The Approaching Curve Bass Tabs by Rise Against

Song: The Approaching Curve
Artist: Rise Against
Album: The Sufferer & The Witness

This is an excellent song in every way, and I have a lot of comments about it. The
are amazing, it is unique, in that the verses are in spoken word form, and it is also
the most creative song musically for them to date. The music speeds up and slows down
a bit throughout the song; the choruses and parts of the interlude are all played in
and parts of the interlude is in 3/4 time. The only way to tell the difference between
sections played in triplets and the sections in 3/4 time is the time signatures I have
whenever it changes, so look for those, although it doesn’t make much of a difference. I 
tabbed this in Eb tuning because it seems like it would have been played that way,
though it can be played in standard. The notes are arranged according to the song’s
and the font to use when printing this tab would be Courier New, size 9. Enjoy!

VERSE 1   (0:13)

Gb|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
Db|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
Ab|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
Eb|7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-|7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-|5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|

Gb|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
Db|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
Ab|----------------|----------------|----------------|----4-4-5-5-4-4-|
Eb|7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-|7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-|5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|5-5-------------|

Gb|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
Db|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
Ab|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
Eb|7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-|7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-|5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|

Gb|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
Db|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
Ab|----------------|------------5~~/|1010101010101010|1010101010101010|
Eb|3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-|3-3-3-3-3-3-----|----------------|----------------|


Gb|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
Db|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
Ab|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
Eb|7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-|7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-|5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|

Gb|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
Db|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
Ab|----------------|----------------|----------------|----4-4-5-5-4-4-|
Eb|7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-|7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-|5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|5-5-------------|

Gb|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
Db|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
Ab|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
Eb|7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-|7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-|5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|

Gb|----------------|----------------|----------------|------------|
Db|----------------|----------------|----------------|------------|
Ab|----------------|------------5~~/|1010101010101010|12109-109-7-|
Eb|3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-|3-3-3-3-3-3-----|----------------|------------|

CHORUS 1   (0:54)

Gb|------------|------------|------------|------------|
Db|------------|------------|------------|------------|
Ab|5-5-5-5-5-5-|------------|------------|------------|
Eb|------------|5-5-5-5-5-5-|7-7-7-7-7-7-|7-7-7-7-7-7-|  x2

Gb|------------|------------|------------|------------|
Db|------------|------------|------------|------------|
Ab|5-5-5-5-5-5-|------------|------------|------------|
Eb|------------|5-5-5-5-5-5-|2-2-2-2-2-2-|3-3-3-3-3-3-|

Gb|------------|------------|-------------|
Db|------------|------------|-------------|
Ab|5-5-5-5-5-5-|------------|*------------|
Eb|------------|5-5-5-5-5-5-|7~~~~~~~~~~~~|


VERSE 2   (1:19)  -> Play verse 1

CHORUS 2   (1:59)

Gb|------------|------------|------------|------------|
Db|------------|------------|------------|------------|
Ab|5-5-5-5-5-5-|------------|------------|------------|
Eb|------------|5-5-5-5-5-5-|7-7-7-7-7-7-|7-7-7-7-7-7-|  x2

Gb|------------|------------|------------|------------|
Db|------------|------------|------------|------------|
Ab|5-5-5-5-5-5-|7-7-7-7-7-7-|9-9-9-9-7-9-|101010101010|
Eb|------------|------------|------------|------------|

Gb|------------|------------|
Db|------------|------------|
Ab|5-5-5-5-5-5-|------------|
Eb|------------|5-5-5-5-5-5-|


INTERLUDE   (2:22)

Gb|-|-------------|
Db|3|-------------|
Ab|4|-------------|
Eb|-|7-7----------|

Rest 7 bars

Gb|------------|------------|------------|------------|
Db|------------|------------|------------|------------|
Ab|2-2---------|------------|------------|------------|
Eb|----------2-|3-3---------|5-5-------2-|3-3-----5---|

Gb|------------|------------|------------|------------|
Db|------------|------------|------------|------------|
Ab|2-2---------|------------|------------|------------|
Eb|----------2-|3-3---------|5-5-------2-|3-----------|


Gb|------------|------------|------------|------------|
Db|------------|------------|------------|------------|
Ab|2-2---2-----|------------|------------|------------|
Eb|----------2-|3---3---3---|5-5---5---2-|3---3---5---|  x2

Gb|------------|------------|------------|------------|
Db|------------|------------|------------|------------|
Ab|2-2---2-----|------------|------------|------------|
Eb|----------2-|3---3---3---|5-5---5---2-|3-----------|

Gb|------------|------------|------------|------------|
Db|------------|------------|------------|------------|
Ab|2-2---2-----|------------|------------|------------|
Eb|----------2-|3---3---3---|5-5---5---2-|3---3---5---|

Gb|-|------------|------------|------------|------------|
Db|4|------------|------------|------------|------------|
Ab|4|------------|----------5/|101010101010|12109-109-7-|
Eb|-|3-3-3-3-3-3-|3-3-3-3-3---|------------|------------|


CHORUS 3   (2:59)

Gb|------------|------------|------------|------------|
Db|------------|------------|------------|------------|
Ab|5-5-5-5-5-5-|------------|------------|------------|
Eb|------------|5-5-5-5-5-5-|7-7-7-7-7-7-|7-7-7-7-7-7-|  x2

Gb|------------|------------|------------|------------|
Db|------------|------------|------------|------------|
Ab|5-5-5-5-5-5-|7-7-7-7-7-7-|9-9-9-9-7-9-|101010109-7-|
Eb|------------|------------|------------|------------|

Gb|------------|------------|-------------|
Db|------------|------------|-------------|
Ab|5-5-5-5-5-5-|------------|*------------|
Eb|------------|5-5-5-5-5-5-|7~~~~~~~~~~~~|    -3:44


Symbol Legend:

~/   = Let note ring then slide up
x2   = Play this section twice
*    = Fermata - pause; hold note fro longer than its original value
~    = Let note ring
/    = Slide up

That’s it. Any questions, comments, suggestions or corrections would be appreciated.

Click to get the code!