David Bowie by Phish guitar tab (text):

David Bowie Tab by Phish, 


#
David Bowie
Music & "lyrics" by Trey Anastasio
Transcription by Neil Berkman (berkman@cs.umass.edu)

Notation conventions:

 1
/    Strike the string and bend it at the same time by the amount shown.
     Bend the string until the note changes by the specified number of steps.
     For example, if you see this over a note on the 3rd fret of the E
     string (a G), this sounds as an A (otherwise played 2 frets higher).
     A bend of 1/2 is the same as a single fret (half step on the piano)

(10) Implied note on the indicated fret (10, in this case).  This note is not
     plucked, but usually occurs when you release a bent string but still
     let the note ring.

/S   Slide up to note

S\   Slide down from note

H    Hammer on: hit the specified fret with a finger, but don't pick.

P    Pull off: put your finger on the fret at the specified location before
     pulling off another finger from another fret.  Don't pick.

x    Mute string


I've made no attempt to indicate timing, so you'll have to listen to a
recording for that.


  B/Db Dbm7                  A    B

     H       H          S\                 H      H
E|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|-4---5----4--5---x-x-----x-2--x-4-x-x---4--5---4--5---x-x-----x-2--x-x-4-x--|
G|-4--(4)---4-(4)--x-x-----x-2--x-4-x-x---4-(4)--4-(4)--x-x-----x-2--x-x-4-x--|
D|-4---6----4--6---x-x-----x-2--x-4-x-x---4--6---4--6---x-x-----x-2--x-x-4-x--|
A|-4--(4)---4-(4)--x-x-----x-x--x-x-x-x---4-(4)--4-(4)--x-x-----x-2--x-x-4-x--|
E|----------------------9------------------------------------9----------------|
   Da- vid  Bo-wie                        Da-vid Bo-wie            *

This is played through a total of three times, then started a fourth
time.  The fourth time is the same up the the point marked with a *
and then:

     B
         /S               /S    /S
E|----------------------------------------------------|
B|-x-4----------4-5-6-7----------------------4-5-6-7--|
G|-x-4--------4--------------2-----4-------4----------|
D|-x-4------4----------------2-----4-----4------------|
A|-x-2--4-6--------------2-4---4-6---5-6--------------|
E|----------------------------------------------------|
                        (           #               )

The part within the parentheses is played a total of three times, then
started a fourth time, stopping at the point marked with a #

(Note: when you are playing the "UB40" part, this is where it stops
 paralleling the "David Bowie" part - don't worry about this until later).

Next, the first part is played through three more times, then started
a fourth time and played up to the point marked with a *, followed by
what I think Trey & co. call the first interlude:

E|---------------------------------7----------------|
B|-----------4-7-4-------------5-7---7-5------------|
G|---------6-----------4-7---6-----------6-4--------|
D|-----4-7---------7-4-----7-----------------7-4----|
A|---6-------------------------------------------7--|
E|-7------------------------------------------------|

After playing this, move the whole thing down 2 frets (so your pinkie
is on on the 5th fret) and play the same pattern.  The next time
through, again move it down 2 frets and play the same pattern, although
the fingering is a bit different since there are some open strings.
Next, move the whole thing up so that your pinkie is on the 13th fret,
then down to the 11th fret, and finally down to the 9th fret.

Next, the guitar rests for two beats while the piano plays C# then A,
then plays:

E|-------------------12--------------------|
B|-11----12-------13-------11-12-13-11-----|
G|----11----12-13-------13-------------13--|
D|-----------------------------------------|
A|-----------------------------------------|
E|-----------------------------------------|
                       (                 )

A couple of notes on this: I play the first 6 notes with my ring
finger, moving it up from the 11th to 13th frets.  Also, I cheat on
the part marked in parentheses, playing it like:

           P
E|------------------|
B|----11-13-11------|
G|-13----------13---|
D|------------------|
A|------------------|
E|------------------|

Next, this whole pattern is moved up chromatically and played starting
on the 12th fret and again at the 13th fret.  Then comes:

E|-------------------15--------------------------------------------|
B|-14----15-------16--------12-13-14-15--15-14-13-12--14-15-16-17--|
G|----14----15-16-------16-----------------------------------------|
D|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
A|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
E|-----------------------------------------------------------------|

E|-----------------------------------------------------|
B|-17-16-15-14--16-17-18-19--19-18-17-16--18-19-20-21--|
G|-----------------------------------------------------|
D|-----------------------------------------------------|
A|-----------------------------------------------------|
E|-----------------------------------------------------|

Then comes a fast descending chromatic run:

E|-20-19-18-17--19-18-17-16--18-17-16-15--|
B|----------------------------------------|
G|----------------------------------------| etc...
D|----------------------------------------|
A|----------------------------------------|
E|----------------------------------------|

And so on until:

E|-10-9-8-7-----------------------------------------------|
B|----------10-9-8-7--------------------------------------|
G|-------------------10-9-8-7-----------------------------|
D|----------------------------10-9-8-7--------------------|
A|-------------------------------------10-9-8-7-----------|
E|----------------------------------------------10-9-8-7--|

I'm not entirely sure about this last part, but it's close.

