Elvis Costello – Watching The Detectives (Bass Tab)
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WATCHING THE DETECTIVES (Bassline)
As recorded by Elvis Costello
(From the 1977 Album MY AIM IS TRUE)
Words and Music by Elvis Costello
Transcribed by Slowhand
Gtr I (E A D G) - 'Andrew Bodnar - Bass Guitar'
Intro
Q=137(8=s8)
4/4
Gtr I
W E E E E Q. E E E E E Q E E E E E E H E E E E E Q E
|----------|---2---2-2------|----------------|--------------|------------------|
|----------|----------------|---------0--2---|-3-3---3-3----|------------------|
|----------|-0------------0-|-0-0---0--------|--------------|---3-3------------|
|----------|----------------|----------------|--------------|-----------1--0---|
E E E E E E Q E E E E E E E E E E E E E E Q E E Q E E Q
|----------------|-----------------|----------------|---------------|
|----------------|-----------------|----------------|---------------|
|----------------|-----------------|----------------|---------------|
|-5-5-5---3---5--|---5-5-5-3-3-5-0-|---1-1-1-1---1--|---1-1--1-1-3--|
E E E E E E Q E E E E Q E E E E E E E Q E E E E E E E E E
|----------------|----------------|----------------|-----------------||
|----------------|----------------|----------------|-----------------||
|----------------|----------------|----------------|-----------------||
|-5-5-5---3---5--|---5-5-5-3--5-3-|-1-1-1---1-1--1-|-1-1-1---3---5---||
1st Verse
E E E E E E E E E E E E H E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E
|-----------------|--------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|--------------|---3-3-3-3---3-3-|-----------------|
|-----------------|--------------|-----------------|-3---3-----------|
|---5-5---5-0-3-5-|-5---5---5----|-----------------|---------1-1-3---|
E E Q E E E E E E E E E E Q E E Q Q E E E E E E E E E E
|----------------|----------------|---------------|-----------------|
|----------------|----------------|---------------|-3---3---3---3---|
|----------------|-------------0--|-------------3-|---3-------3-----|
|---5-5--5-0-3-3-|-5-5-5-5-3------|---1-1--1--1---|-----------------|
E E E E E E E E H H E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E
|---------2---4---|-5----2----|-----------------|-----------------||
|-----------------|-----------|-3-3-3-----------|-----------------||
|-0-0-0-0---------|-----------|---------3-3-3---|-----------------||
|-----------------|-----------|-----------------|-1-1-1---1-1-3-5-||
Chorus
E E E E E E Q E E E E E E E E Q E E E E Q Q E E E E E E
|----------------|-----------------|---------------|----------------|
|----------------|-----------------|--------0------|----------------|
|-3-----3-----3--|---3-3-------3---|---------------|----------------|
|---------3-5----|---------3-5-----|-3--3-3---0-3--|----3-3-3-0-3-0-|
Q E E E E Q E E E E E E E E Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q
|---------------|-----------------|-------------|-------------||
|---------------|-----------------|-------------|-------------||
|-3----3-----3--|---3-3---3-5-3---|-------------|----------5--||
|--------3-5----|-----------------|-3--3-----0--|----1--------||
Bridge
2/4
Q Q E E E E E E E E E E Q Q E E Q E E Q Q
|---------------|----------------|---------------|-------|
|---------------|----------------|---------------|-------|
|-----------3---|----------------|---------------|-------|
|-5-----3-5---5-|---5-5-5-3---0--|-1----1-1----1-|-1--3--|
4/4
W E E E E E E E E Q. E Q. E E E E E E E E E
|----------|-----------------|---------------|------------------||
|----------|-----------------|---------------|-----5-------5----||
|-3--------|-----3-5---3-----|-------------7-|-5-7---5---5------||
|----------|-3-5---------5---|-3----3-3------|------------------||
2nd Verse
H E E E E Q E E E E E E H E E E E E E E E E E E E
|--------------|----------------|--------------|-----------------|
|--------------|----------------|--------------|-3---3---3-------|
|--------------|----------3---3-|------------3-|---3-------------|
