the Smashing Pumpkins
I am one
Off the Smashing Pumpkins (1988)/
I am One (1990)/
Gish (1991)/
the Peel sessions (1992)/
Earphoria (2002)
Written by Billy Corgan
Performed live in Atlanta,1993
Tabbed by Jimi
Standard Tuning
I used a video cut of a live performance to
create this tab. You can easily play along
with the Gish recording, the solo´s are the
same, but I added notes for the Earphoria
and other live versions.
Turn your mids and basses up. Use much
distortion, no compressors. A wah-wha
pedal is needed for the ending of the
third guitar solo.
Intro:
Only drums for a few bars and the guitars
come in with this distorted riff:
Billy + James
|------------------0~---|
|------0~--------0------|
|----3---------3--------| 2 times
|--4---------4----------|
|--4---------4----------|
|--2---------0----------|
rake over the chords
and then
James
|------------------------------------------------|
|--7-----7---7---7---2-2-7-----7---7---7---2-4---|
|--6-----6---6---6---2-2-6-----6---6---6---2-4---| 2 times
|--4-----4---4---4---2-2-4-----4---4---4---2-4---|
|--------------------0-0-------------------0-2---|
|----0-0---0---0---0-------0-0---0---0---0-------|
I tabbed James´ part with the help of a live video.
To get the right sound, I would either mute the Fm5
chords right after playing or use another voicing
for the A and Bm.
A Bm A Bm
|---------------|------------|
|--2---4---(3)--|--10---12---|
|--2---4-or-4---|--9----11---|
|--2---4----4---|--7----9----|
|--0---2----2---|------------|
|---------------|------------|
Billy comes in with the Lead Solo the second time
Billy
|---------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------|
|--4gb6~~----------------------------2h4-4b6r4p2-4b6r4p2--------|
|--4gb6~~-2---4~-----2~----------2h4---------------------4~~~---|
|-----------4----4-2---------2h4--------------------------------|
|------------------------2h5------------------------------------|
Verse:
Billy
|--------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------|
|--11----11--11--11------11----11--11--11----------| 4 times
|--11----11--11—-11--9~~-11----11--11--11--9/11~---|
|--9-----9---9---9-------9-----9---9---9-----------|
|----0-0---0---0---0-------0-0---0---0---0---------|
James
|------------------------------------------------|
|--7-----7---7---7---2-2-7-----7---7---7---2-4---|
|--6-----6---6---6---2-2-6-----6---6---6---2-4---| 4 times
|--4-----4---4---4---2-2-4-----4---4---4---2-4---|
|--------------------0-0-------------------0-2---|
|----0-0---0---0---0-------0-0---0---0---0-------|
"I am one as you are three…"
Bridge:
both guitars 4x Fills: 1st,3rd; 2nd,4th time
|------------------------------|-------|---------|
|------------------------------|-------|---------|
|------------------------------|-11-11-|---------|
|------------------------------|-------|---------|
|------------------------------|-9--9--|-12-14---|
|--12-0-0-0-12-0-0-12-0-0-12-0-|-------|-10-12---|
"Am I as I seem?"
Fill:
Billy + James
|------------------0~---|
|------0~--------0------|
|----3---------3--------| 2 times
|--4---------4----------|
|--4---------4----------|
|--2---------0----------|
"I´m down…"
Solo:
James plays his Verse Riff once
Billy
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|--16b18~-18r16~—14h16p1413~---------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------16gb18~-16h18p1614~-----------------*16*b~~~---|
|--------------------------------------------------14-12----12------------------|
|--------------------------------------------------------12----12~--------------|
Verse: same
Bridge: same
Chorus:
Billy + James
|------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------2-2-------------------2-4---| 4 times
|--4-----4---4---4---2-2-4-----4---4---4---2-4---|
|--4-----4---4---4---0-0-4-----4---4---4---0-2---|
|--2-0-0-2-0-2-0-2-0-----2-0-0-2-0-2-0-2-0-------|
"See you…" "I am one"
Interlude:
Billy (uses the whammy bar on each chord)
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|--2-----------------2-----2-------------2--------------------------|
|--2-----------------2-----2-------------2--------------------------|
|--0-----------------0-----0-------------0--------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
James
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----3-5-5-7-5-7-5-3---------3-5-3-5-5-7-5-7-5-3-5-3-5-7-5-7-8~/---|
|--2~-----------------2~---2~---------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
Guitar Solo:
This Solo was pretty hard to figure out because both guitars start
to solo. Billy´s part usually the louder one. If you don´t like
this attempt or you want to play your own variation of Billy´s or
James´ part just improvise with the Fmajor pentatonic scale.
