Present Tense Guitar Tab

No Code Tabs:

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Author/Artist: Pearl Jam
Title: Present Tense
Album: No Code
Author: Mike McCready
Transcribed by:Chris Wilson(Correction by Evan Cowan,Austin Brownfield w/MikeM)

Email: yokel@zip.com.au, evan@giventowail.com

G1 is mike, G2 is ed, G3 is probably their producer or
something and G4 is stone on his acoustic. All guitars
are standard tuning except for G1 which is high to low
e-b-g-d-a-d (drop d).
(06/29/99)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
-----14----------------------14-----------------14----------12-11-9---9-------|
--------12---12-12-12-12--------12----12-----------12-12-----0----x-----0-----|
------------------------------------------------------------12---12-12----12--|
-0------------------------10-------10----10-0-9---------9-0-------------------|
 Intro G1  wsmall variations

----5------------3------------------------------------------------------------|
----3------------3------------------------------------------------------------|
----0---------0--2------------------------------------------------------------|
--------0--0--0---------------------------------------------------------------|
--------3--2--0---------------------------------------------------------------|
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 During the first verse G2 comes in and sort of doubles G1

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----------------------------6-------------------------------------------------|
----------------------------5-----------------2-------------------------------|
------------5-5-5-5p3---3-x-3-----5-5-5-5p0-0-0-x-----------------------------|
----------x-5-5-5-5p3-3-3-x-----x-5-5-5-5p0-0-0-x-----------------------------|
-12-12---x-5-5-5-5p3-3-3-x-----x-5-5-5-5p0-0-0-x-----------------------------|
 Chorus G1                               with small variations

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----0-------------------------------------------------------------------------|
----------3---32----0--------------------------------------------------------|
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 G3 plays the main notes of the verse very quietly and slowly. let ring

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 G2 continues to backup G1 in 2nd verse but with more detail

---------------------0---0---------0-0-0-0---0-0---------0---3---2---0--------|
-------3-3-3-3-----3-3-3-3---3---3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3---3-3-3-3---3---3---3----|
---2-2-2-2-2-2-2---2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2----|
---0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0---0---0-0-0-0----|
---0-----0---0-0---3-3-----3-3-3-3---3---2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-------------0----|
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 towards the end of the second verse G4 comes in with this   X2

--------5---------5-----------------------------------------------------------|
----------3---------3---------------------------------------------------------|
------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
--------------0--------0------------------------------------------------------|
------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
 G5 plays this in the second chorus here and there

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------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
---------10-------10-------10-------109--------9--------9--------9-----------|
--0----0----0---0----0---0----0---0------0----0---0----0---0----0---0----0----|
----13-------13-------13-------13----------12-------12-------12-------12------|
------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
 Interlude part 1 X2 G1

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-97--------7--------7--------7--------7---------7--------7--------7--------7-|
-----0----0---0----0---0----0---0----0---0-----0---0----0---0----0---0----0---|
-------10-------10-------10-------10--------10-------10-------10-------10-----|
------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
         turn it into a bit of a strum building towards interlude #2

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-0----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
---10/------------------------------------------------------------------------|
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------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
--10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-9--9--9--9--9--9--9--9--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--7---|
--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0---|
--13-13-13-13-13-13-13-13-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10--|
------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
  Interlude part2 G1

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------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
-7--7--7--7--7--7--7----------------------------------------------------------|
-0--0--0--0--0--0--0----------------------------------------------------------|
-10-10-10-10-10-10-10---------------------------------------------------------|
------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
        X2

------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
---11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8--|
---10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-9--9--9--9--9--9--9--9--7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7--|
---8--8--8--8--8--8--8--8--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5--|
------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
 G2

------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
-8-8-8------------------------------------------------------------------------|
-7-7-7------------------------------------------------------------------------|
-5-5-5------------------------------------------------------------------------|
------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
    X2

------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
---11-11-11-11-11--8-8-8-8-8--------------------------------------------------|
---10-10-10-10-10--7-7-7-7-7--------------------------------------------------|
---8--8--8--8--8---5-5-5-5-5--------------------------------------------------|
------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
 G3

------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
--11-11-11-13-13-13-15-15----8--8--8--8--8--8--8--8--8--8--------------------|
--10-10-10-12-12-12-14-14----7--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--------------------|
--8--8--8--10-10-10-12-12----5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--5--------------------|
------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
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 Interlude part 3 G1                           X2

------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
--11-11-----------11-11-------------------------------------------------------|
--10-10-----------10-10-------------------------------------------------------|
--8--8------------8--8--------------------------------------------------------|
------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
 G3

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--3---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
--2---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
--0---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
--0---------------------------------------------------------------------------|
------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
 Climax, all guitars thrash D

-10-------10-------10-------10-------10---------------------------------------|
----13-------13-------13-------13-------13------------------------------------|
-------12-------12-------12-------12-------12---------------------------------|
------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
 Outro G2           X2

-/14-------14-------14-------14-------14--------------------------------------|
-----15-------15-------15-------15-------15-----------------------------------|
--------14-------14-------14-------14-------14-----12-11--9-------------------|
----------------------------------------------------0--0--0-------------------|
------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
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  then                 stop when G1 plays D then continue and fade out

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 let G1 ring out with D then play intro thing a few times and fade out

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Tab Discussion, Comments, and Critiques


No Picture Obtuse Professional	#1 by Obtuse at Jan 6, 1970 at 9:41 PM EST
	I think this song actually reads pretty clearly. Ao I would say Stefan is correct. On another note is there any better sounding bass, then the bass at the end of this song?

No Picture Stephen Average	#2 by Stephen Weber at Sep 1, 1973 at 11:05 PM EST
	Is this the closure to grunge? The band which was so attached to the nihilist sound of the early 90s, finally find hope in the world and become happier with themselves.

No Picture Josh Lead Player	#3 by Josh Ripley at Nov 15, 1994 at 3:55 PM EST
	I think this song actually reads pretty clearly. Ao I would say Stefan is correct. On another note is there any better sounding bass, then the bass at the end of this song?

No Picture David Rhythm Player	#4 by David Bradley at Feb 14, 2004 at 12:26 PM EST
	The greatest song ever. I totally see how the "Don't look to your past idea." But their's a lot more to this song, mostly from the first line: "Do you see the way that tree bends/does it inspire?/Leaning out to catch the sun's rays/a lesson to be applied." It means to go o the light and to the better and we have to make adjustments to get to there. And we can't think about how many times we've tried to bend away to get to better, and we shouldn't end up not bending cause that leaves us behind. We should just go ahead and be. 'To do is to be'. can only 'be' when your in the present tense.

No Picture Alyssa Professional	#5 by Alyssa at Jun 21, 2004 at 2:58 AM EST
	i have listened to this song about 20 times in the past two days because it's so amazing. what this songs says to me is that rather than spending time wrapped up in our past, being ruled by our successes and failures that have already taken place, we can shed ourselves of that shroud and truly soak in what this life has to offer for us TODAY.