Sultans of Swing
Artist: Dire Straits
>From the album "Dire Straits"
Transcribed & submitted by Greg Eden
Bass tab
This is how I play it. There is another version by Johari Taylor, but I find it
a little fiddly to play (I've not got nimble fingers, obviously).
It gets a little tough on my left thumb, but ingnoring that, this is a
mighty fine song to play on the bass.
Intro:
G :----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
D :----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
A :5-----5-----3---|----------------|-------------3--|5-----5-----3---|
E :----------------|--6-----5-----5-|----5-----5-----|----------------|
G :----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
D :----------------|----------------|3-----3-----3-0-|3-----3-----3-0-|
A :----------------|-------------3--|----------------|----------------|
E :--6-----5-----5-|----5-----5-----|----------------|----------------|
G :----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
D :----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
A :3-----3-----3---|3-----3-----3---|----------------|------------3---|
E :--------------3-|--------------3-|6-----6-----6-3-|6-----6---------|
G :----------------|----------------|----------------|
D :----------------|----------------|----------------|
A :5-----5---3---5-|----------3-----|----------3-----|
E :----------------|6---6---6-------|6---6---6-------|
The verse is basically the same, but there is a change to bars 7 & 8:
G :----------------|----------------|
D :3-----3-----3---|----------------|
A :--------------3-|----------------|
E :----------------|1-----1-----1-3-|
Chorus:
G :----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
D :----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
A :5-----5-3-------|----------3-----|5-----5-3-------|----------3-----|
E :------------6---|--3-4-5-6-------|------------6---|--3-4-5-6-------|
Chorus variations:
G :----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
D :--------7-5-----|----------------|--------7-5-----|----------------| - Variation 1
A :5-----5---------|----------3-----|5-----5---------|----------3-----|
E :------------6---|--3-4-5-6-------|------------6---|--3-4-5-6-------|
G :----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
D :--------7-5-----|----------------|--------7-5-----|----------------| - Variation 2
A :5-----5----7----|----------3-----|5-----5----7----|----------3-----|
E :------------6---|--3-4-5-6-------|------------6---|--3-4-5-6-------|
************************************************
Song structure:
Intro
Verse x 2
Chorus
Verse
Chorus
Verse
Chorus
Intro
Chorus
Chorus x 2 during twiddly solo
Variations 1 & 2
*****************************************************************
-----------------------------------------------------------------
*****************************************************************
Johari's version:
Song Title: Sultans of Swing(corrected version)
Artist: Dire Straits
----------------------------------------------
DIRE STRAITS - "Sultans of Swing" - Bass Tab
Intro:
|-------------|---------------|
|-------------|---------------|
|-5---5-5---5-|-5---5-3-0-3-0-|
|-------------|---------------|
1 2 & 3 4 & 1 2 & 3 & 4 &
Verse:
|--------------|-------------|-------------|--------------|
|*-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------*|
|*-5---5-5---5-|-3---3-1---1-|-0---0-0---0-|-0---0-0---0-*|(x2)
|--------------|-------------|-------------|--------------|
1 2 & 3 4 & 1 2 & 3 4 & 1 2 & 3 4 & 1 2 & 3 4 &
|---------------|---------------|-------------|-------------|
|-3---3---------|-3---3---------|-------------|-------------|
|---------1-3-1-|---------1-3-1-|-3---3-3---1-|-3---3-3-3-2-|
|---------------|---------------|---------3---|-------------|
1 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 2 & 3 4 & 1 2 & 3 4 &
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|There are
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|a few
|-1-----1---1-|-1---0-1---1-|-5---5-----5-|-1-1-1-3---3-|verse
|-----1-------|-------------|-------0-5---|-------------|variations
1 2 & 3 4 & 1 2 & 3 4 & 1 2 & 3 & 4 1 2 & 3 4 &
_________________________
|2.
|-------------|-------------|-------------|
|-------------|-------------|-------------|
|-3---3-3---3-|-1-1-1-3---3-|-3---3-3---3-|
|-------------|-------------|-------------|
1 2 & 3 4 & 1 2 & 3 4 & 1 2 & 3 4 &
Chorus:
|-------------|-------------|-----------|-------------|
|-------------|-------------|-----------|-------------|
|-5-5-5-3---1-|---------0-2-|-3-3-----1-|-3---3-3---3-|
|-------------|-----1-3-----|-------3---|-------------|
1 2 3 & 4 & 1 2 3 & 4 & 1 2 3 4 & 1 2 & 3 4 &
2nd Solo:
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
|-5---5-5---5-|-1---1-1---1-|-3---3-3-----|-3---3-3---3-|
|-------------|-------------|-----------3-|-------------|
1 2 & 3 4 & 1 2 & 3 4 & 1 2 & 3 4 & 1 2 & 3 4 &
Chorus Variation:
|-------2-------|-------------|-------------|-------------|
|---------5-2---|-------------|-------------|-------------|
|-5---5-------1-|-1---1-1---1-|-3---3-3-----|-3---0-3---3-|
|---------------|-------------|-----------3-|-------------|
1 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 2 & 3 4 & 1 2 & 3 4 & 1 2 & 3 4 &
SONG STRUCTURE:
Intro(x4)
Verse(x2)
Chorus(x2)
Verse(x2)
Chorus(x2)
Verse(x1-2nd time ending)
Chorus(x2)
Verse(1st solo)(x1-2nd time ending)
Chorus(x2)
Verse(x1)
Chorus(x2)
2nd Solo(x1)
Chorus(x2)
Chorus Variations(x3)(Fade Out)
Submitted by: Johari Taylor ([email protected])
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