House Burning Down
by Jimi Hendrix
from the album Electric Ladyland
Tabbed by James
Legend:
^ = Hammer on or Pull off
hb = 1/2 step bend
wb = 1 step bend
db = 2 step bend
br = bend and release
bp = pre-bend
/ = Slide up
\ = Slide down
~~~ = Finger vibrato
tr''=trill until dots disappear
trem pick = tremolo pick
Tune down 1/2 step
Intro
gtr. 1
~~~~~
--------------------------------------------------------17wb-----------------
-17wb------17wb-----------17wb------------17wb---------------17hbr-14-17wb-14
----------------17hbr--14-------17hbr-14-------17hbr-14----------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
*gtr. 2
-----------------------------------------------------2--5--7trem pick-
-----------------------------------------------------2--5--7----------
-16-14-----------------------------------------------2--5--7----------
-------16-14----------16^15^14-----------------------4--7--9----------
-------------16^15^14----------16^14\12-14/16--------4--7--9----------
----------------------------------------------14-14--2--5--7----------
gtr. 1
-7/17-17wb-17-14-17db-17db-17-14-------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------17wb---14----17^14------------------14^17^14----
-------------------------------------------16-------16wbr-14---14^16----------16-
-------------------------------------------------------------16------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-17^14-14^17^14-17^14----------------------17--------------------------------
----------------------16^14^16^14-----16wb----16wb--16-14^16^14\13--14^13\11-
----------------------------------16-----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-10^12^10---------------------------------------------------------------------
----------11^14^11----11^14^11------------------------------------------------
-------------------14---------------------------------14^16-------14^16-------
--------------------------------15\14/15\14^12--14^16-------14^16-------14^16-
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
------------17-------------------------17-17-17-17-16-16-16-14-----
-------16wb----16wbr^14----14---------/18-18-18-18-16-16-16-14-----
-14^16------------------16----16-------------------------------16\-
-------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Chorus:
gtr. 2
-5-5---------------------5--5----------5---
-5-5---------------------5--5--5-------5---
---------4-4-2----------------------------- Repeat this pattern through
-4-4------------4--------4--4--4----------- chorus...
-------------------------------4-----------
------2------------2--2--2--2--2--0^2----2-
post-chorus:
gtr. 1
|-------------------------------------------------------------
|-------------------------------------------------------------
|------14^12------------------------------------------14\12---
|------------14--------12------------------12--14/16----------
|----------------12^14---------------12^14--------------------
|-------------------------------------------------------------
|
|gtr. 2
| Em7 (8th notes)
|-----------------------------------------------------------
|--8------8------8------8------8------8------8------8-------
|--7------7------7------7------7------7------7------7-------
|--9------9------9------9------9------9------9------9-etc---
|--7------7------7------7------7------7------7------7-------
|-----------------------------------------------------------
Verse
Em7
Well I asked my friend where is that black smoke comin' from,
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-8----8-----8-----8-----8-----8-----8-----8-----8-----8-----8----
-7----7-----7-----7-----7-----7-----7-----7-----7-----7-----7----
-9----9-----9-----9-----9-----9-----9-----9-----9-----9-----9----
-7----7-----7-----7-----7-----7-----7-----7-----7-----7-----7----
-----------------------------------------------------------------
he just change the subject and said uh, wa, I think it might snow some,
G#m Am G#m Am
-4--5--------5--------5--------5-------4--5--------5--------5--------5---
-4--5--------5--------5--------5-------4--5--------5--------5--------5---
-4--5--------5--------5--------5-------4--5--------5--------5--------5---
-6--7--------7--------7--------7-------6--7--------7--------7--------7---
-6--7--------7--------7--------7-------6--7--------7--------7--------7---
-4--5--------5--------5--------5-------4--5--------5--------5--------5---
so I left him sippin his tea, and I jumped in my chariot and rode off to see
Em7 G#m Am A# B
---------------------------------------------4--5-------5-------6-------7-------7-
-----8-------8-------8-------8-------8-------4--5-------5-------6-------7-------7-
-----7-------7-------7-------7-------7-------4--5-------5-------7-------8-------7-
-----9-------9-------9-------9-------9-------6--7-------7-------8-------9-------9-
-----7-------7-------7-------7-------7-------6--7-------7-------8-------9-------9-
---------------------------------------------4--5-------5-------6-------7-------7-
just why and who could it be this time
Em7 Bbm Am D#m7 Em7
--------------------6----5------------------------
-8-----8-----8------6----5--------7------7-----8--
-7-----7-----7------6----5--------6------6-----7--
-9-----9-----9------8----7--------8------8-----9--
-7-----7-----7------8----7--------6------6-----7--
--------------------6----5------------------------
Break with a riff like this :
-----------------------------------
-----------------------------------
-----------------------------------
--------12^14-12----12----12----14-
-12^14-----------14----14----14----
-----------------------------------
Verse 2: (Chords and pattern same as verse 1)
Em7
Sisters and brothers, daddys mothers standin' round cryin',
G#m Am G#m Am
when I reached the scene the flames were makin' a ghostly whine,
D#m7 Em7 G#m Am
so I stood on my horse's back, and I screamed without a crack.
A# B Em7 Am Em7
I say 'oh baby, why do you burn your brothers house down?'.
Chorus 2 : (Chord and pattern same as chorus 1)
F#m7
Look at the sky turn a hell fire red.
Somebody's house is burnin',
down, down, down, down.
Look at the sky turn a hell fire red.
Somebody's house is burnin',
down, down, down, down, down.