In the some live versions Billy goes mad with tapping or thrill.
Fmaj Pentatonic
|-------------------------------14-17-|
|-------------------------14-17-------|
|-------------------14-16-------------| root on the
|-------------14-16-------------------| 14th fret
|-------14-16-------------------------|
|-14-17-------------------------------|
Feels good!
James doubles the solo a bit slower and plays the final scale over
the fretboard with an wha-wah pedal.
Billy
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
|--17b19~-19r17~-14h17p14-----------------------------------------|
|-------------------------16b18~-14-14~~-----14-16b18r16p14-------|
|----------------------------------------/16----------------16~---|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
Billy
|-----------------------17b19r17~~--19b21~~-------21b24~~~--------|
|--18p16p14-17b19r17p14---------------------19p17-----------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------------|
Billy
|--------------------------------------------------------|
|--14h17p14----------------------------------------------|
|-----------16b18-16b18r16~-13h14p1311h13p11------------|
|--------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------12b16~~~---|
|--------------------------------------------------------|
Billy
|---12-10-9-7-5-4-2-0----------------------|
|---------------------3-2-0----------------|
|---------------------------2-1------------|
|-------------------------------4-2--------|
|-----------------------------------4------|
|-------------------------------------2~---|
Bass Break:
D´arcy
|--------------------------|
|--------------------------|
|--------------------0-0---|
|--2-0-0-2-0-2-0-2-0-------|
D´arcy
|--------------------------|
|--------------------------|
|--------------------0-2---|
|--2-0-0-2-0-2-0-2-0-------|
Actually this is played two times, but
if you want to join in the Earphoria
Version, play it a thousand times,
Repeated over and over, while Billy
goes mad.
Guitar Solo:
This solo kicks in after D´arcy´s Bassbrake.
In some live versions (Earphoria!) Billy
substitutes the last solo because the song´s
already too long.
Billy
|----------------------------16r14~-16p14h17b19~-17-19-17-19r17-19r17---|
|--14-----------------17b19~--------------------------------------------|
|--16b18~~~--14h16p14---------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
Billy
|--19r17-14----------------------------------------------------------------|
|-----------17-17b19~------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------16h18p1614~-18r16gb18p14~---------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------14h16p14----16~-----------|
|---------------------------------------------------------16-----14gb16~---|
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Billy
|----------|
|----------|
|----------|
|----------|
|----------|
|--14---|
James´ backup:
James
|------------------------------------------------|
|--7-----7---7---7---2-2-7-----7---7---7---2-4---|
|--6-----6---6---6---2-2-6-----6---6---6---2-4---| 4 times
|--4-----4---4---4---2-2-4-----4---4---4---2-4---|
|--------------------0-0-------------------0-2---|
|----0-0---0---0---0-------0-0---0---0---0-------|
Chorus:
Billy + James
|------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------|
|--------------------2-2-------------------2-4---| 4 – 8 times
|--4-----4---4---4---2-2-4-----4---4---4---2-4---|
|--4-----4---4---4---0-0-4-----4---4---4---0-2---|
|--2-0-0-2-0-2-0-2-0-----2-0-0-2-0-2-0-2-0-------|
"See you…" "I am one"
End on:
Billy + James
|---------------------|
|---------------------|
|---------------------| (studio version)
|--4~~~(6)~--4-4---|
|--4~~~(6)~--4-4---|
|--2~~~(4)~--2-2---|
or
Billy + James (crescendo)
|----------------------------------------|
|----------------------------------------|
|--4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12--(4)----------| (Earphoria)
|--4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12--(4)-4-4---|
|--2-3-4-5-6-7-8--9--10--(2)-4-4---|
|-------------------------------2-2---|
|