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Radiohead: guitar tab and chords for Nude (Big Ideas), In Rainbows


    Nude (Big Ideas) - Radiohead
    ----------------------------

    From the album "In Rainbows"

    transcribed by Howard Wright 
    hakwright (at) gmail (dot) com


==========================================================================
Updated Nov 2008: 
In my original transcription I commented that the beautiful chorus guitar 
part can only be played with the D string tuned up to E, but that the A 
string could either be tuned up to B or it could be kept at the usual A.
I originally wrote out the chords/tab with the A string tuned up a tone
to B, but having seen some live footage, it's clear that the tuning Jonny 
plays it in keeps the 5th string tuned to A (only the D string tuning is
altered). I've now updated the transcription to use the EAEGBE tuning.

The chorus guitar part, as played by Jonny, isn't affected either way, but 
if you're playing the song on unaccompanied guitar, you can make use of the 
open A string in the chorus to fill out the sound a little on the A chords. 
==========================================================================


This track was the one that stood out for me on the first listening to the 
superb new Radiohead album "In Rainbows". Previously known as "Big Ideas", 
it's been performed live for a number of years, but this is the first time 
it's been released as an official album version.

Most of the guitar featured in the song is an electric guitar, but there's 
some acoustic (nylon string) guitar that joins in on the choruses.

It's the delicate arpeggio-style riff played on the electric guitar in the 
choruses that's one of the highlights of the song for me. After trying to 
work this part out I realised it must be using an alternative tuning (even 
though the rest of the song sounds very much like a standard tuning guitar 
part).

The chorus guitar part uses pull-offs on the 1st and 4th string which 
always end on an open string tuned to E - this is the only way to get the 
beautiful sustained, ringing sound as part of the chorus riff. The tuning 
used in this transcription is EAEGBE, so only the 4th string is different 
to standard tuning (tuned up a tone from D to E).  

There are several parts of the song with no guitar featured at all. I've 
written chords in brackets here to show the basic harmony, so use these 
shapes if you want to play throughout the whole song.

Lyrics are written out just below the corresponding chords, and where 
guitar tab is also written out this goes under the lyrics and chords.

(Make sure the tab is displayed correctly by checking that the tab for 
each string is exactly the same length)


Tuning
-------
The electric guitar is tuned (low to high) to: EAEGBE.
(i.e. tune the D string up one tone)

For those familiar with the "Joni Mitchell" tunings notation, the tuning 
would be written as: E57345

The acoustic guitar that joins in on the choruses is in standard tuning.


Tab notation
-------------
p = pull-off
\ = slide down 


Intro:
-------
(Am/E) (E) (Am/E) (E)

(drums enter at 0:12)

(A(V))  (C#m)  (A(V))  (G#m)  (Amaj7)  (A)  


Verse:
-------

The picking pattern in the second half of the verse looks more complicated 
than it is. Just fret the appropriate chord shape and using thumb and finger, 
pick pairs of strings starting with 6th (lowest) string together with the 4th, 
and working up and down. 

For the shapes where the add2 variation is worked in, the picking pattern 
remains the same, you simply add/remove a finger from the fretting hand to 
the appropriate fret on the 4th string to change the note in the chord.


(bass enters at 0:40)

(G#m)           (G#) 
  Don't get any    big ideas

(A)       (E)       (C#m)     (B)
  They're not gonna happen


(guitar enters)


  G#m                        G#  
       You paint yourself white  and   fill all the noise

E--------4------------4------------4-----------4-------
B------4---4--------4---4--------4---4-------4---4-----
G----4---4---4----4---4---4----5---5---5---5---5---5---
E--4---4---4----4---4---4----4---4---4---4---4---4-----
A----6-------6----6-------6----6-------6---6-------6---
E--4------------4-----------(4)----------4-------------



  A Aadd2         E             C#m C#madd2 C#m  C#madd2  
     but they'll be         something missing

E--------5-------------0---------------9-----------9------
B------5---5---------0---------------9---9-------9---9----
G----6---6---6-----1---1-----------9---9---9---9---9---9--
E--5---5---7-----0---0-----------9---9---11--9---9---11---
A----7------(7)----2---------------11------11--11------11-
E--5-------------0---------------9-----------9------------


   Badd2
                     Now that you've 

E--------7-----------7---------------------------------
B------7---7-------7---7-------------------------------
G----8---8---8---8---8---------------------------------
E--7---7---9---7---7---9-------------------------------
A----9-------9---9-------------------------------------
E--7-----------7---------7\----------------------------


Chorus:
--------

Note: the chord names written out above the lyrics and guitar tab give the 
overall harmony, based mostly on what the electric guitar plays. The 
acoustic guitar that joins on the chorus plays "plain" chords, without the 
7th and add2 variations (i.e G#m, A, C#m etc).

