Alter Bridge - "Words Darker Than Their Wings"
From the Album "ABIII"
Tuning - Acoustics in Eb
Electric in Drop Db (DADGBE down 1/2 step)
Tabbed by jjhand
This song is in a fast paced 6/8 time, but the acoustic part repeats
enough to make it not too hard to play. I think I got the notes pretty
close to accurate, but if so, let me know so I can fix it up. Please
rate if its good!
Acoustic Riff (12-string & 6 string, with reverb)
A Db/Ab
eb|-------------------------|-------------------------|
Bb|-------------------------|-------------------------|
Gb|-----3-2-3-------3-2-3---|-----3-2-3-------0-2-0---|
Db|---0-------0---0-------0-|---0-------0---0---------|
Ab|-1-----------1-----------|-0-----------0-----------|
Eb|-------------------------|-------------------------|
B6 Amaj7
|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------2-0---------2-0---|-------2-0---------2-0---|
|---5-0-----0---5-0-----0-|---3-0-----0---3-0-----0-|
|-3-----------3-----------|-1-----------1-----------|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|
A Db/Ab
|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-----3-2-3-------3-2-3---|-----3-2-3-------0-2-0---|
|---0-------0---0-------0-|---0-------0---0---------|
|-1-----------1-----------|-0-----------0-----------|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|
B6 Gb/Bb
|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|
|-------2-0---------2-0---|-------2-0---------2-0---|
|---5-0-----0---5-0-----0-|---5-0-----0---5-0-----0-|
|-3-----------3-----------|-2-----------2-----------|
|-------------------------|-------------------------|
Verse - Play Acoustic Riff 1x, then repeat final bar
Lyrics:
"You say you're alright... I hope that I'm wrong
I know that you try, but still it is gone"
Prechorus - Electric (drop Db tuning)
|-----------------------|-----------------------|---------------------|
|-3----3---3-3----3---3-|-3----3---3-3----3---3-|-3---3-3--3-3--3---3-|
|-2----2---2-2----2---2-|-2----2---2-2p0--0---0-|-2---2-2--2-2--2---2-|
|-----------------------|-----------------------|---------------------| see
|-3----3---3-3----3---3-|-1----1---1-1----1---1-|---------------------| below
|-----------------------|-----------------------|---------------------|
|
| Acoustic, 12-string
|-----------------------|-----------------------|---------------------|
|-8----8---8-8\6--6---6-|-6----6---6-6\3--3---3-|-3-------------------|
|-0----0---0-0----0---0-|-0----0---0-0----0---0-|-2-------------------|
|-----------------------|-----------------------|-0----same pattern---|
|-----------------------|-----------------------|-x-------------------|
|-----------------------|-----------------------|-3-------------------|
Mark: "Just don't you lose hope I swear I'll never
2 "alone. Now don't you let go I swear I still believe
Last bar of prechorus-
Electric
|-----------------------|
|-1----1-1--1-----------|
|-2----2-2--2-0---0---0-|
|-------------3---3---3-|
|-----------------------|
|-----------------------|
|
| Acoustic
|-----------------------|
|-1----1-1--1-----------|
|-2----2-2--2-0---0---0-|
|-3----3-3--3-3---3---3-|
|-3----3-3--3-3---3---3-|
|-1----1-1--1-1---1---1-|
1 "dreamed that we're"
2 "though I don't know"
Play Acoustic Riff again for Verse 2, as before
Lyrics:
"Remember the years I still walked tall
I only feared, now I only crawl"
Prechorus 2 (same riff)
"How could I be wrong?
I hope there comes a day your fear is gone
How could we be lost?
