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 AmBack to guitar tabs
Last updated: July 2020
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