Helter Skelter

 

#----------------------------------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: hertzberg@netcad.enet.dec.com (Marc Hertzberg
Subject: TAB: Helter Skelter by The Beatles


Helter Skelter
(Lennon/McCartney)

Intro:

-|-----0--(repeat)--------------------------------------------------
-|--12\3--(repeat)--------------------------------------------------
-|------------------------------------------------------------------
-|------------------------------------------------------------------
-|------------------------------------------------------------------
-|------------------------------------------------------------------
When I get to the bottom I go back to the top of the

-|-----0--(repeat)--------------------------------------------------
-|-----2--(repeat)--------------------------------------------------
-|------------------------------------------------------------------
-|------------------------------------------------------------------
-|------------------------------------------------------------------
-|------------------------------------------------------------------
slide, where I stop and I turn and I go for a

G
-|-----0--(repeat)--------------------------------------------------
-|-----1--(repeat)--------------------------------------------------
-|------------------------------------------------------------------
-|------------------------------------------------------------------
-|------------------------------------------------5--5--6--6--------
-|------------------------------------------------3--3--3--3--------
ride, till I get to the bottom and I see you again.

E
-|------------------------------------------------------------------
-|------------------------------------------------------------------
-|------------------------------------------------------------------
-|------------------------------------------------------------------
-|--5--5--6---------6------2--2--2--2--3\2--2--2--2-----------------
-|--3--3--3---------3------0--0--0--0--1\0--0--0--0-----------------
Yeah yeah yeah!


Verse:

E
Well do you don't you want me to make you

I'm coming down fast but don't let me break you
G
Tell me tell me tell me come on tell me the answer
A E
Well you may be a lover but you ain't no dancer.



Chorus:
A
-|------------------------------------------------------------------
-|------------------------------------------------------------------
-|------------------------------------------------------------------
-|----------2---2---4---4--5--4--2----------------------------------
-|----------0---0---0---0-----------5--4--2--0----------------------
-|------------------------------------------------------------------
Well, Helter Skelter
E
-|------------------------------------------------------------------
-|------------------------------------------------------------------
-|------------------------------------------------------------------
-|------------------------------------------------------------------
-|---2---2---4---4--5--4--2-----------------------------------------
-|---0---0---0---0-----------5--4--2--0-----------------------------
Helter skelter
A E
-|------------------------------------------------------------------
-|--------------------------------------------5b(7)--3--5-----------
-|------------------------------------------------------------------
-|---2---2---4---4--5--4--2-----------------------------------------
-|---0---0---0---0-----------5--4--2--0-----------------------------
-|------------------------------------------------------------------
Helter skelter Yeah

So much for verses and choruses. The rest are pretty much the same,
except that the rest of the verses hit the G chord a little sooner
(at the beginning of the third line of the verse).

Here's the guitar solo in the middle:

E A E
-|----------------------7--7--15b(17)--15b(17)--b(17)15-------------
-|----------------------0--0----------------------------------------
-|----------------------9--9----------------------------------------
-|------------------------------------------------------------------
-|------------------------------------------------------------------
-|------------------------------------------------------------------
'Cos here she comes
A E
-|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
-|--b(17)15b(17)15---------------13b(14)------------------b(17)15-----------
-|------------------b(14)12---------------b(14)12b(14)12-----------12-------
-|---------------------------14----------------------------------------14~--
-|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
-|--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Later, there's a neat riff in one of the last verses. I think it
comes right after "will you won't you want me to make you" or something
like that. This is a cool riff with that looonnnng slide.

-|--12--15b(17)--b(17)15--12------12----------------------------------------
-|----------------------------15------15\10-----10b(12)--b(12)10--8---------
-|-------------------------------------------9-----------------------7--9---
-|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
-|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
-|--------------------------------------------------------------------------



As the song fades into the first ending, there are some nice bend releases,
while the lyrics repeat "coming down fast":

-|--b(17)15------------------------------------------------------------
-|-----------b(17)15---------------------------------------------------
-|--------------------b(16)14------------------------------------------
-|-----------------------------b(14)12---------------------------------
-|--------------------------------------b(14)12------------------------
-|---------------------------------------------------------------------

Later, there's a whole lot of Hendrix-like guitar noise.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tab Special Notations:
----0---- play the open string ('fret zero')
----5---- play fret five
----5~--- play fret five with vibrato
---5/7--- play fret five, slide up to fret seven
---7\5--- play fret seven, slide down to fret five
--7\5/7-- play fret seven, slide down to fret five, slide back up
--8b(9)-- play fret eight, bend the string (at fret eight) to reach
the pitch of fret nine
--b(9)8-- play fret eight already bent to the pitch of fret nine,
unbending until it reaches the normal pitch of fret eight
----h7--- hammer-on to fret seven
----p5--- pull-off to fret five
---/7---- slide up to fret 7 (the starting fret of the slide is
undefined, judge by ear)
---15\--- play fret 15, slide down (the ending fret of the slide is
undefined, judge by ear)
---0h3--- play the open string and immediately hammer-on to fret
three
---7p5--- play fret seven and immediately pull-off to fret five