Lost just cease to be not carry on"
After prechorus 2 - played 2x into chorus
|----------------------------|
|-3----3---3-3----3----3---3-|
|-3----3---3-3----3----3---3-|
|-3----3---3-3----3----3---3-|
|-1----1---1-1----1----1---1-|
|----------------------------|
(1:52) Chorus - Distorted Electric, play through 2x, then repeat
Eb|----------------------|---------------------|-----------------------|
Bb|----------------------|---------------------|-----------------------|
Gb|-7---7---7-7----7-7-x-|-5---5-5-5-5---5-5-5-|-3---3-3--3-3---3-3--3-|
Db|-5---5---5-5----5-5-x-|-3---3-3-3-3---3-3-3-|-3---3-3--3-3---3-3--3-|
Ab|-5---5---5-5----5-5-x-|-3---3-3-3-3---3-3-3-|-1---1-1--1-1---1-1--1-|
Db|-5---5---5-5----5-5-x-|-3---3-3-3-3---3-3-3-|-----------------------|
1. "Into the light may you fall Into the light may you"
2. "Into the light may you know Truth alone"
|-----------------------|
|-----------------------|
|-------------5---5---5-|
|-3---3-3-3-3-3---3---3-|
|-0---0-0-0-0-3---3---3-|
|-------------3---3---3-|
1. "follow"
Break- in 4/4 , played 4x with endings shown
Acoustic - with delay
|-----------------------|------------------3----|-----------------------|
|---3------3----3----3--|---3------3----3-------|---1------1--3-1--0-1--|
|--------0---------0----|--------0-----------0--|--------0--------------|
|-3----3------3---------|-2----2------2---------|-1----1----------------|
|-----------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|
|-----------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------|
1st/3rd ending 2nd/4th ending
|---------------------| |---------------------|
|---1----1----0-----0-| |---1----1----0-------|
|----------------2----| |----------------2--0-|
|-0----0----0---------| |-0----0----0---------|
|---------------------| |---------------------|
|---------------------| |---------------------|
(3:05) Heavy Guitar Bridge- Electric (Drop Db tuning), played 2x
D5 Db+ Db5
|---------------------|--------------------|------------------|------------------|
|---------------------|--------------------|------------------|------------------|
|-3----3----3----3----|-3----3p2-2---2-2-2-|-5----5-5-5----5--|-5---5---5---5----|
|-1----1----1----1----|-0----0---0---0-0-0-|-3----3-3-3----3--|-2---2---2---2----|
|-1----1----1----1----|-0----0---0---0-0-0-|-3----3-3-3----3--|-2---2---2---2----|
|-1----1----1----1----|-0----0---0---0-0-0-|-3----3-3-3----3--|-2---2---2---2--0-|
1. "Go never to ask why Or to fear again"
2. "Go set out towards the sun Let the new begin"
line 2:
|---------------------|--------------------|------------------|-------------------|
|---------------------|--------------------|------------------|-------------------|
|-3----3----3----3----|-3----3p2-2---2-2-2-|------------------|-------------------|
|-1----1----1----1----|-0----0---0---0-0-0-|-5--5--5--5--5--5-|-5--5--5--5--5--5--|
|-1----1----1----1----|-0----0---0---0-0-0-|-5--5--5--5--5--5-|-5--5--5--5--5--5--|
|-1----1----1----1----|-0----0---0---0-0-0-|-5--5--5--5--5--5-|-5--5--5--5--5--5--|
1. "Go find your peace tonight"
2. "Go soon your day will come"
(3:43) Play Acoustic Riff 2x with lyrics:
"Your day will come"
Electric Ramp-up part before chorus:
Palm muted**************************** % % %
eb|-------------------------|-------------------------|
Bb|-------------------------|-------------------------|
Gb|-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|-3-3-3-3-3-3-------------|
Db|-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|-3-3-3-3-3-3-------------|
Ab|-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-|-1-1-1-1-1-1--1~--0------|
Db|-------------------------|----------------------0--|
% notes used again in final chorus as it repeats
Play Chorus Again
(4:37) Ending - 2 Electrics in drop Db, played 4x
Rhythm (* = first note in last bar is omitted on final repeat)
|---------------------|--------------------|------------------|-------------------|
|---------------------|--------------------|------------------|-------------------|
|---------------------|--------------------|------------------|-------------------|
|---------------------|--------------------|-1----------------|-*-----------------|
|-5--------/17~-------|-3--------/15~------|-1-------6--5--3--|-2~------5---------|
|-5--------/17~-------|-3--------/15~------|-1----------------|---------5---------|
|
|Lead - All Tremelo picking!
|-13-----TP-----------|-12-----TP----------|-11-----TP--------|-10-----TP---------|
|-16b18--TP-----------|-15b17--TP----------|-14b16--TP--------|-13b15--TP---------|
|---------------------|--------------------|------------------|-------------------|
|---------------------|--------------------|------------------|-------------------|
|---------------------|--------------------|------------------|-------------------|
|---------------------|--------------------|------------------|-------------------|
KEY
************************************
| / slide up
| \ slide down
| h hammer-on
| p pull-off
| ~ vibrato
| + harmonic
| x Mute note
| b Bend
| r Bend release
************************************