Take My Scars by Machine Head
from the album ‘The More Things Change…’
Transcription by Keith Railton ([email protected])
A word about tuning — on the album the guitars are tuned down one tone to D,
and -then- the low D string is tuned to C. Phew! If -you-
wanna tune down like that, get some 11’s or 11/10 hybrid
strings, you may also have to adjust your truss and/or
intonation!
Anyway this is how it’s played…
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NOTES:
A ‘+’ sign indicates these parts should be played simultaneously (with
different guitars obviously… heh)
Rhythm One should be played palm muted, your mutes should gradually get
lighter, so that by the 7th repetition it is played with no mutes.
Rhythm Eight is nice. It’s played by moving the picking hand over the
strings (across them [i.e. vertically], not along them), to
get a scratchy squeaky sound. It is doubled by the other
guitar playing the rhythm with muted strings.
The solo isn’t worked out perfectly, but it’ll give you a basis to work on,
I’m pretty sure that solo is un-repeatable! The vibrato is huge, especially
on the first four notes… In fact on all the bends :).
During the Pre-Bridge, Rhythm Three is used again, this is played in much
the same way as Rhythm One, with light mutes, the picking getting heavier
while the muting disappears.
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Intro
=====
Riff A * 8 (see notes)
Riff A + Rhythm One * 7
Riff A + Rhythm Two
Pre-Verse
=========
Rhythm Three * 3
Fill One
Rhythm Three * 3
Fill One
Verse
=====
Rhythm Four * 2
Rhythm Four + Riff Two * 2
—
Rhythm Five * 8
Chorus
======
Rhythm Six * 4
Rhythm Seven
(See Pre-Verse
See Verse
See Chorus)
Pre-Solo
========
Rhythm Eight * 2 (see notes)
Solo
====
Rhythm Six * 8 + Lead
Rhythm Eight + Lead Outro
Pre-Bridge
==========
Rhythm Three * 6 (see notes)
Rhythm Nine
Bridge
======
Rhythm Eleven * 7
Rhythm Twelve
Outro
=====
Rhythm Three * 3
Fill One
Rhythm Three
Rhythm Thirteen
===========================================================================
Riff A
|—————————————————|
|—————————————————|
|—————————————————|
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|—————————————————|
|—————————————————|
Rhythm One
|———————————|
|———————————|
|7—9—8—7—9-9-8—7—8—|
|———————————|
|———————————|
|———————————|
Rhythm Two
|———————————|
|———————————|
|———————————|
|7—9—8—7—9-9-8—10—9—|
|5—7—6—5—7-7-6—8—7—|
|———————————|
Rhythm Three
|———————————|
|———————————|
|———————————|
|———————————|
|0—2—1—0—2-2-1—0—1—|
|0—2—1—0—2-2-1—0—1—|
p.m—|
Fill One
|—————-|
|—————-|
|—————-|
|7/8-8-8-7/9-9-9-|
|5/6-6-6-5/7-7-7-|
|—————-|
Rhythm Four
|———————————|
|———————————|
|———————————|
|———————————|
|———————————|
|2-1—1-2-1—1-2p1-3b4———|
Riff Two
|———————|
|———————|
|———————|
|———————|
|—x-x-x-x—x—x—|
|—x-x-x-x—x—x—|
Rhythm Five
|———————————|
|———————————|
|———————————|
|———————————|
|21—1-21—1-21————-|
|21—1-21—1-21-3b4———|
p.m p.m
Rhythm Six
|———————————|
|———————————|
|———————————|
|43—3-43—3-43-3————|
|21—1-21—1-21-3————|
|———————3————|
Rhythm Seven
|———————————|——————————-|
|———————————|——————————-|
|———————————|——————————-|
|5——————————|5——————————|
|5——————————|5—————————-|
|5—————————-|5—————————|
whammy dive whammy dive
Rhythm Eight (see notes)
|———————————|———————————|
|———————————|———————————|
|———————————|———————————|
|x-x-x-x-x—x-x-x-x-x—x-x-x-x-|—x-x-x-x—x-x-x-x-x—x-x-x-x-|
|x-x-x-x-x—x-x-x-x-x—x-x-x-x-|—x-x-x-x—x-x-x-x-x—x-x-x-x-|
Lead
|16b18—16b18—16b18—16b18—16h17h19p17p16h17-16b18-|
|———————————————————|
|———————————————————|
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16h17h19p17p16h17-16b18—14t16—12t14—10t12—9t12—|
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-9h10h12p10p9——-9————————————|
——————12—-12p10p9—-9h10h12p10p9———-|
—————————————————12—|
———————————————————|
———————————————————|
———————————————————|
———————————————————|
———————————-9———————|
-9h10h12p10p9———9h10h11p10p9—12p10p9-11-b-14——|
——————11————————————-|
———————————————————|
———————————————————|
———————————————————|
———————————————————|
———————————————14b15——|
——————————12b13—15b16—————|
/12-b-13——12b13—12b13——————————|
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16h18p16—16-19p18p16-16-18p16—-16-18-19-18-16——-|
———19———————-19——————19—|
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16h18h19p18p16-19p18p16p—19p18p16——16-18-19p18p16—|
————————————19——————-|
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Lead Outro
|———————————————————|
|-16-15-14-16-15-14-16-15-14-16-15-14-16-15-14-15-14-13—|
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15-14-13-14-13-12-13-12-11-10h11-10h1-10h11-10h11-10—-|
———————————————————|
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Rhythm Nine
|———————————————————|
|———————————————————|
|———————————————————|
|2——————————————————-|
|2——————————————————-|
|2——————————————————-|
Rhythm Ten
|———————————|
|———————————|
|———————————|
|———————————|
|0—2—1—0—2—————|
|0—2—1—0—2—————|
Rhythm Eleven
|———————————|
|———————————|
|———————————|
|———————————|
|—-2——0—2/7-7-7—7-7-7—|
|0-0-2—0-0—2/7-7-7—7-7-7—|
p.m p.m
Rhythm Twelve
|———————————|
|———————————|
|———————————|
|5——————————-|
|5—5—5—5—5—5—5—5—|
|5—5—5—5—5—5—5—5—|
p.m————————-|
Rhythm Thirteen
|——————|
|——————|
|——————|
|——————|
|2—1—3—2—|
|2—1—3—2—|
*Lyrics*
Verse One:
It’s been around for a thousand years
And it’ll be here for plenty more
It is the face hidden in disgrace
That has become now an open sore
It is a false messiah
It is the face of pain
The bringer of the bittersweet
The heretic insane
Chorus:
Take my scars
Through hands of God
I found a better way
To break the walls
Verse Two:
Fed all the lies and desensitized
Taught to believe that it is the way
Taught to divide and exactly why
You’ll never understand my rage
You’ve never had to borrow
You’ve never had to steal
You eat it with your silver spoon
For me it’s real
Bridge/Outro:
Blood and concrete
Piss and wine
Whores that fuck
To feel divine
They’ll clean their needles
In their shrine
In ignorance
It’s bliss you find
Why can’t you
fuckin’ open up your eyes?
—————————————
Keef — [email protected]
[email protected]
