Sonic Youth › Teenage Riot Guitar Tab

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Teen Age Riot »
Silver Rocket
The Sprawl
Cross The Breeze

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Teenage Riot Tab

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Sonic Youth - Teenage Riot

Thurston's tuning: GABDEG
 Lee's tuning: GGDDGG

 Thurston's parts...

 Intro:

 G---7--7--7--5--5---0----0----5---5---
 E---5--5--5--5--5-------------5---5---
 D---0--0--0--0--0--0---0--------------   these are the chords played for that
 B-------------------------------------   "spirit, desire.." bit....
 A-------------------------------------
 G-------------------------------------

 and when the song kicks in, T plays this...

 G-----7--7--7---5-----------------------------------------------------------------------
 E-----5--5--5---5----------7------------------------------------------------------------
 D---0----------------5---7-----7(p)5(p)0-------0-----0---7--7--7--7--7--5--5------0-----
 B-----------------------------------------------------------------------------0---------
 A------------------5---5----------------------------------------------------------------
 G------------------------------------------0------0-------------------------------------

 G---7--7--7---5-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 E---5--5--5---5-------------------------------------7-----------------------------------
 D---------------------------5----------------5------5-----------------------------------
 B--------------------5---7-----7-----5---7----------------------------------------------
 A---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 G---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Verse riff:

 G---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 E---------------------------------------------------------------------------15--15--15--14
 D--12---12---12---12---12-----12--12--12--12--12--12--12--12--12---12--12----------------
 B----------------------------------------------------------------------10----------------
 A--10---10---10---10---12-----10--10--10--10--12--12--12--12--10---10--0-----------------
 G--0----0----0----0----0------0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0----0---------------------

 Chorus chords:

 G-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 E-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 D-------------13---------13--------15-----------------------------------------------------
 A---12---14---0-----14---0----12---12----107----5----------------------------------------
 G---0----0----------0---------0----0-----0--0----0----------------------------------------

 the break starts with a rapid strumming of this chord

 G--------
 E--------
 D-----5--  
 B--------
 A-----5--
 G-----0--
 
 after that bit, go back to playing the main riff
 and back to the verse and chorus parts....
 end on big G chord (same chord used for beginning of break)

 Lee's part...

 all of lee's parts are really low in the mix, so i'm not completely certain if this is
 correct. but, it's close enough. this is one song where it doesn't matter if it's played
 sloppy. in fact, it sounds better that way. 

 for the intro, lee plays something like this:

 G---------0---0-----
 G---------0---0-----
 D-----7---7---7-----  i think he also plays a bunch of little riffs deep in the mix
 D-----7---7---7-----
 G-----0-------------
 G-----0-------------

 for the main riff of the song, lee backs up T with this...
                               harm.
 G------7--7--7--5--------------12---------7--7--7--5------------------------------------
 G------7--7--7--5--------------12---------7--7--7--5------------------------------------
 D---0---------------2/9--------12------0-------------------------------------------------
 D---0---------------2/9--------12------0-----------------2--4---5---4---2--4--5/9--9(t)--
 G---------------------------0---------------------------------------------------0--0-----
 G---------------------------0------------------------------------------------------------
 (t)=pick rapidly with much speed

 it's really tough to hear what lee is playing for the verses. most of the time, he's just
 playing open strings and some harmonics. here's a little thing that sounds cool.
            harm
 G-----0-----12----0-----0--------7---7---7---7----7-----7-----
 G-----0-----12----0-----0--------7---7---7---7----7-----7-----
 D-----0-----12----0-----0--------7---7---7---7----7-----7-----
 D-----0-----12----0-----0--------7---7---7---7----7-----7-----
 G-----0-----12----0-------------------------------------------
 G-----0-----------0-------------------------------------------

 lee's chorus riff

 G-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 G-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 D--7--9---9---------10---9------10---7------52--2--2--2--2--2----0---0-------------------
 D--0--0---0---------0----0------0----0------0-0--0--0--0--0--0----0---0-------------------
 G-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 G-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 don't be afraid to throw in some of those high g strings in with the chorus riff

 for the break, lee starts off with : G--0---
                                      G--0---
                                      D--0---
                                      D--0---
                                      G--0---
                                      G--0---
 then, go back to the main riff....

 in the last verse, lee throws in some little riffs

 at the first run thru of the verse riff, lee plays this:

 high G---12---9---7---4---2---0------------

 then, at the end of the verse, right before the last chorus, lee plays

 high G-----14---12---9--9---7--------------

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Teenage Riot Tab

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Tab Discussion, Comments, and Critiques


No Picture Sam Wanna Be	#1 by Sam Payne at Jul 6, 1970 at 8:07 PM EST
	fucking emo kids.

