5150 - Van Halen


Okay, here's the tab for "5150". This song is a pain in the ass for two
reasons: 1)it's tuned to "dropped-D" 1/2 step down; and
2)there are more doublestops than mere humans (like me) can handle. The
little string names on the side of the tab lines
SHOULD have a flat next to each of them 'cause of the 1/2 step down
deal, but it's easier just to tune to dropped-D unless
you plan to jam to the CD or something.


Here's the signature riff of the song (play it FAST!):
E-|-----------------|-----------------|-4---------------|---------4---------|
B-|-7---5---5-7-----|-7-----5---7-----|-5-5-------------|---------5---------|
G-|-7---7---7-7-----|-7-----7---7-----|---4-4-------4---|-4-4-4-----4-------|
D-|-7-7---7-----7-7-|---7-7---7---7-6-|-----6-6-----4---|-4-4-6-------6-----|
A-|-----------------|-----------------|-------7-7-7---7-|-------7-------7\5-|
D-|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-------------------|


E-|-2---------------|-----------------|-----------------|---------------2-2/|
B-|-3---------------|---------3-------|-3p2-----------3-|-3-2-2-----2-2-3-3/|
G-|---2---------2---|-2-2-------2-----|----------2----2-|-2-2-2-----2-2-2-2/|
D-|-----4-4-----2---|-2-4---------4---|------2-----2--4-|-4-2-2-2-2-2-2-0-0-|
A-|-------5-5-5---5-|------5--------5-|-----------------|---0-0-2-2-0-0-0-0-|
D-|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-------2-2-----0-0-|

Repeat 3x; then...

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



Okay, this next part you repeat twice. One time with the first ending
that I've tabbed out (marked between the 1>>>> and
<<<<1), and again but replacing the first ending with the second (2>>>>
to <<<<2). This is also the part played behind the
chorus ("Always one more; you're never satisfied..."):



E-|-2------|-------2-2-----4-|-4-----------|-------4-4-----2-|-2--------------|
B-|-3------|-------3-3-----5-|-5-----------|-------5-5-----3-|-3--------------|
G-|-2------|-------2-2-----4-|-4-----------|-------4-4-----2-|-2--------------|
D-|-0------|-------0-0-------|-------------|-------6-6-----4-|-4--------------|
A-|-0--0-0-|-0-0-0-----0-0---|----0--0-0-0-|-0-0-0-----0-0---|-----0--0-0-0---|
D-|-0------|-----------------|-------------|-----------------|----------------|


E-|-(2)---------------||
B-|-(3)-------3-------||
G-|-(2)---------4-----||
D-|-(4)----/5-----5---||
A-|--0-0-0--0-------5-||
D-|-------------------||


   1>>>>                                 <<<<1
E-||------------10-10--9--9--7--7--9--9-10-10||
B-||3p2------2/-10-10-10-10--9--9-10-10-10-10||
G-||----2----2/------------------------------||
D-||------2----------------------------------||
A-||-----------------------------------------||
D-||-----------------------------------------||


    2>>>>                                                           
<<<<2
E-|-------------2|2-0-0-0-0--2-2--------|---------------|----|-----------||
B-|-3p2---------3|3-2-2-0-0--3-3------10|10-9-10-10\-2-2|----|-----------||
G-|-----2-2--2--2|2-2-2-1-1--2-2------11|11-9-11-11\-2-2|---2|-----------||
D-|-------2--2--4|4-2-2-2-2--0-0------12|12-9-12-12\-2-2|---2|-----------||
A-|-------0--0---|--0-0-2-2--0-0--0-0---|------------0-0|---0|-----5---3-||
D-|--------------|------0-0--0-0--0-0---|---------------|----|--/7---7---||



This next bit is played behind the verses. It's basically just crunching
out a D power chord with the low D thrown in. Eddie
does a little bit of extra stuff (which I tabbed out here) but you
really don't need it unless you're really anal and want to be
exact...



E-|--------------|-----------------|-------------|---------------||
B-|--------------|-----------------|-------------|---------------||
G-|--------7-----|-7---------------|-----------0-|-0-------------||
D-|--------7-----|-7---------------|--0--------5-|---------------||
A-|--------5-----|-5------5p3p0----|-----0-5p3---|---0-5~~-0-3~~-||
D-|-0--0-0---0-0-|----0-0-------4b-|-------------|---------------||


E-|-----------||
B-|-----------||
G-|-----------||
D-|-----------||(repeat throughout verses)
A-|----5----3-||
D-|-/7----7---||



Here's what I guess you'd call the "pre-chorus" ("Still we try; win or
lose; take the highs; with the blues..."). Play it twice
through, only the second time, leave out the first measure
(A-2-3-2-3-2-3/5). Then rake your pick down the low strings
before you go into the next riff.



E-|---------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------0--------|
B-|---------------|-------------2---|-3-------2-5-----|-5p3---3---2--3--------|
G-|---------------|-------2-4-2---2-|-------2-----2-0-|-2-----2---2--2--------|
D-|---------------|-----2-----------|-----2-------0-0-|-0---0---0----0--------|
A-|-2-3-2-3-2-3/5-|-0-0-------------|---0-------------|-----------------------|
D-|---------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------------|


E-|-0--------------||
B-|-3------3-3-----||
G-|-2------2-2-----||
D-|-0------0-0-----||
A-|----------------||
D-|----5-5-----5-5-||



This next part is (in my opinion) the coolest riff in the song. This is
just a fill-in between the pre-chorus (above) and the chorus
(WAY above). Play this one time through then go to the chorus riff
(tabbed above).



E-|----------------|------------------|------------|-----------------|
B-|----------------|------------------|------------|-----------------|
G-|----------------|------------------|------------|-----6---------7-|
D-|-------2-5~~----|---5-4~~------7\6-|-----3-7----|---7-----5---7---|
A-|-2-2-2----------|-5--------5-5-----|---3--------|-7-----3---5-----|
D-|-2-2-2--------5-|------------------|-3--------7-|-----------------|

E-|0~~~~---|--9--9--7--7--9--9--10--10\||
B-|--10~~--|-10-10--9--9-10-10--10--10\||
G-|-----11~|---------------------------||
D-|--------|---------------------------||
A-|--------|---------------------------||
D-|--------|---------------------------||



That's it. Just arrange those basic riffs in order by listening to the
song and you'll have the main structure (sans solo). The solo is
more than I'm willing to attempt to play OR tab.
Corrections/augmentations/comments welcome... Good luck!



Transcribed by Paul D. (s3bz@music.transy.edu) OR (AntiPC@aol.com)

Supplied by Greg J. Musi: