The Art Of Shreddin'

Bass Tabs

Tommy The Cat - Primus

Arranged for a four-string.

T: Thumb Slap
P: Index Pop
S: Downstroke(Strum)
U: Upstroke(Strum)
+: Right Hand Tap
 				      x 3
    T            S T   T T P  TPTPTPTP    SU T   T T P   P     P 
G:|-----------|--4----------------------|-44-------------------12-|
D:|-----------|*-4---------3h5-5-5-5-0-*|-44---------3h5-13/15----|
A:|-----------|*-----------------------*|-------------------------|
E:|-0--/--10\-|----0h3x3x3x---5-4-3-0---|----0h3x3x3x-------------|
   LONG SLIDE
						 x 7
    S   TPTPTP  TPTPTPTP    S T   T T P  TPTPTPTP    S
G:|-3/4------------------|--4----------------------|-4-r-|
D:|-3/4--x-x-3h5-5-5-5-0-|*-4---------3h5-5-5-5-0-*|-4-e-|
A:|----------------------|*-----------------------*|---s-|
E:|-----x-x-x---5-4-3-0--|----0h3x3x3x---5-4-3-0---|---t-|

“I remember it as if it were a meal ago...”
“...And it was a rare occasion such as this that he did.”

    T        T   T  T  T  T  T T T
G:|--------------------------------|
D:|--------------------------------|
A:|--------------------------------|
E:|-5---/----17--15\14\12\10\7\5\3-|
     long slide

                           x 3
     S T   T T P  TPTPTPTP    S T   T T P  T T T T
G:|--4----------------------|-4--------------------|
D:|*-4---------3h5-5-5-5-0-*|-2---------3h5--------|
A:|*-----------------------*|----------------------|
E:|----0h3x3x3x---5-4-3-0---|---0h3x3x3x---1-2-3-4-|

                         X 10
     S T   T T P  TPTPTPTP     S T   T T P  TPTPTPTP    S
G:|--3----------------------|--4----------------------|-3-R-|
D:|*-3---------3h5-5-5-5-0-*|*-4---------3h5-5-5-5-0-*|-3-E-|
A:|*-----------------------*|*-----------------------*|---S-|
E:|----0h3x3x3x---5-4-3-0---|----0h3x3x3x---5-4-3-0---|---T-|


“The air was thick with catcalls...”
“...Tommy the Cat is my name, and I say unto thee...”


    P     P  P      P    P 
G:|-13/17-12------------------|
D:|----------12h15x13h14-12X\-|
A:|---------------------------|
E:|---------------------------|


“Say baby...”

			  x 3
     S T T T T P  TPTPTPTP    S T   T T P
G:|--4----------------------|-4-------------r-|
D:|*-4---------3h5-5-5-5-0-*|-4---------3h5-e-|
A:|*-----------------------*|---------------s-|
E:|----0h3x3x3x---5-4-3-0---|---0h3x3x3x----t-|


			  x 3
     S T   T T P  TPTPTPTP    S T   T T P   SUSUSUSU
G:|--4----------------------|-4---------------------|
D:|*-4---------3h5-5-5-5-0-*|-4---------3h5-77776665|
A:|*-----------------------*|---------------77776665|
E:|----0h3x3x3x---5-4-3-0---|---0h3x3x3x------------|

		          x 3
     S T   T T P  TPTPTPTP    S T   T T P   T T T T 
G:|--4----------------------|-4---------------------|
D:|*-4---------3h5-5-5-5-0-*|-4---------3h5---------|
A:|*-----------------------*|-----------------------|
E:|----0h3x3x3x---5-4-3-0---|---0h3x3x3x----1-2-3-4-|

		          x 3
     S T   T T P  TPTPTPTP    S T   T T P
G:|--4----------------------|-4---------7/14--------|
D:|*-4---------3h5-5-5-5-0-*|-4---------------------|
A:|*-----------------------*|-----------------------|
E:|----0h3x3x3x---5-4-3-0---|---0h3x3x3x------------|
[ Tab from: https://www.guitartabs.cc/tabs/p/primus/tommy_the_cat_btab.html ]
						x 3
     S T T T P  TPTPTPTP   SU T T T P   SUSUSUSU
G:|--4-------5h7-7-7-7-0-|-44-------5h7-77776665--|
D:|*-4-------------------|-44-----------77776665-*|
A:|*---3x5x7x---7-6-5-0--|----3x5x7x-------------*|
E:|----------------------|------------------------|

     S T T T P  TPTPTPTP   SU T T T P   SUSUSUSUSUSU
G:|--4-------5h7-7-7-7-0-|-44-------5h7-999x7x5x4x3x-|
D:|--4-------------------|-44-----------777x5x3x2x1x-|
A:|----3x5x7x---7-6-5-0--|----3x5x7x-----------------|
E:|----------------------|---------------------------|


					           x 3
     S T   T T P  TPTPTPTP    S T   T T P   SUSUSUSU
G:|--4----------------------|-4-------------77776665-|
D:|*-4---------3h5-5-5-5-0--|-4---------3h5-77776665*|
A:|*------------------------|-----------------------*|
E:|----0h3x3x3x---5-4-3-0---|---0h3x3x3x-------------|

     S T   T T P  TPTPTPTP    SUSUSUSUSUSU
G:|--4----------------------|-4xx5x7x8x9x11-|
D:|--4---------3h5-5-5-5-0--|-2xx3x5x6x7x9--|
A:|-------------------------|---------------|
E:|----0h3x3x3x---5-4-3-0---|---------------|

(Technically, you need to drop to B for the next part.
But you can do it with your E. You just have to mute it.)

