Frank Zappa – Fifty Fifty (Bass Tab)

Versions (2)

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[Intro] Some of these notes are played very quickly, mostly the chromatic runs.

G|------------------------------7-6-5---------------------------------------------|
D|---------------------7-6-5----------7-5-----------------------------7-6-5-------|
A|--5--5-------3--5------------------------7--5--3-------------3-5-----------7----|
E|----------5-----------------------------------------0--1--/3--------------------|

G|-----------------------------------------|
D|-----------------------------------------|
A|----------7-6-5-0----------------2--3----|
E|--5-4-3-0---------5~-5--5--5--5----------|

[Verse 1]

G|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|-----------------3b--------------------------------3b-------------------|
A|--5--5-3-5-5-3-5----5--5-5-5-----5--5--5-3-5-5-3-5----5--5-5-5-----5----|
E|-----------------------------3-5-------------------------------3-5------|

G|--------------------------------------------------------------13-12-10\----|
D|-----------------3b--------------------------------7-6-5-------------------|
A|--5--5-3-5-5-3-5----5--5-3-5-------5--5--5-(3)-5-5-------5--5--------------|
E|-----------------------------0-3-5-----------------------------------------|

G|----------------------------------------6-6-6-5---------8--8-8---------------------------|
D|--------------------3b---------------------------6-4------------8-8-----------------5----|
A|--5--5--3-5--5-3--5-----5--5--3-5--6------------------6--------------7\-----------3------|
E|---------------------------------------------------------------------------1----1--------|

[Chorus]

G|---------------------------------------8--8------------------------|
D|------------1b---1b---1b-------------------------------------------|
A|--3--3-1-3-----3----3----1h3------6------------7--7--7--7--7--7----|
E|-------------------------------------------------------------------|

G|-/11-9----------------------9---6-------------|
D|-------11-9-7-8-9-9---7-8-9---9---9-8-7-------|
A|--------------------7-------------------7\----|
E|----------------------------------------------|

[Verse 2]

G|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|-----------------3b--------------------------------3b-------------------|
A|--5--5-3-5-5-3-5----5--5-5-5-----5--5--5-3-5-5-3-5----5--5-5-5-----5----|
E|-----------------------------3-5-------------------------------3-5------|

G|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|-----------------3b--------------------------------3b----------7-6-5----|
A|--5--5-3-5-5-3-5----5--5-5-5-----5--5--5-3-5-5-3-5----5--5-5-5----------|
E|-----------------------------3-5----------------------------------------|

G|----------------------------------------6-6-6-5---------8--8-8---------------------------|
D|--------------------3b---------------------------6-4------------8-8-----------------5----|
A|--5--5--3-5--5-3--5-----5--5--3-5--6------------------6--------------7\-----------3------|
E|---------------------------------------------------------------------------1----1--------|

[Chorus]

G|---------------------------------------8--8------------------------|
D|------------1b---1b---1b-------------------------------------------|
A|--3--3-1-3-----3----3----1h3------6------------7--7--7--7--7--7----|
E|-------------------------------------------------------------------|

G|-/11-9----------------------9---6-------------|
D|-------11-9-7-8-9-9---7-8-9---9---9-8-7-------|
A|--------------------7-------------------7\----|
E|----------------------------------------------|

[Keyboard/Violin/Guitar Solo] The bass plays a bar of C mixolydian followed by a bar of D flat mixolydian 4 times, then switching to A flat mixolydian follows by C flat mixolydian 3 times, with a final bar of E flat. This is a 32 bar pattern which the bassline is based around. Visualised, the basic pattern with the roots is as follows:

G|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|
D|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|
A|--3--3---|--4--4---|--3--3---|--4--4---|--3--3---|--4--4---|--3--3---|--4--4---|
E|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|

G|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|
D|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|---------|
A|---------|--2--2---|---------|--2--2---|---------|--2--2---|---------|--6--6---|
E|--4--4---|---------|--4--4---|---------|--4--4---|---------|--4--4---|---------|

C mixolydian

G|--------------3-5----|
D|--------3-5-7--------|
A|--3-5-7--------------|
E|---------------------|

D flat mixolydian

G|---------------4-6----|
D|--------4-6-8---------|
A|--4-6-8---------------|
E|----------------------|

A flat mixolydian

G|---------------------|
D|--------------4-6----|
A|--------4-6-8--------|
E|--4-6-8--------------|

C flat (b) mixolydian

G|--------------2-4----|
D|--------2-4-6--------|
A|--2-4-6--------------|
E|---------------------|

Improvise using these under the solos, if you don't know what to do, just play the roots as shown above. This pattern is played twice for each instrument, so 6 repetitions total. [Verse 3]

G|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|-----------------3b--------------------------------3b-------------------|
A|--5--5-3-5-5-3-5----5--5-5-5-----5--5--5-3-5-5-3-5----5--5-5-5-----5----|
E|-----------------------------3-5-------------------------------3-5------|

G|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|-----------------3b--------------------------------3b-------------------|
A|--5--5-3-5-5-3-5----5--5-5-5-----5--5--5-3-5-5-3-5----5--5-5-5-----5----|
E|-----------------------------3-5-------------------------------3-5------|

G|----------------------------------------6-6-6-5---------8--8-8---------------------------|
D|--------------------3b---------------------------6-4------------8-8-----------------5----|
A|--5--5--3-5--5-3--5-----5--5--3-5--6------------------6--------------7\-----------3------|
E|---------------------------------------------------------------------------1----1--------|

[Chorus]

G|---------------------------------------8--8------------------------|
D|------------1b---1b---1b-------------------------------------------|
A|--3--3-1-3-----3----3----1h3------6------------7--7--7--7--7--7----|
E|-------------------------------------------------------------------|

G|-/11-9-/13-11-/9---------9---------------------|
D|-----------------11-9-11---11-9--------9-------|
A|--------------------------------11-11b---7\----|
E|-----------------------------------------------|

[Verse 4]

G|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|-----------------3b--------------------------------3b-------------------|
A|--5--5-3-5-5-3-5----5--5-5-5-----5--5--5-3-5-5-3-5----5--5-5-5-----5----|
E|-----------------------------3-5-------------------------------3-5------|

G|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|-----------------3b--------------------------------3b-------------------|
A|--5--5-3-5-5-3-5----5--5-5-5-----5--5--5-3-5-5-3-5----5--5-5-5-----5----|
E|-----------------------------3-5-------------------------------3-5------|

G|----------------------------------------6-6-6-5---------8--8-8---------------------------|
D|--------------------3b---------------------------6-4------------8-8-----------------5----|
A|--5--5--3-5--5-3--5-----5--5--3-5--6------------------6--------------7\-----------3------|
E|---------------------------------------------------------------------------1----1--------|

[Instrumental Chorus]

G|---------------------------------------8--8-------------------------|
D|------------1b---1b---1b--------------------------------------------|
A|--3--3-1-3-----3----3----1h3------6------------7--7--7--7--7--7~----|
E|--------------------------------------------------------------------|