Chris Cornell – Spoon Man (Guitar Tab)
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Spoon Man was written and recorded by Chris Cornell during the Poncier demo sessions in 1992, originally
intended for the Singles movie OST. The song was finally released in 2014 on the Deluxe and Super Deluxe
editions of Soundgarden's 20th anniversary re-issue of 1994's Superunknown. It had been re-worked and
re-named as Spoonman by the band for said album. This demo only made it to the Singles OST once it was
One of the biggest differences to Soundgarden's eventual studio version is the tuning. While the former
is in Drop D (DADGbe), this demo is a semitone higher in Drop D# (D# A# D# G# C F). To play along, we
should tune our low E string a half step down and all other strings a half step up. If you don't want to
tune up, you could alternatively stay in drop D tuning and instead place a capo in front of the first fret.
There are two electric guitars playing, at minimum. There's also a bass and various percussion, mostly
a cowbell and glasses. The bridge segments will differ from the studio version and Kim's guitar solo of
course was not yet written. The prominent bridge section were only the bass is playing, is something I
have transposed to the guitar as well.
As far as the time signature of the intro and verses is concerned, I count it as two bars of 7/4.
You may also count it as two alternating measures of 4/4 and 3/4, or as three bars of 4/4 followed
by one measure of 2/4. The rest of the song could be counted in 4/4 or 2/4.
See my video lesson: https://youtu.be/wNxxfIhcxE0
[0:01 INTRO]
C#5 D#5 A#5 G#5 F#5 D#5 f |---------------------------------------------------------------| c |---------------------------------------------------------------| G#|---------------------------------------------------------------| D#|---------------------------------------------------------------| mute strings after bar A#|-x-x--10h12--12-12-12--x--10h12--7--5h7--3--0--3h5--5-5--0-0-0-| D#|-x-x--10h12--12-12-12--x--10h12--7--5h7--3--0--3h5--5-5--0-0-0-| f |----------------------------------------------------------| | c |----------------------------------------------------------| | G#|----------------------------------------------------------| | D#|----------------------------------------------------------| x3 | mute strings after bars A#|-10h12--12-12-12--x--10h12--7--5h7--3--0--3h5--5-5--0-0-0-| | D#|-10h12--12-12-12--x--10h12--7--5h7--3--0--3h5--5-5--0-0-0-| |
[0:19 VERSE]
f |------------------------------| c |------------------------------| G#|------------------------------| D#|------------------------------| let final chord ring out A#|-10h12--12-12-12--x--10h12--5-| D#|-10h12--12-12-12--x--10h12--5-| f |-------------------------------------------------------------| c |-------------------------------------------------------------| G#|-------------------------------------------------------------| D#|-------------------------------------------------------------| mute strings after bar A#|----10h12--12-12-12--x--10h12--7--5h7--3--0--3h5--5-5--0-0-0-| D#|-10-10h12--12-12-12--x--10h12--7--5h7--3--0--3h5--5-5--0-0-0-| f |------------------------------| c |------------------------------| G#|------------------------------| D#|------------------------------| let final chord ring out A#|-10h12--12-12-12--x--10h12--5-| D#|-10h12--12-12-12--x--10h12--5-| f |------------------------------------------------------------| c |------------------------------------------------------------| G#|------------------------------------------------------------| D#|------------------------------------------------------------| mute strings after bar A#|---10h12--12-12-12--x--10h12--7--5h7--3--0--3h5--5-5--0-0-0-| D#|-5/10h12--12-12-12--x--10h12--7--5h7--3--0--3h5--5-5--0-0-0-|
[0:43 CHORUS]
f |------------------------------| | c |------------------------------| | G#|------------------------------| x4 | D#|--------------------5p3-------| | A#|------------------------5p3p0-| | D#|-5p3-5p3-5p3p0--5p3-----------| |
[0:54 INTRO]
f |----------------------------------------------------------| | c |----------------------------------------------------------| | G#|----------------------------------------------------------| | mute strings after bars D#|----------------------------------------------------------| x2 | A#|-10h12--12-12-12--x--10h12--7--5h7--3--0--3h5--5-5--0-0-0-| | D#|-10h12--12-12-12--x--10h12--7--5h7--3--0--3h5--5-5--0-0-0-| |
[01:03 VERSE]
f |------------------------------| c |------------------------------| G#|------------------------------| D#|------------------------------| let final chord ring out A#|-10h12--12-12-12--x--10h12--5-| D#|-10h12--12-12-12--x--10h12--5-| f |---------------------------------------------------------------| c |---------------------------------------------------------------| G#|---------------------------------------------------------------| D#|---------------------------------------------------------------| mute strings after bar A#|------10h12--12-12-12--x--10h12--7--5h7--3--0--3h5--5-5--0-0-0-| D#|-10-x-10h12--12-12-12--x--10h12--7--5h7--3--0--3h5--5-5--0-0-0-| f |------------------------------| c |------------------------------| G#|------------------------------| D#|------------------------------| let final chord ring out A#|-10h12--12-12-12--x--10h12--5-| D#|-10h12--12-12-12--x--10h12--5-| f |------------------------------------------------------------| c |------------------------------------------------------------| G#|------------------------------------------------------------| D#|------------------------------------------------------------| mute strings after bar A#|---10h12--12-12-12--x--10h12--7--5h7--3--0--3h5--5-5--0-0-0-| D#|-7/10h12--12-12-12--x--10h12--7--5h7--3--0--3h5--5-5--0-0-0-|
