------------------------------------------*5*---
G-----------*5*-------*5*----------------------*5*---------
F#-----------------*5*----------------------*5*------------
E---*5*-*5*----*5*---------*5*-*5*-*5*-*5*-----------------
E---*5*-*5*----*5*---------*5*-*5*-*5*-*5*-----------------

B-------------------------------------------0-0-0--0-0---
E-------------------------------------------7-7-7--7-7---
G-----------*7*-------*7*----------*7*-------------------
F#-----------------*7*-------------*7*-------------------
E---*7*-*7*----*7*---------*7*-*7*-----------------------
E---*7*-*7*----*7*---------*7*-*7*-----------------------

B----------------------------------------*12*------
E---------------------*12*-------------------*12*--
G-----------------*12*----*12*---------------------
F#------------*12*--------------------*12*---------
E---*12*-*12*-------------------*12*---------------
E---*12*-*12*-------------------*12*---------------

Play the full progression 10 times.

At 2:25 he starts hitting open strings as they wind down:

B--------------------------------------------*5*---0-*5*-----0-----
E------------------------------------------------------------------
G-----------------------------------------0------------------------
F#--------------------------------------0----------------------0---
E---0-------------0-------------0----------------------------------
E---0---0-0-0-0-0-0---0-0-0-0-0-0----------------------------------
                 
Lee uses a bit of reverb and tremolo. He starts by playing the low E strings a few times, then 
knocks all the open strings. At 0:25 he plays some harmonics:

F#--*12*------------
F#-------*12*-------  then keep softly striking open strings
B-------------*12*--
B-------------------
E-------------------
E-------------------

At 0:45 he begins the slide theme:

F#--------------------------------------------------------------------------
F#--------------------------------------------------------------------------
B---------------------------------------------------------------------------
B-----------------19----19\20/19--17----------------19----19\20/19----------
E--------17\\\19---------------------------17\\\19------------------19/17---
E---0-----------------------------------------------------------------------

F#--------------------20~~-/19-19~~/17~~---17-17-17~~--17~--17~~--17~---------
F#----------------------------------------------------------------------------
B---------------------------------------------------------17~--------17~17~---
B------------19---------------------------------------------------------------
E---17\\\19-------------------------------------------------------------------
E-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

F#-------------17~-------17~-------17~-------17~-------17~-------17~~-------
F#--------------------------------------------------------------------------
B----17-17~17~----17~17~----17~17~----17~17~----17~17~----17~17~-------17---
B---------------------------------------------------------------------------
E---------------------------------------------------------------------------
E---------------------------------------------------------------------------

F#-----------------------------------------------------
F#-----------------------------------------------------
B------------------------------------------------------
B---17\\19---20/19--19~~-----------------19--19///17---
E---17\\19----------------19~----17\\19----------------
E------------------------------------------------------

F#-----------------------------------------------------
F#----------------------------------------------17~~~~-
B------------------------------------------------------  rub slide @ 17th fret on B+F# strings
B------------20/19---19///17~~------------19~~~~-------
E---17\\19-----------------------17\\19----------------
E------------------------------------------------------

At 2:03 he returns to open E notes:

F#-----------------*12*-----------*12*------------*12*---
F#-----------------*12*-----------*12*------------*12*---  let the F# notes ring out to feedback and hold
B------------------*12*-----------*12*-------------------
B--------------------------------------------------------
E--------------0--------------*12*------------0----------
E---0----------0--------------*12*------------0----------


B SECTION				02:46-04:16

For the noise outro, based on the mix positions it sounds like Lee is rapidly picking the low E strings 
the entire time, while Thurston and Kim make droning feedback. However, a lot of the feedback in these 
sessions sounds like Lee's hollowbody Kimberly guitar, so I would expect him to be the one doing 
that feedback. I don't think it's Kim's bass picking at the E note, and it's in Lee's channel, 
so...maybe he did that in addition to a second track of feedback?


Last updated: 12/31/23

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