Solo :
~~~
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------17wb-----14-17^14-14-------------------------------------
--------14--16wb-----------------------16^14----16wb-16wb-16wb---14--------
-----16--------------------------------------16---------------------16-----
-/16-----------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------14-------14-------------17wb------14^17-----14^17-------------------
-----14^16----14^16-----------------------17-------17--------16wbr^16----14^16-
-16--------------------------16---------------------------------------16-------
--------------------------16---------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gradual bend ~~~~~
------19wb--------------17wbr-16---------------------------
-14------------------------------17-14---------------------
---------------------------------------16wbr^14----14^16---
------------------------------------------------16---------
-----------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------
Solo Break:(*= Gtr 1, #= gtr 2)
Em7
* # * #
-------------------|------------------|--------------------|-------------------
-------------------|------------------|--------------------|-------------------
----------11-12wbr-|-----------12-----|-----------11-12wbr-|-------------------
-------14----------|-----14-------14--|--------14----------|--14--14----12-----
-12-14-------------|--14----14--------|--12-14-------------|---------14----14--
-------------------|------------------|--------------------|-------------------
* # *
--------------------|-------------------|-------------------
--------------------|-------------------|-------------------
-----------11-12wbr-|-------------14wb--|----------12-14wbr-
--------14----------|---14-14-----------|-------14----------
--12-14-------------|---------14--------|-12-14-------------
--------------------|-------------------|-------------------
Verse 3: (Same as previous verses)
Em7
Well someone stepped from the crowd, he was nineteen miles high,
Am G#m Am
he shouts retired and disgusted so we paint red through the sky.
G#m Am
I said the thruth is straight ahead, so don't burn yourself instead,
Em7
try to learn instead of burn, hear what I say.
Break :
Dive with bar
----------
----------
--|--/----
--|-/-----
-0|/------
----------
Then:
Em7
So I finally rode away, but I never forget that day,
Am G#m Am
'cause when I reached the valley I looked way down cross the way,
Em7 Am
a giant boat from space landed with eerie grace,
Em7 Am
and came and taken all the dead away.
Break :
trill while diving with bar
----------------
----------------
-0^12tr\------/-
--------\----/--
---------\--/---
----------\/----
Chorus 3 : (Same as previous choruses)
F#m
what'd I say
Look at the sky turn a hell fire red, Lord
Somebody's house is burnin',
down, down, down, down.
Look at the sky turn a hell fire red, Lord
Somebody's house is burnin',
down, down, down, down.
Look at the sky turn a,
look at the sky turn a hell fire red, Lord.
hold bend''. hold bend'''. Fold bend''. hold bend'''.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------17wb-17-17----17wbr--17wb-17-17-17--17wb-17-17-17-17wb-17-17-17-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
hold bend''. hold bend'''. hold bend''''''. hold bend'''''''. hold bend'''''.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-17wb-17-17--17wb-17-17-17--17wb-17-17-17-17--17wb-17-17-17-17--17wb-17-17-17
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------
-17wbr-17wbr-17wbr-17wbr-17wbr-17wbr-17db--14^17^14-------------
----------------------------------------------------16-14----14-
----------------------------------------------------------16----
----------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-14\13--13--13\11--11\9--9/11----11/14\9--11\9\8/9--11------11/14/17-14\11---11/14--11
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pre-dive and release with bar w/bar w/bar
------------/--------------14---14---14---------------------14---14-----------
----------/----------------17wb------------------------17wb-------------------
--------/-------------------------------(17)--0\--/-----------------17--0\--/-
------/-----------------------------------------\/------------------------\/--
-0-|/-------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
w/bar ~~~~ * Dive, pull, and shake the bar.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-17wb-----------------17wb-17wb----------------------------------------------
-------------0\--/-----------------16wb-----16---14-----0--------------------
---------------\/------------------------16---------16--0--------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
* = This part is too phased to make out something, so this might be wrong
------14-14-14-------------14-14------14------14------14-17-17-17-17-17---
-17wb-----------17wb--17wb-------17wb----17wb----17wb---------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
* band tacet. Out of time
-------------------------------------------------14-----------------------------------
-17-17-17-17---------------------14-17^14-17wb------17^14---------------17^14---------
-------------16-16--14------16wb--------------------------16^14------16-------16wbr^14
------------------------16--------------------------------------16--------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----16-14---------------------------------------------------------------14wb
-16---------16^14----16^14-----14^16^14----16^14----16^14----16^14----16-----
------------------16-------16-----------16-------16-------16-------16--------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hammer this notes without picking, and while doing so, dive with bar slowly Dive w/bar
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\------/---
--17----16-----14-----14----14----14----14----14----14----14----14----14----14-------\----/----
-----17-----14-----13----13----13----13----13----13----13----13----13----13----13^0---\--/-----
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\/------
I didn't include (or tabbed) the lead guitar for chorus parts of the song.
They're actually nailing the words. When Jimi played this song live,he played
only the rhythm guitar part for choruses and verses. The solo is short, but
you can improvise on it. Some parts of the song has a large amount of
phasing on them, so it was hard to make out those portions...
The chords for the verse are 8th notes, and played "chop" style. Listen
to the record to get the feel, again. As for the choruses, they're played
in a free style, with lots of thumb fretting of the 6th string, and funky
picking.
As you've heard while listening to the song, the choruses have a funky feeling,
while the verses have a, like, umm... tango feel to them... In my opinion,
this song is very nice for live playing...
"I said the truth is straight ahead,
so don't burn yourself instead.
Try to learn instead of burn,
hear what I say..."
Stay free
James
newrsnsgun@aol.com
Hey Baby home page URL : http://members.aol.com/newrsnsgun/jimi/heybaby.html
(
geocities.com/sunsetstrip/stage/3183) (
geocities.com/sunsetstrip/stage) (
geocities.com/sunsetstrip)