|-5------0-3-0-|-3--5---5-------|-1----1-------|-------------3---||-3-| |----3----|
Q E E Q E E Q Q Q H Q E E Q E E E E E E E E Q E E
|---------------|-2-2-4-5----|---------------|---------------------|
|---------------|------------|-3----3--------|---------------------|
|---------------|------------|--------3----0-|---------------------|
|-5----0-5----0-|------------|---------------|-5---3---1---1--3----|
E E E E E E Q E E Q Q E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E
|----------------|---------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|----------------|---------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|----------------|---------------|---------------0-|-3-0-------------|
|-5---5-5-3---5--|---0-0--3--5-0-|-1-1-1-1-1---1---|-----1---1---3---|
E E E E E E E E E E E E Q Q Q E E E E E E E E E E E E E E
|-----------------|---------------|----------------|-----------------|
|-----------------|---7---7-------|-3--3-3---3---3-|-----------------|
|-----------------|-7----------7--|--------3-------|-3---------------|
|---5-5-5-5---5-0-|---------5-----|----------------|---1---1-1-1-3---|
Q E E Q E E E E E E Q Q Q. E Q Q E E E E E E E E
|---------------|---------------|--------------|-----------------||
|---------------|---------------|--------------|-----------------||
|---------------|---------------|--------------|-----------------||
|-5----5-0----0-|-3-3---0-5--0--|-1----1-1-----|-1-1-1---1-1-3---||
E E Q E E E E Q E E E E E E Q E E E E E E Q. E Q Q
|----------------|----------------|----------------|--------------|
|----------------|----------------|--------0-------|--------------|
|-3----------3---|----3-------3---|----------2-----|-----------5--|
|--------3-------|--------3-5-----|-3--3-3-----3---|-3----3-3-----|
Q Q E E E E E E E E E E E E Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q
|---------------|-0---------------|-------------|-------------||
|---------------|---2-------------|-------------|----------5--||
|-3---------3---|-----3---3---5---|-------------|-------------||
|-------3-5-----|-----------------|-3--3-----0--|----1--------||
2/4
Q Q E E E E E E E E E E Q Q E E Q E E Q Q
|---------------|----------------|---------------|-------|
|---------------|----------------|---------------|-------|
|-----------3---|----------------|---------------|-------|
|-5-----3-5---5-|---5-5-5-3---0--|-1----1-1----1-|-1--3--|4/4
|-3-| |-3-|
W Q Q Q Q Q Q H.. E Q. E E E Q
|----------|-------------|-------------|----------------||
|----------|-------------|-5-----------|----------------||
|-3--------|-3-5-6-6-7-7-|-----------5-|-5--------------||
|----------|-------------|-------------|------3-3-0-3---||
3rd Verse
Q Q H Q E E H E E Q E E Q E E E E E E E E
|------------|--------------|---------------|-----------------|
|------------|--------7\----|---------------|-----------------|
|------------|--------------|---------------|-----------------|
|-5----------|------5-------|-1------1------|---1-1---1-1-3---|
|-3-| |3|
E E Q E E Q Q Q Q Q H Q Q E E E E E E E E E E E E
|---------------|-------4-5--|----------------|-----------------|
|---------------|-----7------|----------------|-----------------|
|---------------|---7--------|-8\-------------|---3-3-----------|
|-5------5------|------------|----------1-1---|-----------1-1-1-|
E E E E E E Q E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E
|----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|----------------|-----------------|---------3-0-----|-----------------|
|-5-5-5-5-3---5--|---5-5-0-3---5-0-|-1-1-1-1-----1---|-1-1-1---3-0-3---|
2/4
E E E E E E Q E E E E E E E E E E Q H W
|----------------|-----------------|-------------|------||
|----------------|---------2-------|-------------|------||
|----------------|-----------------|-------------|------||
|-5-5-5-5-3---5--|---0-3-0-----5-0-|-1-----------|------||
Outro
4/4
H Q E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E Q E E E E E E E E
|-------------|-----------------|-------------0--|---0-0------------|
