Song:The Root of All Evil
Band:Dream Theater
Album:Octavarium
Bassist:John Myung
Tabbed by Andrew666
I’m a guy from Greece and I was checking the other bass tabs for this song,so I saw that
were all of them for a 6-string bass(John Myung’s).I decided to make my tab for those
a 4-string bass.This is my first tab ever.It took me ages to create this tab so
rate!I would be glad if you put a comment…
Tunning:E-A-D-G
After the intro comes the next riff:
(01:00) RIFF A
G|----------------------------------|
D|--------6-------9---8-6-7-8-------|(play all this 4 times and then
A|--8-6-8---6-7-8---8---------8-9-6-| comes another riff)
E|----------------------------------|
(01:14) RIFF B
G|---------------------------------|-------------------------------|
D|---------------------------------|-----------------------------6-|
A|--8-6-9-8--6-9-8--6-9-8--6-8-9---|--8-6-9-8--6-9-8--6-9-8--6-8---|
E|---------------------------------|-------------------------------|
RIFF B(continued)
G|---------------------------------|--------------------------------|
D|---------------------------------|--------------------------------|
A|--8-6-9-8--6-9-8--6-9-8--6-8-9---|--8-6-9-8--6-9-8--6-9-8-3--4--6-|
E|---------------------------------|--------------------------------|
(01:27) RIFF C
(Proud enough for you to call me arrogant..)
G|-------------------------------|-------------------------|
D|-------------------------------|----------------------6--|(4 times)
A|--8-6-9-8--6-9-8--6-9-8--6-8-9-|--8-6-9-8--6-9-8--6-8----|
E|-------------------------------|-------------------------|
(01:54) RIFF D
(Never could have just a part of it...)
G|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
D|---------6-------9--8-9------------|---------6-------9--8-9--------9-8-|
A|--8-6-8-----6-8---------6-6-6-6-6--|--8-6-8-----6-8----------6-6-6-----|
E|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
RIFF D(continued)
(Getting right down to the heart of it...)
G|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
D|---------6-------9--8-9------------|---------6-------9--8-9------------|
A|--8-6-8-----6-8---------6-6-6-6-6--|--8-6-8-----6-8---------6-6-6-6-6--|
E|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
(02:07) RIFF E
G|----------------------------------|
D|--------6-------9---8-6-7-8-------| (play this 4 times)
A|--8-6-8---6-7-8---8---------8-9-6-|
E|----------------------------------| and then
(02:21) RIFF F
(Dirty enough for me to lust...)
G|-------------------------------|-------------------------------|
D|-------------------------------|-----------------------------6-|
A|--8-6-9-8--6-9-8--6-9-8--6-8-9-|--8-6-9-8--6-9-8--6-9-8--6-8---|X4
E|-------------------------------|-------------------------------|
(02:48) RIFF G
(Driven blindly by our sins...)
G|--------------------------------|------------------------------|
D|--------6-----9--8-9------------|--------6-----9—8-9-------9-8-|
A|--8-6-8---6-8--------6-6-6-6-6--|--8-6-8---6-8-------6-6-6-----|
E|--------------------------------|------------------------------|
RIFF G(continued)
(Entirely ready to live it behind...)
G|--------------------------------|------------------------------|
D|--------6-----9--8-9------------|--------6-----9--8-9----------|
A|--8-6-8---6-8--------6-6-6-6-6--|--8-6-8---6-8--------6-6-6-6--|
E|--------------------------------|------------------------------|
(03:01) RIFF H
(Take all of me...)
G|------------------|------------------|-----------------|
D|------------------|------------------|-----------------|
A|------------------|------------------|-----------------|
E|--6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-|--6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-|--4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4|
RIFF H(continued)
G|-------------------|-----------------|------------------|
D|-------------------|-----------------|------------------|
A|-------------------|--3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3|--3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-|
E|---4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-|-----------------|------------------|
RIFF H(continued)
G|------------------|-------------------|------------------|-----------------|
D|------------------|---------1-1-1-----|------------------|-----------------|
A|------------------|---------------4-4-|--4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-|-4-4-4-4-4--3-3--|
E|--1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-|--1-1-1------------|------------------|-----------------|
RIFF H(continued)
G|------------------|-----------------|-----------------|----------------|
D|------------------|-----------------|-----------------|----------------|
A|------------------|-----------------|-----------------|----------------|
E|--6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-|-6-6-6-6-6--4-4--|-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-|-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3|
RIFF H(continued) (I am ready...)