No Picture bogex Rhythm Player	#2 by bogex luna at Aug 17, 1970 at 3:16 PM EST
	You guys are fucking retarded if you think that 1987 was "long before emo hit the scene at all", are we forgetting about bands like Minor Threat? Emo's been around a LONG time.

No Picture ♥WeEzY Average	#3 by ♥WeEzY♥ at Oct 19, 1972 at 11:53 AM EST
	Yeah, idiots.

No Picture Shay Average	#4 by Shay at Jan 11, 1974 at 12:16 PM EST
	This is a fantastic song from one of the best anf most underrated bands of the time, this song has such a great groove and kim's intro is haunting. Awesome. 'Candle' is also a great song

No Picture katie Average	#5 by katie focner at Oct 25, 1975 at 7:35 AM EST
	peace and love

No Picture austin Rhythm Player	#6 by austin ballard at Mar 21, 1982 at 11:44 PM EST
	hey retard boy, pretty sunset, iheartcornell was commenting on the idiot emo kid who has posted before him. Do please try to act more intelligent, it can only help you.

No Picture Chad Wanna Be	#7 by Chad Barri at Jun 3, 1983 at 10:32 PM EST
	On a live bootleg from '87, Thurston introduces the song and says its about Rick Rubins rich, full beard.

No Picture Kempy Lead Player	#8 by Kempy at May 22, 1985 at 11:29 AM EST
	Crying at the songs climax...hahaha

No Picture Scott Average	#9 by Scott Anderson at Sep 2, 1985 at 3:57 AM EST
	Minor threat was pre-emo hardcore punk. They were the inspiration for most of the early emo bands, which were actually mostly hardcore. Emo just means emotional, and can be anything from screamo, screaming at the top of you lungs with loud guitar rifs, sometimes crying at the songs climax, to more folk sounding music, like the Weakerthans. Minor threat frontman Ian Mackaye actually coined the term emo. More info at http://www.fourfa.com/

No Picture Steven Average	#10 by Steven Daniel at Jun 11, 1988 at 5:37 PM EST
	I wish I knew what this song is about First of all, how can anyone call Sonic Youth under rated? Maybe by sales figures underrated but Sonic Youth have been indie rock heroes for like, 20 years. They have put out music thats gotten consistenly good reviews. Their style has changed quite a bit over the years but they are still loved and respected by many. Some people even consider their most recent album, Nurse, to be their best which is something. Bands usually run out of ideas after their 3 or 4th album but sonic youth has made.... I don't even know how many, and they are still coming out with new shit and amazing people To repeat what other people said, Minor Threat isn't emo and if you think they are you have obviously never listened to Minor Threat. Ian Mackaye later band fugazi is considered emocore. Both fugazi and minor threat sound nothing like the watered down shit you idiots call emo however (but they are DEFINATELY worth checking out).

No Picture jake Average	#11 by jake battkoo at Jul 31, 1989 at 2:54 PM EST
	iheartchriscornell...hmm, emo wasn't around when this song came out, you miserable human...daydream nation was released in 1987...long before emo hit the scene at all

No Picture CJ Wanna Be	#12 by CJ West at Mar 10, 1992 at 5:57 PM EST
	wow, i think this is a horrible song

No Picture Kyle Rhythm Player	#13 by Kyle Wait I Aint Telling You at May 27, 1999 at 10:36 PM EST
	Favorite Line: "Cause It's Getting Kind Of Quiet In My City Here, It Takes A Teenage Riot To Get Me Out Of Bed Right Now"

No Picture Taylor Lead Player	#14 by Taylor Dutton at Jun 2, 2002 at 3:01 AM EST
	peace and love. yes. I love this song.

No Picture josh Rhythm Player	#15 by josh groocock at Dec 2, 2002 at 1:35 AM EST
	about a punk(wannabe).

No Picture Wacko Average	#16 by Wacko Jacko at Mar 16, 2005 at 6:10 PM EST
	i just came from sonic youth's show in central park. there were more people hanging out listening outside the main stage (which was filled to capacity and fenced off) than were inside. it was a great time. sonic youth rocks the house.