|-------------|---5---5-2-------|---------0-2----|------------------|
|-3---------3-|-3---------3---3-|----------------|---------5---5----|
|-------------|-----------------|-3---3-0--------|---------------3--|
E E E E E E Q E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E
|----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
|----------------|-----------------|---------0-------|-----------------|
|-3-----3-----3--|---3-3-3-----3---|-----------2-----|-----------------|
|---------3-5----|---------3-5---5-|-3-3-3-0-----3---|-3-3-3---3-0-3-0-|
2/4
E E E E E E E E E E E E +Q E E Q E E E E E E E E E E
|-----------------|------------------|----------------|---------|
|-----------------|------------------|----------------|---------|
|-----------------|-------3-(3)------|----------------|---------|
|-5-----5-5-----0-|-3-0-3----------0-|-1----1-1---1-1-|-1---3---|
4/4
H. E E E E E E E E E E Q E E Q Q E E E E E E Q
|-------------|-----------------|--------------|-----------------|
|-------------|---5---2---------|--------------|-----------------|
|-3---------3-|-3-------3-5---2-|--------------|-----------------|
|-------------|-----------------|-3----3-3-----|-3-3---0-3-0-5---|
Q Q Q E E E E E E H H Q E E E E E E Q E E
|--------------|-2-4---5-4----|-------------|----------------|
|--------------|--------------|-3-----------|-3--------------|
|-3----------0-|--------------|-----------3-|---3---0--------|
|--------------|--------------|-------------|---------1--3---|
|-3-|
E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E E Q Q E E E E E Q
|-----------------|-----------------|----------------|------------------|
|-----------------|-----------------|----------------|------------------|
|-0---------------|-----------------|---------3-3----|------------------|
|-------0-3-x-x-0-|-5-----0-3-----0-|-1-----1--------|-1--1-1---3-------|
E E E E E E E E E E E E H E E E E Q E E E E E E Q. E
|-----------------|---------2----|----------------|----------------|
|-----------------|--------------|----------------|---------3------|
|-----------------|--------------|----------------|----------------|
|---5-5---5-0-3-0-|-5-5-5--------|---1-1---1--1-1-|-1-1-1--------1-|
|-3-|
E E E E E E E E E E E E +H Q E E Q Q Q H Q Q
|-----------------|----------------|--------------|-------------*|
|-----------------|-7---5-7-(7)----|----------0-3-|-3-------0---*|
|-----------------|---7------------|------0-3-----|------3------*|
|-5-5-5-0-3---5-0-|----------------|-1--1---------|-------------*|Duration Legend
---------------
W - whole; H - half; Q - quarter; E - 8th; S - 16th; T - 32nd; X - 64th; a - acciaccatura
+ - note tied to previous; . - note dotted; .. - note double dotted
Uncapitalized letters represent notes that are staccato (1/2 duration)
Irregular groupings are notated above the duration line
Duration letters will always appear directly above the note/fret number it represents the
duration for. Duration letters with no fret number below them represent rests. Multi-
bar rests are notated in the form Wxn, where n is the number of bars to rest for. Low
melody durations appear below the staff
Tablature Legend
----------------
h - hammer-on
p - pull-off
b - bend
pb - pre-bend
r - bend release (if no number after the r, then release immediately)
/\ - slide into or out of (from/to "nowhere")
s - legato slide
S - shift slide
- natural harmonic
[n] - artificial harmonic
n(n) - tapped harmonic
~ - vibrato
tr - trill
T - tap
TP - trem. picking
PM - palm muting
\n/ - tremolo bar dip; n = amount to dip
\n - tremolo bar down
n/ - tremolo bar up
/n\ - tremolo bar inverted dip
= - hold bend; also acts as connecting device for hammers/pulls
<> - volume swell (louder/softer)
x - on rhythm slash represents muted slash
o - on rhythm slash represents single note slash
Misc Legend
-----------
| - bar
|| - double bar
||o - repeat start
o|| - repeat end
*| - double bar (ending)
: - bar (freetime)
$ - Segno
& - Coda
Tempo markers - = BPM(8/16=s8/s16), where s8 = swing 8ths, s16 = swing 16ths