G|----------------|----------------|------------------|-----------------|------------------|
D|----------------|----------------|------------------|-----------------|------------------|
A|----------------|----------------|------------------|-----------------|------------------|
E|-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2|-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2|--6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-|-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-|--1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-|
RIFF H(continued)
G|-----------------|----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
D|-----------------|----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
A|-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-|-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2|-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-|-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-|
E|-----------------|----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
(03:41) RIFF I
G|----------------------------|----------------------------|------------------------------|
D|---------------6------------|---------------6----------9-|---------------6--------------|
A|--8-8-8--6--8-----8--6--8-9-|--8-8-8--6--8-----8--6--8---|--8-8-8--6--8-----8-8-6-6-8-9-|
E|----------------------------|----------------------------|------------------------------|
RIFF I(continued)
G|------------------------------|
D|---------------6------------9-|
A|--8-8-8--6--8-----8-8-6-6-8---|
E|------------------------------|
(3:56) RIFF J
(Self-centered fear has got a hold of me...)
G|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
D|-----------------6-6---------------|-----------------6-6-----------9-9-|(play this 4 times)
A|--8-8-8-6-6-8-8------8-8-6-6-8-9-9-|--8-8-8-6-6-8-8------8-8-6-6-8-----|
E|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
(04:26) RIFF K
(Help to do for me what I can't do myself...)
G|---------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
D|---------------------------------|-----------------------------------|(play this 2 times)
A|-----------------6-6-------------|----------------6-6------------9-9-|
E|--8-8-8-6-6-8-8------8-8-6-6-8-9-|--8-8-8-6-6-8-8------8-8-6-6-8-----|
(04:40) RIFF L
(Humility now my only hope...)
G|----10---8---10---11---10---8---10-----|
D|-------------------------------------8-| (play this 4 times)
A|--8----8---8----8----8----8---8----9---|
E|---------------------------------------|
(04:55) RIFF M
(I can feel my body breaking...)
G|-------------------------|------------------------|-------------------------|
D|-------------------------|------------------------|-------3-----1-h3-3------|
A|--1-h3-3-3-3---4-p3--3-3-|--1-h3-3-3-3---4-p3--33-|-------------------------|
E|-------------------------|------------------------|-1--1-----1----------1---|
RIFF M(continued) (I can feel my body shaking...)
G|-----------------------|-------------------------|------------------------|
D|-----------------------|-------------------------|------------------------|
A|-----------------------|--1-h3-3-3-3---4-p3--3-3-|--1-h3-3-3-3------------|
E|-4--4-4--4-6-6-6-6-6-6-|-------------------------|---------------4--4-4-4-|
RIFF M(continued)
G|---------------------|----------------------|-------------|
D|---------------------|----------------------|-------------|
A|---------------------|-----------6-6-6-6--6-|8\-----------|(\=slide down)
E|-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-|-1-1-1-1-1------------|-------------|
05:18-05:31 keyboards
(05:31) RIFF N(Keyboard solo)
G|----------------------------------------|---------------------------------------|
D|----------------------------------------|-------------------------------------8-|(play
2
A|--10-8-11-10--8-11-10--8-11-10--8-10-11-|--10-8-11-10--8-11-10--8-11-10--8-10--| times)
E|----------------------------------------|--------------------------------------|
(05:44)
Repeat RIFF A or E (they are the same) x4
(05:58) RIFF O(Guitar solo)
G|-------------------------------|-------------------------------|
D|-------------------------------|-------------------------------|
A|-------------------------------|-----------------------------4-|(play this 2 times)
E|--6-4-7-6--4-7-6--4-7-6--4-6-7-|--6-4-7-6--4-7-6--4-7-6--4-6---|
(06:11) RIFF P(Guitar solo continued)
G|-----------------------------------|------------------------------------|
D|---------6-------9--9-8------------|---------6-------9--9-8---------9-8-|
A|--8-6-8-----6-8----------6-6-6-6-6-|--8-6-8-----6-8----------6-6-6------|
E|-----------------------------------|------------------------------------|
RIFF P(continued)
G|-----------------------------------|-------------------------------------|
D|---------6-------9--9-8------------|---------6-------9--9-8----986-------|
A|--8-6-8-----6-8----------6-6-6-6-6-|--8-6-8-----6-8----------6----98689--|
E|-----------------------------------|-------------------------------------|
(06:25)
Repeat RIFF H (and then go directly to the next)
G|------------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
D|------------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
A|------------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
E|--6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-|-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-6-|-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|
G|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|
D|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|(it’s not
a
A|-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-|-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-|-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3---| new riff,it’s
E|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-------------------| something
an
extension of
H)
(07:18)
Repeat RIFF A or E x4
(07:32) RIFF Q
G|------------------10---8-------------|
D|--------6----------------6-7-8-------|(play this 4 times)
A|--8-6-8----6-7-8-----8---------8-9-8-|
E|-------------------------------------|
(07:47) ENDING
G|---------------|
D|---------------|
A|--8------------|
E|---------------|
I think that this is one of the greatest songs ever!!!!
Also I think that it sounds right played with a 4-string bass.Pleeeeeeeeease rate!!!!