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Red Hot Chili Peppers By the Way Tab bass

My version of the bass track from the 2002 hit by the RHCP.
As a bonus, I also added my version of Flea’s solo that follows on“Live in Hyde Park”.
(Original header)
#----------------------------------PLEASE NOTE---------------------------------#
#This file is the author’s own work and represents their interpretation of the #
#song.   You may only use this file for private study, scholarship, or research.#
#------------------------------------------------------------------------------#
From: HADDADI Fabien, FRANCE
Date: Wed, 8 Aug 2002
[Bass Tablature]
By the Way
[Warner Bros]
Bass : Flea (Michael Balzary)
Drums: Chad Smith
Guitars: John Frusciante
Lyrics: Anthony Kiedis
(Listen to the real thing for the exact rhythm (especially the key lengths)! ;-)

Symbols : 3h5: 3rd hammer on to 5th
	 7/15: slide from 7 up to 15
          n\m: slide from the n-th fret down to the m-th
Warning: Flea uses a D-drop tuning, A D & G remain unchanged.
Hint: to tune the E string down to D in a couple of seconds,
      use the harmonics on the 7th fret on E and on the 12th fret on A!

beat=118 (Moderate Rock)

INTRO (play 4 times), clean
bass+lead guitar, vocals start on 2nd time, drums on 3rd


G  ||--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
D 4||15--15--15--15--15--15--15--15--|14--14--14--14--14--14--14--14\-|
A 4||15--15--15--15--15--15--15--15--|15--15--15--15--15--15--15--15--|
D  ||--------------------------------|--------------------------------|

    |--------------------------------|--------------------------------||
    |7---7---7---7---7---7---7---7---|7---7---7---7---7---7---7---7/--||
    |0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---|0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---||
    |--------------------------------|--------------------------------||


VERSES (play 4 times), slight overdrive, tonality Dm
   ||--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
   ||------------3-------------------|----3---------------------------|
   ||5---5---3h5---5-3h5-5-3h5-------|3h5-----5---3h5-5---------------|
   ||--------------------------0---0-|--------------------3---0---0---|

   ||--------------------------------|--------------------------------||
   ||------------3-------------------|--------------------------------||
   ||5---5---3h5---5-3h5-5-3h5-------|3h5-5---5-5----------/6-6-6-6\--||
   ||--------------------------0---0-|--------------------------------||


HALF CHORUS (1 time) (tonality F Maj)
    |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
    |3-------3---3---3---3---3---3/--|10------10--10--10--10--10--10--|
    |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
    |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|

    |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
    |12------12------12-12-12-12-12--|12---12---12---12-12-10--5------|
    |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
    |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|

    |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
    |3-------3---3---3---3---3---3/--|10------10--10--10--10--10--10\-|
    |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
    |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|

    |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
    |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
    |0-------0---0---0---0---0---0---|-----1---1----------1---1-------|
    |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|


then:
- VERSES x 4, lyrics restart at 3rd
- INTRO x 4 for INTERLUDE (no drums at 1st and 2nd)
- VERSE x 3 as a bridge to OUTRO


OUTRO:
- CHORUS x 2 with these variations:
   ||--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
   ||3-------3---3---3---3---3---3/--|10-----10-10-10-10-9-10-9-10-11-|
   ||--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
   ||--------------------------------|--------------------------------|

    |--------------------------------|--------------------------------||
    |12------12------12-12-12-12-12--|10------8-------7-------5-------||
    |--------------------------------|--------------------------------||
    |--------------------------------|--------------------------------||

    and (next time)

    |--------------------------------|--------------------------------||
    |12------12------12-12-12-12-12--|12------12------12------12/14\--||
    |--------------------------------|--------------------------------||
    |--------------------------------|--------------------------------||

Lyrics & a bassless rhythm section ends the song.


 Bonus  Flea’s solo that follows, on“Live in Hyde Park” album (2004, Warner Bros).
(Timing not to scale)

G   |-------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------|
D 4 |5------------------------------------------------|3------------------------------------------------|
A 4 |------------------8-----8------------------------|------------------3-----3------------------------|
D   |-------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------|

    |-------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------17-17-14-|
    |5------------------------------------------------|3------------------------------------------------|
    |------------------8-----8------------------------|------------------3-----3------------------------|
    |-------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------|

    |12----------------------------------------12-12--h14------12--12--------------------------12-12h14--
    |-h15h12----h12----------------15h12-15h12-------------------15--15------------15h12-15h12-----------
    |------h15----------------------------------------------------------15-------------------------------
    |----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    ---12-12-12h14-14h15-15h17-17-17-17---------------|------14--h12--14--h12--------h12-----------------
    --------------------------------------------------|-------------------------h15----h15---14--h15---14
    --------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------
    --------------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------

    ---------------------------------------------12----------------------------------------12------------
    ---15g14--15g14--15/17-----12-h15--12-14/15-----------------12--h14--15----14----15------------------
    --------15-----15-------------------------------12------15-------------------------------------------
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    ---------------------------------------------------------12---14---14---14---14-14-/---17-17-17\----|
    ----------15-14--12-------12----12-------------15---14-15-------------------------------------------|
    ---------------------15---------------15--12-15-----------------------------------------------------|
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

   ||-------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------|
   ||-------------------------------------------------|3------------3------3--3--g3------------3--h2----|
   ||5-----g5-----5------5--5--g5---------------------|------------------------------3---3--------------|
   ||-----------------------------8---8---8\----------|-------------------------------------------------|

    |-------------------------------------------------|------------------h2h3h5------------------------||
    |-------------------------------------------------|3----------------3------------------3-------3---||
    |5-----g5-----5------5--5--g5---------------------|------------------------------3---------g3------||
    |-----------------------------8---8---8\----------|------------------------------------------------||


LYRICS:

Standing in line
To see the show tonight
And there’s a light on
Heavy glow
By the way I tried to say
I’d be there, waiting for
Dani the girl
Is singing songs to me
Beneath the marquee, overload
Steak knife
Caro shark
Con job
Boot cut
Skin that flick
She’s such a little DJ
Get there quick
By street but not the freeway
Turn that trick
To make a little leeway
Beat that nic
But not the way that we play
Dog town
Blood bath
Rib cage
Soft tail
1st half CHORUS
Black Jack
Dope dick
Pawn shop
Quick pick
Kiss that dyke
I know you want to hold one
Not on strike
But I’m about to bowl one
Bite that mic
I know you never stole one
Girls that like
A story so I told one
Song bird
Main line
Cash back
Hard top
CH0RUS
(900 views)
created 20 August 2011
revised 10 February 2017 by
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