Next comes the "UB40" part, which is exactly like the "David Bowie"
part except everything is moved up 3 frets.  I put a note indicating
where the UB40 part stops paralleling the David Bowie part.  After
that point comes the _really_ weird part (the second interlude).  This
part is based on a long pattern that repeats in several positions, but
is not played all the way through in a couple of these positions:


                         /S    /S                      H
E|------------------------------------------10--------------------------|
B|-----12-----10-----9-------------------11----11-----8--9--------------|
G|---9----9------9------8--9--8--9--9-12----------12--8-(8)-8-----------|
D|-9--------9------9----9-10--9-10----------------------------11-10-11--|
A|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|----------------------------------------------------------------------|

                         P            /S     /S
E|-----8-------------------------------------------------------------|
B|-7-9---9---10----10--11-(10)--12----------------------------12-12--|
G|---------8--8----10--10--10---10---9-10---9-10--10-10-13-13--------|
D|-----------10----10--10--10---10--10-11--10-11---------------------|
A|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
               *

                    A    B
   H       H                   /S      /S
E|------------------5-5--7-7----------------|
B|-9-(10)--9-(10)---7-7--9-9----------------|
G|-9---9---9---9----7-7--9-9----------------|
D|------------------7-7--9-9-------9--------|
A|----------------------------9-11---11-13--|
E|------------------------------------------|
                 +

At this point, this whole pattern repeats with everything moved up 2
frets (so the first note played is on the 11th rather than the 9th
fret).  Then, after the last slide from the 13th to the 15th fret, the
following is played, and then held for four beats:

   Ab
E|-----|
B|-13--|
G|-13--|
D|-13--|
A|-----|
E|-----|

Next, the whole pattern is repeated 3 frets down from the original
position (so the first note played is on the 6th rather than the 9th
fret).  The pattern is started again 2 frets up from this position (so
the first note is played on the 8th fret), but stops at the point
marked with a *.  An E chord is then played and held for four beats:

   E
E|----|
B|-9--|
G|-9--|
D|-9--|
A|-7--|
E|----|


Next, the whole pattern is started again 7 frets down from the
original position (so the first note played is on the 2nd fret), until
the point marked with a +.  After that comes:

   G    A
              /S
E|-3-3--0-0--------------9------------------------------------------------|
B|-3-3--2-2---------12-9---11-10-12-9-------------------------------------|
G|-0-0--2-2---------------------------9-12-9-11----9----11----------------|
D|-0-0--2-2------2------------------------------12---11----12-9-12-11-----|
A|-2-2--0-0--2-4------------------------------------------------------12--|
E|-3-3--------------------------------------------------------------------|


E|------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|-13-10-12----10----12-9----10-9-----------------------------------|
G|----------12----11------11------9-10----9---------10--------------|
D|-------------------------------------12---10-12-9----11-9-11-8----|
A|---------------------------------------------------------------9--|
E|------------------------------------------------------------------|


E|-----------------------------------------------12--|
B|-11----10------7-8--9-10-11-12-13-14-15-16-17--12--|
G|----12-----7---7-8--9-10-11-12-13-14-15-16-17--12--|
D|-------------8-8-9-10-11-12-13-14-15-16-17-18--14--|
A|---------------------------------------------------|
E|---------------------------------------------------|

Next comes the jam, which is pretty much Em to D.  Towards the end, it
starts alternating the Em to D part with a C to D to Em part:

C D Em Em C D Em Em  Em D Em D Em D Em D

I'm not sure how Phish decides when to kick into this part - when my
old band played it, the bass player would just scream when he thought
the time was right.  Anyway, after alternating these parts a few
times, Trey plays a pull-off pattern outlining the C, D, and Em
chords:

     C           D           Em          C           D           Em
   Repeat 4x   Repeat 4x   Repeat 8x   Repeat 4x   Repeat 4x   Repeat 8x
     P           P           P           P           P           P
E|-15-12-------17-14-------19-15-------15-12-------17-14-------19-15-----|
A|-------13----------15----------17----------13----------15----------17--|
G|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
                                                              *

This goes back and forth between this pattern and the Em to D part a
few times, and then when Trey decides to end the jam, he plays the
pull-off pattern up until the point marked with a *, and then plays
four whole-step bends at the 22nd fret (so he's bending D up to E).
And finally:

       -Repeat 4x-
   Em         A  B
E|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|------x-x-x-2--4--4--5--4--5-------------------------------------------|
G|-0----x-x-x-2--4--4-(4)-4-(4)------------------------------------------|
D|-2----x-x-x-2--4--4--6--4--6-------------------------------------------|
A|-2----------------4-(4)-4-(4)------------------------------------------|
E|-0---------------------------------------------------------------------|
         drum    *
         fill

The fourth time the B chord marked with a * is played, I think Trey
toggles his pickup selector switch.

That's about it, I'd appreciate any comments or corrections.

Neil
berkman@cs.umass.edu