Ballad Of Buckethead Guitar Tab

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The Ballad of Buckethead by Buckethead
from Monsters and Robots 
tabbed by Doug Cartwright

Main Riff
E---------------------------------------
B---------------------------------------
G-------10~~~~-/14~~-15~~-13~~~~~~~~~---
D---------------------------------------
A---------------------------------------
E---------------------------------------

Play with plenty of vibro!

Solo:
Main Riff x4, then:

E-------------------------------------------
B--10~~~/14p13h14p13~~~~--------------------
G----------------------------3/~~~~~~~-----
D-------------------------------------------
A-------------------------------------------
E-------------------------------------------

The rest of the solo is untabbable, for two reasons:
1. It is impossibly difficult ten-finger tapping up random scales
2. Buckethead plays it a different way each time he does it

The solo is, therefore, better to improvise. With that in mind, here are all the different 
tapping techniques I use to create the various sounds. Please remember that most of 
them can be played anywhere on the neck, and are just examples. You will need to mix them 
up to make a good solo. Also, try to think of them as a skeleton - it is just a base for you 
to improvise and construct on!

For the first part, right after the tabbed bit, I do something like this:

Play everything as fast as you can:
E----------t--------t--------t-------------------------------
B----------15-11h13-15-11h13-15-11~~~~--t--------------------
G---------------------------------------12~~~~~~~------------
D-------------(hold the 12 for a second before the next bit!)
A------------------------------------------------------------
E------------------------------------------------------------

           t        t        t 
E----------15-11h13-15-11h13-15-11~~~~--t--------------------
B---------------------------------------12~~~~~~~------------
G--------(again, hold the 12 for a second before the next bit!)
D------------------------------------------------------------
A------------------------------------------------------------
E------------------------------------------------------------


Play the last 2 bits twice, then, at the same tempo, add this:
           t        t        t        t        t        t 
E----------15-11h13-15-11h13-15-11h13-15-11h13-15-11h13-15-11h13--
B-----------------------------------------------------------------
G-----------------------------------------------------------------
D-----------------------------------------------------------------
A-----------------------------------------------------------------
E-----------------------------------------------------------------


continuing...
E----t--------t--------t--------t--------t-------------------
B----15-11h13-15-11h13-15-11h13-15-11h13-15-11h13------------
G---------------------------------------------------125~~-
D----------(the last 2 notes need a lot of vibro very quickly)
A------------------------------------------------------------
E------------------------------------------------------------


He now goes into 10 finger tapping. I, like a lot of people, don't have the skill to do that, 
so here's the things I do to make that robotic sound!

The first '10 finger' tap, how I do it, is using a technique similar to Van Halens 'Mean 
Street.' Where I have marked (x2), play the last little phrase twice. This is not intended 
to sound like the original, just a replacement for less skilled players. I think it sounds 
good,
I hope everyone else does.

Part One: (Play Once)
                                      t
E-------------------------------t-----7-0h5-(x2)-------------
B-------------------------t-----7-0h5-(x2)-------------------
G-------------------t-----7-0h5-(x2)-------------------------
D--------t----------7-0h5-(x2)-------------------------------
A--t-----7-0h5-(x2)------------------------------------------
E--7-0h5-----------------------------------------------------


Part Two:(Play Once)
                          t
E-----------------t-------7-0h5-(x2)---
B-----------t-----7-0h5-(x2)-----------
G--t--------7-0h5-(x2)-----------------
D--7-0h5-(x2)--------------------------
A--------------------------------------
E--------------------------------------

Part Three: (Play Once)
Play Part two again, than add this bit to the end of it.

     t     t     t     t     t     t     t     t     t 
E----7-0h5-7-0h5-7-0h5-7-0h5-7-0h5-7-0h5-7-0h5-7-0h5-7-0h5---------
B------------------------------------------------------------------
G----------(Play as fast as you can!!)-----------------------------
D------------------------------------------------------------------
A------------------------------------------------------------------
E------------------------------------------------------------------

continued...
     t     t     t     t     t      t      t     t     t     t
E----8-5h6-8-5h6-9-5h7-9-5h7-10-5h8-10-5h8-9-5h7-9-5h7-8-5h6-8-5h6-
B------------------------------------------------------------------
G------------------------------------------------------------------
D------------------------------------------------------------------
A------------------------------------------------------------------
E------------------------------------------------------------------

continued...
   t     t 
E--7-0h5-7-0h5-t-----t-----t-----t--------------------------------------
B--------------7-0h5-7-0h5-7-0h5-7-0h5--t-------------------------------
G---------------------------------------7-0h5-t-------------------------
D---------------------------------------------7-0h5-t-------------------
A---------------------------------------------------7-0h5-t-----t-------
E---------------------------------------------------------7-0h5-7-0h5---

continued...
E------------------------------------------------------------------
B------------------------------------------------------------------
G---------------(Slow tempo a lot for last 3 notes)----------------
D--t-----t------7~~7~~7~~~~~~~~~-----------------------------------
A--7-0h5-7-0h5-----------------------------------------------------
E------------------------------------------------------------------


At this point the rhythm of the song changes, and Buckethead does a more complex tap. 
For this, I use the most complex tap that I am capable of: A 6 finger tap! It is possible 
to tap all the notes with just your index finger, however.


Part Four:

E--------------------------------------t----t----t------------------t----t----t-----
B-------------------t----t----t--------11-7-10-6-9-5--t----t----t---11-7-10-6-9-5---
G----t----t----t----11-7-10-6-9-5---------------------11-7-10-6-9-5-----------------
D----11-7-10-6-9-5------------------------------------------------------------------
A-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

continued...
                  t    t    t   t    t    t 
E---t----t----t---11-7-10-6-9-5-11-7-10-6-9-5--t----t----t-----------------------
B---11-7-10-6-9-5------------------------------11-7-10-6-9-5--t----t----t--------
G-------------------------------------------------------------11-7-10-6-9-5------
D--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

continued...
E--------------------------------------------------
B--------------------------------------------------
G---t----t----t------------------------------------
D---11-7-10-6-9-5--t----t----t---------------------
A------------------11-7-10-6-9-5--t----t----t------
E---------------------------------11-7-10-6-9-5----

Part Five:
                                                    t    t    t
E------------------------------------t----t----t----11-7-10-6-9-5--
B---------------------t----t----t----11-7-10-6-9-5-----------------
G---t----t----t-------11-7-10-6-9-5--------------------------------
D---11-7-10-6-9-5--------------------------------------------------
A------------------------------------------------------------------
E------------------------------------------------------------------

Part Six:

E------------------------------------------------------------------
B------------------------------------------------------------------
G----10/14~~~~~~