The main (electric) guitar part featured in the chorus uses percussive 
strums across damped strings as part of the idea (marked with x in the 
tablature below). The strings should be lightly damped with the strumming 
hand as the strings are strummed. You'll need to experiment with amp/tone 
settings to get the right sound for this percussive strum. Overall, the 
part should be played very softly and delicately, allowing the open strings 
from the pull-offs to sound clearly (though note that the open 4th string 
is stopped by the xxx percussive strum soon afterwards).

The fingering works out nicely if you use a xx4442 chord shape for the 
damped/muted strum, and then use the first finger for both pull-offs, so 
that the first finger moves between 1st and 4th string while the 3rd and 
4th fingers stay on the 3rd/2nd strings. 

Use a similar idea for the shapes higher up the neck (fingering xx7657 for 
the muted strum, then again switching the first finger between 1st/4th 
string for the pull-offs).

Although the A string isn't used in the chorus on the original version, if 
you're playing on unaccompanied guitar you might want to play the open A 
string on the Aadd2 sections to help fill the sound out with the low A.



                     G#m7                         
 found           it,               it's

E-----------2p0---------------2p0-------
B----(4)---x----4--------4---x----4-----
G----(4)--x-------4---------x-----------
E----(4)-x----------2p0----x-------(5)--
A---------------------------------------
E--(4)----------------------------------



  Aadd2
 gone                          now that you

E-------------7p0---------------7p0-------
B------5-----x----5-------5----x----5-----
G-----------x-------6---------x-------(6)-
E--7p0-----x----------7p0----x------------
A-----------------------------------------
E-----------------------------------------


     G#m7                                   Aadd2
feel              it,              you    don't              you've gone off the 

E----------2p0---------------2p0---------------7p0--------------7p0---
B-----4---x----4--------4---x----4--------5---x----5-------5---x----5-
G--------x-------4---------x-----------------x-------6--------x-------
E-2p0---x----------2p0----x-------(5)-7p0---x----------7p0---x--------
A---------------------------------------------------------------------
E---------------------------------------------------------------------




   C#m7                                Aadd2
 rails

E------------7p0---------7----9p7----------------------------
B-------9---x----9-----------0----9--7-5-------5--------5----
G----------x-------9--------x--------------6-------6---------
E---7p0---x----------7p0---x-----------------7-------7-------
A------------------------------------------------------------
E------------------------------------------------------------



Verse 2:
---------

The guitar strums chords for the first part of this verse. Try using the 
side of your thumb (or pick?) and apply very light pressure, but using a 
fast strumming action to get a quiet and slightly tense strumming sound.



G#m                G# 
  So don't get any   big ideas


A(V)      E         C#m         
  They're not gonna happen

E---------------------------------------------------------
B------------------------------9-------------9------------
G--------------------------9------9------------9----------
E--------------------9--9----9---------9--9-------11------
A---------------------11----------------11-----------11\--
E------------------9-----------------9--------------------



    Badd2

E-------------------------------------------------
B-----------7------7-------------7----------------
G--------8----8------8--------8----8--------------
E--------7------9--------------------9------------
A------9--------------------9---------------------
E---7--------------------7--------------7\--------


(with normal strumming for the rest of the verse, add2 variations are 
briefly used for the A and E chords)

G#  
You'll go to hell 

              A(V)   E     (C#m) (B)
for what your dirty mind is thinking

(guitar plays a single C# note for "thinking")


Chorus
-------

(guitar parts same as first chorus)



Outtro
-------

(E)  (Am/E)  (E)   (Am/E)

(C)  (C/B)  (Am)  (E)




Chord shapes:
--------------

EAEGBE      EAEGBE      EAEGBE      E A  E G B E
000210      020100      575655      9 11 9 9 9 9
 Am/E         E          A(V)           C#m

^^^^^^^

EAEGBE      EAEGBE      EAEGBE     EAEGBE      EAEGBE
464444      x00120      x00220     464544      797877   
 G#m         Amaj7        A          G#          B


EAEGBE      E  A  E  G  B  E       EAEGBE     
577655      9  11 11 9  9  9       799877
 Aadd2           C#madd2            Badd2


EAEGBE      EAEGBE      EAEGBE  
x30010      x20010      x00210
  C          C/B          Am






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Last updated: July 2020