[1:27 CHORUS]
f |-------------------------------| |-----------------------------| | c |-------------------------------| |-----------------------------| | G#|-------------------------------| x1 |-----------------------------| x3 | D#|---------------------5p3-------| |------------------5p3--------| | A#|-------------------------5p3p0-| |-----------------------5p3p0-| | D#|-3-5p3-5p3-5p3p0--5p3----------| |-5p3-5p3-5p3p0--5p3----------| |
[1:38 INTRO]
f |----------------------------------------------------------| | c |----------------------------------------------------------| | G#|----------------------------------------------------------| | D#|----------------------------------------------------------| x2 | mute strings after bars A#|-10h12--12-12-12--x--10h12--7--5h7--3--0--3h5--5-5--0-0-0-| | D#|-10h12--12-12-12--x--10h12--7--5h7--3--0--3h5--5-5--0-0-0-| |
[1:47 1ST BRIDGE, rhythm played only by bass, transposed to guitar]
f |--------------------------------| | c |--------------------------------| | G#|--------------------------------| x4 | D#|----------------5p3-------------| | A#|-5p3-5p3-5p3p0-------5p3--------| | D#|--------------------------5p3p0-| |
[1:47 rhythm played only by bass, transposed to guitar]
f |------------------------| c |------------------------| G#|------------------------| D#|------------------------| A#|-5p3-5p3-5p3p0----------| D#|----------------3-----3-|
[1:59 lead played by guitar]
f |----------------------------| c |-------10-------------------| G#|-------12b--10h12-----------| D#|-10h12------------10h12-----| A#|------------------------10v-| D#|----------------------------|
[2:01 rhythm played only by bass, transposed to guitar]
f |------------------| |-------| c |------------------| |-------| G#|------------------| |-------| D#|------------------| |-------| A#|-5p3-5p3-5p3p0----| |-------| D#|----------------5-| |-10-10-|
[2:02 lead played by guitar]
f |------------------------10----------| c |------------------10h13-13b-r-b---\-| G#|-------12b--10h12-------------------| D#|-10h12------------------------------| A#|------------------------------------| mute strings after bar D#|------------------------------------|
[2:04 INTRO]
f |---------------------------------------------------------------| c |---------------------------------------------------------------| G#|---------------------------------------------------------------| D#|---------------------------------------------------------------| mute strings after bar A#|-x-x--10h12--12-12-12--x--10h12--7--5h7--3--0--3h5--5-5--0-0-0-| D#|-x-x--10h12--12-12-12--x--10h12--7--5h7--3--0--3h5--5-5--0-0-0-| f |----------------------------------------------------------| c |----------------------------------------------------------| G#|----------------------------------------------------------| D#|----------------------------------------------------------| mute strings after bar A#|-10h12--12-12-12--x--10h12--7--5h7--3--0--3h5--5-5--0-0-0-| D#|-10h12--12-12-12--x--10h12--7--5h7--3--0--3h5--5-5--0-0-0-|
[2:14 2ND BRIDGE, only played by percussion]
[2:35 guitar joins]
f |--------------------------------| | c |--------------------------------| | G#|--------------------------------| x8 | D#|----------------5p3-------------| | A#|-5p3-5p3-5p3p0-------5p3--------| | D#|--------------------------5p3p0-| |
[2:56 CHORUS]
f |------------------------------| | c |------------------------------| | G#|------------------------------| x4 | D#|--------------------5p3-------| | A#|------------------------5p3p0-| | D#|-5p3-5p3-5p3p0--5p3-----------| |
[3:06 INTRO]
f |----------------------------------------------------------| | c |----------------------------------------------------------| | G#|----------------------------------------------------------| | D#|----------------------------------------------------------| x2 | mute strings after bars A#|-10h12--12-12-12--x--10h12--7--5h7--3--0--3h5--5-5--0-0-0-| | D#|-10h12--12-12-12--x--10h12--7--5h7--3--0--3h5--5-5--0-0-0-| |
[3:25 VERSE]
f |------------------------------| c |------------------------------| G#|------------------------------| D#|------------------------------| let final chord ring out A#|-10h12--12-12-12--x--10h12--5-| D#|-10h12--12-12-12--x--10h12--5-|
[3:30 OUTRO]
f |----------------------| c |----------------------| G#|----------------------| D#|----------------------| mute stringd after bar A#|---10h12--12-12-12--\-| D#|-7/10h12--12-12-12--\-|
Tab legend:
x muted stroke
h hammer on
p pull off
/ slide up
\ slide down
v vibrato
b bend (whole step)
r release bend (half step)