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American High by Machine Head
American High
Tuning (this tab): Drop B [ B F# B E G# C# ]
Tuning: Drop B (B F# B E G# C#)
E:|--0-----------------------------| This is the main riff excluding the
B:|--0-----------------------------| first three open notes. The rest of
G:|--0-----------------------------| the song uses this riff though at
D:|--------------------------------| times it may be extended slightly.
A:|--------------------------------| (Played 12x)
D:|----0-13-0-13-0-13-0-13-0-13-0--|
E:|--------------------------------| One guitar plays this twice during the
B:|--15h16-15h16-15h16-15h16-------| verse while the other just slides his
G:|--------------------------------| hand around on the fretboard. It's
D:|--------------------------------| easy to get the hang of the song after
A:|--------------------------------| listening to it. (Play 2x)
D:|--------------------------------|
E:|--------------------------------| Main riff comes in again, on the last
B:|--------------------------------| go through, hammer on repeatedly to
G:|--------------------------------| extend the riff a bit. (Play 4x)
D:|--------------------------------|
A:|--------------------------------|
D:|-0-13-0-13-0-13-0-13-0-13-0-----|
E:|--------------------------------| Once again, one play plays this and
B:|--15h16-15h16-15h16-15h16-------| the other slides his hand around the
G:|--------------------------------| neck. (Play 4x)
D:|--------------------------------|
A:|--------------------------------|
D:|--------------------------------|
E:|--------------------------------| Chorus. Play 2x
B:|--------------------------------|
G:|-----------7/138-------75/8---|
D:|--------------------------------|
A:|-----------5/116-------53/6---|
D:|--/17-0000---------0000---------|
.... ....
E:|--------------------------------------| Chorus Cont. Hit each note
B:|--------------------------------------| 8 times. (Play 1x)
G:|--77777777----------55555555-88888888-|
D:|-----------66666666-------------------|
A:|--55555555-66666666-33333333-66666666-|
D:|-----------66666666-------------------|
E:|--------------------------------------| Chorus Cont. Hit each note
B:|--------------------------------------| 8 times. (Play 1x)
G:|--77777777----------10101010-13131313-|
D:|-----------66666666-------------------|
A:|--55555555-66666666-88888888-11111111-|
D:|-----------66666666-------------------|
E:|--------------------------------------| Interlude. Played clean but
B:|--------------------------------------| sounds good with distortion
G:|--2-1-5-8-2-1-10-2-1-5-8-2-1-10-5-----| too. (Played 1x)
D:|--0-1-5-8-0-1-10-0-1-5-8-0-1-10-5-----|
A:|--------------------------------------|
D:|--------------------------------------|
E:|--------------------------------------| Heavy part. Played along with
B:|--------------------------------------| the riff below. (Played 4x)
G:|--------------------------------------|
D:|--0-0-0--0-0-0--0-0-0--6-6-6-6--------|
A:|--0-0-0--0-0-0--0-0-0--6-6-6-6--------|
D:|--0-0-0--0-0-0--0-0-0--6-6-6-6--------|
. . . . . . . . .
E:|--------------------------------------| Heavy part. Played along with
B:|--------------------------------------| the riff above. (Played 8x)
G:|-----------------------8-8-8-8--------|
D:|--0-0-0--0-0-0--0-0-0--6-6-6-6--------|
A:|--0-0-0--0-0-0--0-0-0-----------------|
D:|--0-0-0--0-0-0--0-0-0-----------------|
. . . . . . . . .
E:|--------------------------------------| Played right after but I don't
B:|--------------------------------------| think this is right.
G:|--88888888888888888888888888888888----|
D:|--66666666666666666666666666666666----|
A:|--------------------------------------|
D:|--------------------------------------|
E:|--------------------------------------| Chorus.
B:|--------------------------------------| (Played before lower riff)
G:|--77777777----------55555555-88888888-| (Played 3x)
D:|-----------66666666-------------------|
A:|--55555555-66666666-33333333-66666666-|
D:|-----------66666666-------------------|
E:|--------------------------------------| Chorus
B:|--------------------------------------| (Played after upper riff)
G:|--77777777----------10101010-13131313-| (Played 3x)
D:|-----------66666666-------------------|
A:|--55555555-66666666-88888888-11111111-|
D:|-----------66666666-------------------|
E:|--------------------------------------| Main riff
B:|--------------------------------------| (Played 4x)
G:|--------------------------------------|
D:|--------------------------------------|
A:|--------------------------------------|
D:|--0-13-0-13-0-13-0-13-0-13-0----------|
| / slide up
| slide down
| h hammer-on
| p pull-off
| ~ vibrato
| + harmonic
| x Mute note
--------------------
version 2
Tuning: B F# B E G# C#
PM - Palm mute
h - Hammer on
p - Pull off
/ - Slide up
- Slide down
Intro
|----------------------------|
|----------------------------|
|----------------------------| x12
|-5---5h6-5h6-5h6-5h6--5h6p5-|
|-5---5h6-5h6-5h6-5h6--5h6p5-|
|-0---5h6-5h6-5h6-5h6--5h6p5-|
PM- --- --- --- --- -----
Verse
|----10----10-|
|-14----14----|
|-------------| x7
|-------------|
|-------------|
|-------------|
