Nothing Else Matters Live by Metallica guitar tab (text):

Date: Thu, 13 Jun 2002 03:46:14 +0200
From: bernd.egl@freenet.de
Subject: m/metallica/nothing_else_matters_acoustic.tab

Metallica
"Nothing Else Matters"
(Hetfield/Ulrich/Hammet)

Tabbed by: bernd.egl@freenet.de
Questions, comments, corrections ? Mail me !

Arranged for single accoustic guitar.
I know that it's not correct in every way, but... it works :)
This is how they play it on their "Accoustic Radio Tour 1997"...
well... almost, hehehe. I also included the lyrics at the bottom, but I think 
you all know the text (you should).

p = pull off
h = hammering
~ = vibrato/hold note
x = this string is not played
() = notes in brackets are played very softly
v = downstroke
^ = upstroke

Standard Tuning (E;A;D;G;B;e)

It's easier to play this one by fingerpicking,
and it's not as difficoult as it seems.

So here we go...


Intro (clean)

e---------0-----------0-----------0-----------0-----
B-------0---0-------0---0-------0---0-------0---0---
G-----0-------0---0-------0---0-------0---0---------
D---------------------------------------------------
A---------------------------------------------------
E---0-----------0-----------0-----------0-----------


e---7-7------7p0---------7-8-7h8p7p5-7p5p0------------------
B-------0--------0-------------------------5----5-7p5~-p0---
G---------0--------0---0---------------------5--------------
D-----------------------------------------------------------
A--------------------------------------------0--------------
E-----0--------------0--------------------------------------

                                                                      
e---------0-----------------3-----p0-----------5-----p0----------12-----------
B-------5----5--5--5----5-----5-------7----7-----7------------12----(12)------
G-----5------5--5--5--5---5-----5-----7--7---7-----7-------12-----------(12)--
D-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
A---0--------0--2--3------------------5---------------------------------------
E--------------------------------------------------------0--------------------


e---------0-----------0-----------0---------------- 
B-------0---0-------0---0-------0---0--------------
G-----0-------0---0-------0---0-------0------------
D--------------------------------------------------
A--------------------------------------------------
E---0-----------0-----------0-----------0(heavy)---


Let the heavy-played ‚0' on the E-string ring and continue with this
Note that there's no break between the ‚0' and this...

e--------(0)-----------------------(0)-----------------
B---------8-------7------5----------8-------7------5---
G-------9---------7------5--------9---------7------5---
D-----9---------7------5--------9---------7------5-----
A---7---------5------3--------7---------5------3-------
E---------------------------0--------------------------

                                                                    Em
e-----------7----5--------3--------3--------2--------------0--------0---
B-----------8------7--------5--------3--------4----------0---0------0---
G---------9----------7--------5--------4--------2-(p0)-0-------0----0---
D-------9-----------------------------------------------------------2---
A-----7--------------------------3--------2-------------------------2---
E---0----------5--------3----------------------------0-----------0--0---


Wow! That's it with the intro. After a moment of silence and a stupid 
conversation, they play this...


Verse (still clean)
                   D  D  D  C
e-------------3p0--2--2--2--0--- R
B-----------0------3--3--3--1--- E
G---------0--------2--2--2--0--- P
D------------------0--0--0--2--- E
A------------------x--x--x--3--- A
E---3-2-0----------x--x--x--x--- T this through the whole verse.
                   v  ^  v

          So close, no matter how far...


End of verse
                     Em
e-------------0------0---
B-----------0---0----0---
G---------0-------0--0---
D--------------------2---
A--------------------2---
E---3-2-0------------0---

...else matters


After the 3rd verse, they play this

                     C  A  D  D      D D D D D D  C  A  D D
e-------------0------0--0--2--2--|---2-2-2-2-2-2--0--0--2-2---|---
B-----------0---0----1--2--3--3--|---3-3-3-3-3-3--1--2--3-3---|---
G---------0-------0--0--2--2--2--|°--2-2-2-2-2-2--0--2--2-2--°|---
D--------------------2--2--0--0--|°--0-0-0-0-0-0--2--2--0-0--°|---
A--------------------3--0--x--x--|---x-x-x-x-x-x--3--0--x-x---|---
E---3-2-0------------x--x--x--x--|---x-x-x-x-x-x--x--x--x-x---|---
                     v  v  v  ^      ^ v ^ v ^ v  v  v  v ^
...else matters                    never cared for what they...
						Repeat this, till...


    D D D D
e---2-2-2-2--2-------
B---3-3-3-3----3-----
G---2-2-2-2------2---
D---0-0-0-0----------
A---x-x-x-x----------
E---x-x-x-x----------
    ^ v ^ v
...but I know...


That's the point when James plays the small clean solo (as described beneath).
In the background Kirk plays the ‚verse'.


James' Solo (clean)

e---12-----14-----15-----17-----8-----8---------------8-------
B------12-----12-----12-----12----5-----5-------5---5---5-----
G-----------------------------------5-----5---5---5-------5---
D-------------------------------------------------------------
A-------------------------------------------0-----------------
E-------------------------------------------------------------


e---0------0----0------0----7-7~--7-7~--- (you can also play
B-----1------1----3------0---------------  --12-12~--12-12~-- here)
G-------0-----------2--------------------
D----------------------------------------
A----------------------------------------
E---------------------------------------- Play the solo 2 times.


Then they play the ‚verse' and the ‚chord thing' which they've played
after the 3rd verse.

After the verse Kirk plays in the background something like that:
(Instead of the distortion, play the chords heavy!!)

       Em Em Em Em Em Em Em D  D  D  C
e--|---0--0--0--0--0--0--0--2--2--2--0---|--
B--|---0--0--0--0--0--0--0--3--3--3--1---|--
G--|°--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--2--2--2--0--°|--
D--|°--2--2--2--2--2--2--2--0--0--0--2--°|--
A--|---2--2--2--2--2--2--2--x--x--x--3---|--
E--|---0--0--0--0--0--0--0--x--x--x--x---|--
       v  v  ^  v  ^  v  ^  v  ^  v                                        

And James plays his distorted solo.
You wonder where James' solo is ? Well, I don't know.
I couldn't figure it out (sorry). But on accoustic guitar it sounds shit 
anyway. If someone has a good interpretation of the solo,
please mail it to me!! Or you take the solo from the original version, which 
is already posted at olga.net


At the end of the song, Kirk plays (clean again):

e---------0-----------0-----------0----7-7-----7p0-----------
B-------0---0-------0---0-------0---0------0-------0---------
G-----0-------0---0-------0---0--------------0-------0---0---
D------------------------------------------------------------
A------------------------------------------------------------
E---0-----------0-----------0------------0-------------0-----



e--|--7-8-7h8p7p5-7p5-p0-0-----0-----------0-----|--
B--|-------------------------0---0-------0---0---|--
G--|°----------------------0-------0---0--------°|--
D--|°-------------------------------------------°|--
A--|---------------------------------------------|--
E--|---------------------0-----------0-----------|-- Repeat this and end on...


e---7-8-7h8p7p5-7p5-p0-0---
B--------------------------
G--------------------------
D--------------------------
A--------------------------
E--------------------------


And that's it !! Hope you enjoyed it !! I did !!


Remember that this is my interpretation of the accoustic version
of NEM. There are some differences to the original recording on the
Black Album of Metallica.
Watch out for the accoustic version, feat. Chris Isaak, Jerry Cantrell,
Les Claypool, Pepper Caynen and others... it really kicks ass!

Any response to this is welcome. Please note that this was a lot of work.

bernd.egl@freenet.de