The Cure
Piggy in the Mirror
Transcribed by: Andrew Tay
Key: C major/A harm. minor
Arrangement: 1-2 electric guitars, 1-2 basses
Tab source: audio, live video
Accuracy: at least 88%
Tabbed by: Andrew Tay (aka Ant) June 1995
aktay@zeus.uwaterloo.ca
Hello. Piggy in the Mirror is another one of those weird, warped Cure songs
from the mid '80s. This tab is a mish-mash of three versions of Piggy in the
Mirror: the studio version (from "The Top" album), the demo version (from
various bootlegs), and the live version (from the "In Orange" video).
Each version is arranged differently; for example, the main riff that was
played on guitar on the demo version is played on bass in the live version.
On the other hand, the studio version seems to have two basses, neither of
which play the aforementioned main riff! On top of that, Simon (who plays
the bass live) plays it differently from Robert (who played the basses in the
studio).
Anyway, to keep things simple, I've just listed all the figures, and you can
play them however you want, on whatever instrument you want. Cheers!
RHYTHM FIGURE 1 (VERSES 1 + 3)
------------------------------
--- arranged for bass ---
G|-14-14-14-14----16-14-13-|---------------------------------|
D|-15-15-15-15----15-15-14-|---------------------------------| where
A|-------------------------|---------------------------------| T = 12
E|-------------------------|-----0---T-----0-0---0---T-T-----|
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . : . 2 . : . 3 . : . 4 . : .
--- arranged for guitar ---
e|-----------------|-----------------|
b|-----------------|-----------------| The second measure is optional.
g|-----------------|-----------------| On the album version, it is not
d|-7-7-7-7---9-7-6-|-----------------| played.
a|-8-8-8-8---8-8-7-|-----7-------77--|
e|-----------------|---0----00-0-----|
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
RHYTHM FIGURE 2 (VERSES 1 + 3)
------- low bass part --------
Note the dropped D tuning--you'll need this later.
G|-----------------|-----------------| "+++++" means the note is repeated
D|-----------------|-----------------| a bunch of times over the measure,
A|-----------------|-----------------| but I haven't bothered to figure
D|-3-3-++++++++++--|-2-2-2-2-++++----| out the correct rhythm.
RHYTHM FIGURE 3 (CHORUS)
---- lead bass part ----
G|---------------------|------------------------|
D|-----2---------5-5-5-|-----7----7-9-7--5-7-5--| x3
A|-3-3-----3/7-7-------|-0-7----7---------------|
E|---------------------|------------------------|
G|-------------------|------------------| Simon plays this last part
D|-----5--------5----|-----5--------5-5-| on 'In Orange'. Don't remember
A|-------------------|------------------| if its in the studio version
E|-3-3----3-3-3----3-|-3-3----3-3-3-----|
RHYTHM FIGURE 4 (CHORUS)
---- low bass part -----
G|-------------------|-----------------| Again, these are just the notes,
D|--------0-0--2-2-2-|-----------------| and I don't remember how many
A|-3-3--3------------|-0-0-0-+++++++---| times each note is repeated, or
D|-------------------|-----------------| precisely what the rhythm is
G|-----------------|-----------------| Note the dropped D tuning. This
D|-----------------|-----------------| is necessary for the low Ds in
A|-----------------|-----------------| rhythm figure 6 unless you've got
D|-5-5-5-+++++++++-|-5-5-5-+++++++++-| a 5-string bass
RHYTHM FIGURE 5 (VERSE 2 + DURING SOLO)
---------------------------------------
--- arranged for bass ---
*
G|-16-16-16-16----17-16-13-|---------------------------------|
D|-18-18-18-18----18-18-14-|---------------------------------| where
A|-------------------------|---------------------------------| T = 12
E|-------------------------|-----0---T-----0-0---0---T-T-----|
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . : . 2 . : . 3 . : . 4 . : .
*play 18 16 here during verse 2, but play 18 19 here during the solo
--- arranged for guitar ---
*
e|-------------------------|-----------------|
b|-------------------------|-----------------|
g|-------------------------|-----------------| Second measure optional,
d|-9--9--9--9-----10-9--6--|-----------------| as before
a|-11-11-11-11----11-11-7--|-----7-------77--|
e|-------------------------|---0----00-0-----|
1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .
*play 11 9 here during verse 2, but play 11 12 here during the solo
RHYTHM FIGURE 6 (VERSE 2 + DURING SOLO)
------------ low bass part ------------
G|-----------------|-------------------|
D|-----------------|-------------------| A fast rhythm, with lots
A|-----------------|-------------------| of sixteenth notes
D|-0-0+++++++++++--|-2-2++++++22/55\2--|
GUITAR SOLO
-----------
This is one of the few parts I was able to tab with complete accuracy.
I double-checked by playing my Top LP at 16.5 RPM, and didn't have much
trouble catching everything. The whole thing's based on an A harmonic
minor scale. Use a delay effect, if you've got one.
e|------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
b|-------------------10----------10---|-9-10-9----------------------------|
g|-10----------10-12------------------|--------10-9-----------9---12--9---|
d|------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
a|------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
e|------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
1 . : . 2 . : . 3 . : . 4 . : . 1 . : . 2 . : . 3 . : . 4 . : .
e|-------------------------------------|---------------------------------|
b|-------------------10------9-10-9----|---------------------------------|
g|-10------10--10-12----------------10-|-9-------------------------------|
d|-------------------------------------|---------------------------------|
a|-------------------------------------|---------------------------------|
e|-------------------------------------|---------------------------------|
1 . : . 2 . : . 3 . : . 4 . : . 1 . : . 2 . : . 3 . : . 4 . : .
e|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
b|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
g|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
d|-9-----------9-10-12----------10---|-9-10-9----------------------------|
a|-----------------------------------|--------12-11----------7---5---7---|
e|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
1 . : . 2 . : . 3 . : . 4 . : . 1 . : . 2 . : . 3 . : . 4 . : .
all sixteenth notes:
e|------------------------7-8-7----7-8-|-7-------------7-12----------12\\\\8!-
b|----------------------8-------10-----|---------------------------------|----
g|-------------7-7-9-10----------------|---------------------------------|----
d|------7-9-10-------------------------|---------------------------------|----
a|-8-10--------------------------------|---------------------------------|----
e|-------------------------------------|---------------------------------|----
1 2 3 4 1 . : . 2 . : . 3 . : . 4 . : . 1
KEY (TAB STAFF)
---------------
x/y pick x, slide up to y
x\y pick x, slide down to y
x/y! pick x, slide up to y, pick y
+++ repeat note several times over duration. Listen to
the song for the rhythm.
(xN) repeat passage N times
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