|----------------------------|
|----------------------------|
|----------------------------| x4
|-5---5h6-5h6-5h6-5h6--5h6p5-|
|-5---5h6-5h6-5h6-5h6--5h6p5-|
|-0---5h6-5h6-5h6-5h6--5h6p5-|
PM- --- --- --- --- -----
Verse
|----10----10-|
|-14----14----|
|-------------| x7
|-------------|
|-------------|
|-------------|
Chorus
|-------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------|
|----------7-6--6/128-----------7-6--63/7-| x2
|-5-5-5-5---------------5-5-5-5-------------|
|-5-5-5-5--5-4--4/106--5-5-5-5--5-4--41/5-|
|-5-5-5-5---------------5-5-5-5-------------|
PM- - - - - - - -
|---------------------------------|
|---------------------------------|
|---------------------------------|
|-3-3-3-3-0-0-0-0-3-3-3-3-5-5-5-5-| x4
|-3-3-3-3-0-0-0-0-3-3-3-3-5-5-5-5-|
|-3-3-3-3-0-0-0-0-3-3-3-3-5-5-5-5-|
|----------------------------|
|----------------------------|
|----------------------------| x4
|-5---5h6-5h6-5h6-5h6--5h6p5-|
|-5---5h6-5h6-5h6-5h6--5h6p5-|
|-0---5h6-5h6-5h6-5h6--5h6p5-|
PM- --- --- --- --- -----
|----10----10-|
|-14----14----|
|-------------| x7
|-------------|
|-------------|
|-------------|
Chorus
|-------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------------|
|----------7-6--6/128-----------7-6--63/7-| x2
|-5-5-5-5---------------5-5-5-5-------------|
|-5-5-5-5--5-4--4/106--5-5-5-5--5-4--41/5-|
|-5-5-5-5---------------5-5-5-5-------------|
PM- - - - - - - -
|---------------------------------|
|---------------------------------|
|---------------------------------|
|-3-3-3-3-0-0-0-0-3-3-3-3-5-5-5-5-| x4
|-3-3-3-3-0-0-0-0-3-3-3-3-5-5-5-5-|
|-3-3-3-3-0-0-0-0-3-3-3-3-5-5-5-5-|
|------|
|------|
|-123-| x1
|------|
|-101-|
|------|
Bridge - Clean (no distortion)
|------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------|
|-1--3--5--3--1--8--6--8--6--7--6--5--4--5-| x1
|-1--3--5--3--1--8--6--8--6--7--6--5--4--5-|
|------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------|
Resume distortion
|---------------------10----10----|
|------------------------14----14-|
|---------------------------------|
|-0--0--0--0--0-0-0---------------|
|-0--0--0--0--0-0-0---------------|
|-0--0--0--0--0-0-0---------------|
PM- - - - - - -
|-------------------------10----10----|
|----------------------------14----14-|
|-------------------------------------|
|-0-0--1--0-0--1--0-0--1--------------|
|-0-0--1--0-0--1--0-0--1--------------|
|-0-0--1--0-0--1--0-0--1--------------|
PM- - - - - -
|-10----------------------------------------------------| |--10--|
|----14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-14-| |--14--|
|-------------------------------------------------------| x1 |------| x17
|-------------------------------------------------------| |------|
|-------------------------------------------------------| |------|
|-------------------------------------------------------| |------|
|---------------------------------|
|---------------------------------|
|---------------------------------|
|-3-3-3-3-0-0-0-0-3-3-3-3-5-5-5-5-| x6
|-3-3-3-3-0-0-0-0-3-3-3-3-5-5-5-5-|
|-3-3-3-3-0-0-0-0-3-3-3-3-5-5-5-5-|
|----------------------------|
|----------------------------|
|----------------------------| x4
|-5---5h6-5h6-5h6-5h6--5h6p5-|
|-5---5h6-5h6-5h6-5h6--5h6p5-|
|-0---5h6-5h6-5h6-5h6--5h6p5-|
PM- --- --- --- --- -----
I was that kid sittin'
over in the corner,
smiling with a shit-eating grin
And I was that kid smilin' in
the back of class
'cause I'm fryin' on mescaline
I was that kid drinkin' 40's
on the bleachers
getting drunk after school
Gettin' home too late,
fallin' on my face,
way too drunk to skate
and actin' a fool
Drunk and actin' a Fool
I was that kid never doing
good at
nothing except for maybe
at P.E.
And I was that kid getting
bullied by the
Filipinos rolling with ABT
Me and my friends reading
the satanic bible thinking
we should start a band
Cutting class to jam,
cutting class to jam
In my dad's garage we
learned to
Act a fool - don't need to
be cool
Pissed off too and
breaking the rules
Mama told me stay in
school
don't rock 'n roll
But this is my American
high
I was that kid that was
crank-calling
your girlfriend, couldn't
get a goddamn date
And I was that kid that was
getting hella busted for
pissin' on the bart train
I fuckin' hated school
except for hanging out
with my friends, the
outcast that was
startin' up a band
Fremont was the town,
California-bound,
bay area sound, taught me
to
Act a fool - don't need to
be cool
Pissed off too and
breaking the rules
Mama told me stay in
school
don't rock 'n roll
But this is my American
high
I'm that kid you tried to
punk in English class
Now I'm in a band and
you're kissing my...
Asteroids beat out homework
Slayer beat out Zeppelin
Not the sharpest noggin
that's why I'm in this band
And what you got against
me, I don't need a new job
What you got against me,
I'll get by on my own
Tellin' me I'm never getting
by from my songs
I love it when you're
proven wrong
Act a fool - don't need to
be cool
Pissed off too and
breaking the rules
Mama told me stay in
school
don't rock 'n roll
But this is my American
high
Act a fool - don't need to
be cool
Break the rules
'cause this is my American
high.
-------------