    T T T T T T T T T T T T   P    P    P   P   P  P
G:|-------------------------|-----------20-17\-15-12-|
D:|-------------------------|-----12-----------------|
A:|-------------------------|-7/14-------------------|
E:|-0X0-7-0X0-7-0X0-7-0X0-7-|------------------------|


    + +  + +  + +  + +   + + + + +  T
G:|-7-7--x-7/-7-7--x-7/--x-x-x-x-x-----|
D:|------------------------------------|
A:|-7-7--x-7/-7-7--x-7/--x-x-x-x-x-----|
E:|-x-x----x--x-x----x--------------2\-|
				    * detune to D(drop D)
			  x 3
     S T   T T P  TPTPTPTP    S T   T T T P  T T T T T T T T
G:|--4----------------------|-4------------------------------|
D:|*-4---------------------*|-4------------------------------|
A:|*-----------3h5-5-5-2-0-*|-------------3h5--------1-2-3-4-|
D:|----0h3x3x3x---3-3-3-0---|---0h3x3x3x3x---1-2-3-4---------|

“Say baby...”
			  x 3
     S T   T T P  TPTPTPTP    S T   T T T P
G:|--4----------------------|-4---------------r--------------|
D:|*-4---------------------*|-4---------------e--------------|
A:|*-----------3h5-5-5-2-0-*|-------------3h5-s--------------|
D:|----0h3x3x3x---3-3-3-0---|---0h3x3x3x3x----t--------------|

			  x 6			
                                                   T T   T
G:|-------------------------|--------------------------------|
D:|*-----------------------*|--------------------------------|
A:|*-----------------------*|----------------------------7\--|
E:|-------------------------|----------------------0-0-------|


			  X 3
     S T   T T P  TPTPTPTP    S T   T T P   T T T T
G:|--4----------------------|-4---------------------|
D:|*-4---------3h5-5-5-5-0-*|-4---------3h5---------|
A:|*-----------------------*|-----------------------|
E:|----0h3x3x3x---5-4-3-0---|---0h3x3x3x----1-2-3-4-|


		          x 3
     S T   T T P  TPTPTPTP    S T   T T P
G:|--4----------------------|-4-------------r-|
D:|*-4---------3h5-5-5-5-0-*|-4---------3h5-e-|
A:|*-----------------------*|---------------s-|
E:|----0h3x3x3x---5-4-3-0---|---0h3x3x3x----t-|

			  x 3
     S T   T T P  TPTPTPTP    S T   T T P   SUSUSUSU
G:|--4----------------------|-4-------------77776665-|
D:|*-4---------3h5-5-5-5-0-*|-4---------3h5-77776665-|
A:|*-----------------------*|------------------------|
E:|----0h3x3x3x---5-4-3-0---|---0h3x3x3x-------------|

			  x 3
     S T   T T P  TPTPTPTP    S T   T T P
G:|--4----------------------|-4-------------r-|
D:|*-4---------3h5-5-5-5-0-*|-4---------3h5-e-|
A:|*-----------------------*|---------------s-|
E:|----0h3x3x3x---5-4-3-0---|---0h3x3x3x----t-|
 
main riff variant

G-|--25t---------25t-------------25t---25t---25t---------|-
D-|*-24t---------24t-------------24t---24t---24t--------*|-
A-|*----------------------------------------------19h\--*|-
E-|------16h-15h-----18h-17h-16h------------------19h\---|-

Note: about 99.9% of the basses in existance do not have a 25th fret.
My fretless has only 24, but I hit the G-string at the very end of the
fingerboard, which sounds about right. You could raise your G-string
to a G# if you wanted to.
 
Ahh yes, the chorus.  This section requires slapping and strumming.
It also requires some big ol' distortion.  All of the pedals that I
have tried gives me the sound that Cliff Burton got on "Anestasia,
Pulling Teeth".  But I still have no clue to get the "motorcycle" tone
that Claypool gets.  Any suggestions? E-mail me or post anything that
might help all of us Primus fans.  I know that he has an ADA bass
preamp, that runs about $600.  There has to be a less-expensive
solution.  Back to the chorus, it requires that you play a low D
during one part.  I guess that if you had a Hipshot detuner, you could
change the string down to a D, and back up.  I just play a low E and
hope that I don't offend anybody.  I will write the D on a B string as
if you were playing a five string bass.  I will write down the
variants, listen to the tape to figure out the order that you play
them.

main chorus riff
                                           V  ^  V
G-|---------------------------------------17-18-20--|-
D-|*--------------------------------------17-18-20--|-
A-|*------------------------------------------------|-
E-|--0S-3S-2p-0p-0S-5S-3p-2p-0p--0S---0S------------|-

variant one
                                       V  ^  V  ^  V  ^
G-|-----------------------------------20-20-20-20-20-20\---|-
D-|*----------------------------------20-20-20-20-20-20\--*|-
A-|*------------------------------------------------------*|-
E-|--0S-3S-2p-0p-0S-5S-3p-2p-0p--0S------------------------|-
 
variant two

G-|----------------------------------------------|-
D-|*--------------------------------------------*|-
A-|*--------------------------------------------*|-
E-|--0S-3S-2p-0p-0S-5S-3p-2p-0p--0S--------------|-
B-|------------------------------------3S-4S-----|-

For the interlude at the end between two of the chorus sections, you
could just tap anywhere on the fretboard (hitting at least two of the
strings) for three measures, do some swooping slides, and then do the
final chorus, or you could make up your own part.