TUFF GNARL by Sonic Youth Tab by Chris Lawrence (silvercircle@shaw.ca) special thanx to Larsen TUNINGS ------- Thurston: F#F#F#F#EB Lee: DDDDAA LAYOUT A - B - A - B - C - D - E A SECTION 00:00-00:28 Thurston starts with: B---------0----0------0---------0-------------------1-1-1-1-0------- E-------0----0----------0-----0---------0----0---0--------------0--- F#----2-----------2\5-------5-----5\3-3----3---3--------------3----- x 4 F#--2-------------2\5-------------5\3-3----------------------------- F#------------------------------------------------------------------ F#------------------------------------------------------------------ Lee plays two notes during the intro: A-------------- A---------21--- D-----19------- D-------------- D-------------- D-------------- When Thurston starts singing, he begins with a high skronky chord: "running on a tuff.." "..really smart..." "..in his past.." "saints.." "saving grace..." A---22----------------------22--------------------22-------------22--22--22---22--22---22--22--22--- A---22----------------------22--------------------22-------------22--22--22---22--22---22--22--22--- D--(19)--------------------(19)------------------(19)-------------------------21--21---------------- D--(18)--------------------(18)--------------------------------------------------------------------- D--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- B SECTION 00:29-00:43 Thurston: "amazing grazing.." "flies are flaring..." B-----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--- E-----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#---10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10----5-5-5-7--7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7--- x 2 F#---10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10----5-5-5-7--7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7--- F#--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- F#--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lee plays: "amazing grazing.." A----------------------------------------------------16----14------14----14-16--- A----------------------------------------------------16----14------14----14-16--- D---14-16-18-19-18-16---14-16-18-19-18-16---16/14-14----14------14----14--------- D-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "spastic flailing.." A----------------------------------------------------16----14------14----12-12-12--- A----------------------------------------------------16----14------14----12-12-12--- D---14-16-18-19-18-16---14-16-18-19-18-16---16/14-14----14------14-------12-12-12--- D---------------------------------------------------------------------11------------ D----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A SECTION 00:43-00:58 Lee plays: "an adrenal mental..." A---14--16-16-16-16-14---16--16-16--16-16-16-14----12--12-14--14-14-12--12-12-12---12--12-12--- A---14--16-16-16-16-14---16--16-16--16-16-16-14----12--12-14--14-14-12--12-12-12---12--12-12--- D--------------------------------------------------12--12-12--12-12-12--12-12-12---11--11-11--- D--------------------------------------------------12--12-12--12-12-12--12-12-12---11--11-11--- D---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "you gnarl..." A---14--16-16-16-16-14---16--16-16--16-16-16-14----12--12-14--14-14-12--12-12-12---12--12-12--- A---14--16-16-16-16-14---16--16-16--16-16-16-14----12--12-14--14-14-12--12-12-12---12--12-12--- D--------------------------------------------------12--12-12--12-12-12--12-12-12---12--12-12--- D--------------------------------------------------12--12-12--12-12-12--12-12-12---12--12-12--- D---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- D---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- B SECTION 00:58-01:12 Lee plays: "flesh dirt forcefield..." A---16----------16-----------16----------16-----------16---------16----------16------------ A---16----------16-----------16----------16-----------16---------16----------16------------ D---16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16--16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16--14--14-11--11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11--- D---16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16--16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16--14--14-11--11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11--- D------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ D------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "set our sights.." A---16-16-16-16-14-14-16-16-16--16-16-16-16-14-14-16-16-16---16-16-16-16--16---16-16-16-14--12-12-12--- A---16-16-16-16-14-14-16-16-16--16-16-16-16-14-14-16-16-16---16-16-16-16--16---16-16-16-14--12-12-12--- D---14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14--14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14---14-14-14-14--11---11-11-11-11--11-11-11--- D---14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14--14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14---14-14-14-14--11---11-11-11-11--11-11-11--- D------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ D------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ C SECTION 01:12-01:43 Thurston: B------------------------------------- E----------------10--10-10-10-10-10--- F#----------------9b--9--9--9--9--9r-- bend this string up and back down while picking F#------------------------------------ F#---7---7-7-7\----------------------- x 8 F#---7---7-7-7\----------------------- Lee plays: A----------------16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16--- A----------------15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15--- i don't know if this is the exact "chord"... D----------------14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14--- x 5 D----------------13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13--- D---0-0-0-0-------------------------------- D---0-0-0-0-------------------------------- Lee switches the timing of his distorted skronky chord, first playing it over Thurston's 7th fret note, then playing it over the bendy riff. Thurston plays his riff 8 times, this is how Lee alternates over it: T1 - Lee plays droning D string T2 - Lee plays skronk chord over 7th fret T3 - Lee plays skronk chord over bendy riff T4 - Lee plays droning D string T5 - Lee plays skronk chord over 7th fret T6 - Lee plays skronk chord over bendy riff T7 - Lee plays droning D string T8 - Lee plays skronk chord over 7th fret When Thurston changes riffs in section D, Lee continues this same part. D SECTION 01:44-02:12 Thurston: B------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ E------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ F#----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- F#---10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10--5--5-5-5-5-5-5-5-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7--- x 4 F#---10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10--5--5-5-5-5-5-5-5-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7--- F#---10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10--5--5-5-5-5-5-5-5-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7--- Lee plays: A----------------16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16--- A----------------15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15--- D----------------14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14--- x 5 D----------------13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13--- D---0-0-0-0-------------------------------- D---0-0-0-0-------------------------------- Over Thurston's new progression (10 / 5 / 7) Lee's timing is as follows: T1 - skronk chord halfway through 10th fret T2 - skronk chord at start of 10th fret / skronk chord over 7th fret T3 - skronk chord over 5th fret T4 - skronk chord halfway through 10th fret E SECTION 02:12-03:15 Thurston: B---------------------------------------- E---------------------------------------- F#--------------------------------------- x 19 F#---2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2--3-3-3-3--5-5-5-5--- F#---2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2--3-3-3-3--5-5-5-5--- play w/ increased intensity - he may go up an octave F#---2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2--3-3-3-3--5-5-5-5--- halfway thru, or just starts emphasizing the middle strings This is where it gets really fuzzy. Lee starts trem picking around the 18th fret on the lower strings (Ds), then locks into something like this around 2:20: A---16-16-16------ A---16-16-16------ trem pick quickly over and over D------------19--- D------------18--- D----------------- D----------------- At 2:47 things go really wild, I think there may even be an overdub or two, just playing super dissonant trem picked fuzzed out chords really high up the neck. I'll just show you what he does on the live versions, which is basically doubling Thurston's guitar... A----------------- A----------------- D---18---19--21--- trem picked heavily D----------------- D---18---19--21--- D----/----/---/--- Last updated: 10/14/22 ------------------------------------------------ THE SONIC YOUTH GUITAR/BASS TABLATURE ARCHIVE: http://www.sonicyouth.com/mustang/tab/index.html ------------------------------------------------