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5150 - Van Halen
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Transcribed by Paul D.
Here's the signature riff of the song (play it FAST!):
E-|-----------------|-----------------|-4---------------|---------4---------|
B-|-7---5---5-7-----|-7-----5---7-----|-5-5-------------|---------5---------|
G-|-7---7---7-7-----|-7-----7---7-----|---4-4-------4---|-4-4-4-----4-------|
D-|-7-7---7-----7-7-|---7-7---7---7-6-|-----6-6-----4---|-4-4-6-------6-----|
A-|-----------------|-----------------|-------7-7-7---7-|-------7-------7\5-|
D-|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-------------------|
E-|-2---------------|-----------------|-----------------|---------------2-2/|
B-|-3---------------|---------3-------|-3p2-----------3-|-3-2-2-----2-2-3-3/|
G-|---2---------2---|-2-2-------2-----|----------2----2-|-2-2-2-----2-2-2-2/|
D-|-----4-4-----2---|-2-4---------4---|------2-----2--4-|-4-2-2-2-2-2-2-0-0-|
A-|-------5-5-5---5-|------5--------5-|-----------------|---0-0-2-2-0-0-0-0-|
D-|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-------2-2-----0-0-|
Repeat 3x; then...
E-|-10--10--9--9--7--7--9--9--10--10\||
B-|-10--10-10-10--9--9-10-10--10--10\||
G-|----------------------------------||
D-|----------------------------------||
A-|----------------------------------||
D-|----------------------------------||
Okay, this next part you repeat twice. One time with the first ending
that I've tabbed out (marked between the 1>>>> and <<<<1), and again but
replacing the first ending with the second (2>>>> to <<<<2). This is also
the part played behind the chorus ("Always one more; you're never
satisfied..."):
E-|-2------|-------2-2-----4-|-4-----------|-------4-4-----2-|-2--------------|
B-|-3------|-------3-3-----5-|-5-----------|-------5-5-----3-|-3--------------|
G-|-2------|-------2-2-----4-|-4-----------|-------4-4-----2-|-2--------------|
D-|-0------|-------0-0-------|-------------|-------6-6-----4-|-4--------------|
A-|-0--0-0-|-0-0-0-----0-0---|----0--0-0-0-|-0-0-0-----0-0---|-----0--0-0-0---|
D-|-0------|-----------------|-------------|-----------------|----------------|
E-|-(2)---------------||
B-|-(3)-------3-------||
G-|-(2)---------4-----||
D-|-(4)----/5-----5---||
A-|--0-0-0--0-------5-||
D-|-------------------||
1>>>> <<<<1
E-||------------10-10--9--9--7--7--9--9-10-10||
B-||3p2------2/-10-10-10-10--9--9-10-10-10-10||
G-||----2----2/------------------------------||
D-||------2----------------------------------||
A-||-----------------------------------------||
D-||-----------------------------------------||
[ Tab from: https://www.guitartabs.cc/tabs/v/van_halen/5150_tab_ver_2.html ]
2>>>> <<<<2
E-|-------------2|2-0-0-0-0--2-2--------|---------------|----|-----------||
B-|-3p2---------3|3-2-2-0-0--3-3------10|10-9-10-10\-2-2|----|-----------||
G-|-----2-2--2--2|2-2-2-1-1--2-2------11|11-9-11-11\-2-2|---2|-----------||
D-|-------2--2--4|4-2-2-2-2--0-0------12|12-9-12-12\-2-2|---2|-----------||
A-|-------0--0---|--0-0-2-2--0-0--0-0---|------------0-0|---0|-----5---3-||
D-|--------------|------0-0--0-0--0-0---|---------------|----|--/7---7---||
This next bit is played behind the verses. It's basically just crunching
out a D power chord with the low D thrown in. Eddie does a little bit of
extra stuff (which I tabbed out here) but you really don't need it unless
you're really anal and want to be exact...
E-|--------------|-----------------|-------------|---------------||
B-|--------------|-----------------|-------------|---------------||
G-|--------7-----|-7---------------|-----------0-|-0-------------||
D-|--------7-----|-7---------------|--0--------5-|---------------||
A-|--------5-----|-5------5p3p0----|-----0-5p3---|---0-5~~-0-3~~-||
D-|-0--0-0---0-0-|----0-0-------4b-|-------------|---------------||
E-|-----------||
B-|-----------||
G-|-----------||
D-|-----------||(repeat throughout verses)
A-|----5----3-||
D-|-/7----7---||
Here's what I guess you'd call the "pre-chorus" ("Still we try; win or lose;
take the highs; with the blues..."). Play it twice through, only the second
time, leave out the first measure (A-2-3-2-3-2-3/5). Then rake your pick
down the low strings before you go into the next riff.
E-|---------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------0--------|
B-|---------------|-------------2---|-3-------2-5-----|-5p3---3---2--3--------|
G-|---------------|-------2-4-2---2-|-------2-----2-0-|-2-----2---2--2--------|
D-|---------------|-----2-----------|-----2-------0-0-|-0---0---0----0--------|
A-|-2-3-2-3-2-3/5-|-0-0-------------|---0-------------|-----------------------|
D-|---------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------------|
E-|-0--------------||
B-|-3------3-3-----||
G-|-2------2-2-----||
D-|-0------0-0-----||
A-|----------------||
D-|----5-5-----5-5-||
This next part is (in my opinion) the coolest riff in the song. This is
just a fill-in between the pre-chorus (above) and the chorus (WAY above).
Play this one time through then go to the chorus riff (tabbed above).
E-|----------------|------------------|------------|-----------------|
B-|----------------|------------------|------------|-----------------|
G-|----------------|------------------|------------|-----6---------7-|
D-|-------2-5~~----|---5-4~~------7\6-|-----3-7----|---7-----5---7---|
A-|-2-2-2----------|-5--------5-5-----|---3--------|-7-----3---5-----|
D-|-2-2-2--------5-|------------------|-3--------7-|-----------------|
E-|0~~~~---|--9--9--7--7--9--9--10--10\||
B-|--10~~--|-10-10--9--9-10-10--10--10\||
G-|-----11~|---------------------------||
D-|--------|---------------------------||
A-|--------|---------------------------||
D-|--------|---------------------------||
That's it. Just arrange those basic riffs in order by listening to the song
and you'll have the main structure (sans solo). The solo is more than I'm
willing to attempt to play OR tab.
Corrections/augmentations/comments welcome...
Good luck!
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