NINE INCH NAILS - "closer" Tablature

Official NINE INCH NAILS Tablature & Sheet Music »

Date: Wed, 18 Dec 2002 18:32:13 EST
John Vettese (spex49d@prodigy.com)
Michael Stutz at118@po.cwru.edu
From: Python1630@aol.com
Subject: n/nine_inch_nails/closer.tab

Title: Closer
(Track 5 on 'Downward Spiral')
By: Nine Inch Nails
(Lyrics by Trent Reznor; Music by Trent Reznor)

Gee wilickers, I sure did have a fun time figuring this one out,
especially since the whole rest of the internet has the same tab
that someone just copied and pasted on to different sites. And
other than the 1 or 2 correct riffs, it sucks. I did find a bass
tab that was different, but I think whoever wrote it was only
playing bass for about 5 minutes at the time. So, I took it upon
myself to write up the first accurate and complete tab for the
song. I've transcribed every riff I heard in the whole song
except the drums and faint backwards piano part (which wouldn't
work anyway). Some of it may not be 100% accurate because its
hard to hear one riff when there's like five staticy synths
layered on top of each other, in addition to a bass and somewhat
staticy electronic drums. But its probably the best tab you'll
find without buying the book.

You could do a pretty good job of this song with just 2 guitars
and a bass, but I threw everything in, in case you wanted it.
Actually Guitars 4 & 5 and Bass 2 barely do anything at all.

Here's how everything's tuned:

Bass - EADG
Bass 2 - EADG
Guitar 1 - eADGBE
Guitar 2 - eADGBE
Guitar 3 - dADGBE
Guitar 4 - eADGBE
Guitar 5 - eADGBE

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

G|---5----33h5p3---5----30--------------------------------------|
D|-------------------------31^----------------------------------|
A|-3---33--------3---33-----------------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------------------------------------|
Intro/Verse (Bass)
(With bubble-ish wah)

G|--------------------------------------------------------------|
D|--------------------------------------------------------------|
A|---------x1-x2------------------------------------------------|
E|-1-1-1-1------------------------------------------------------|
Chorus (Bass)
(With space invaders-ish wah)

E|---1----------------------------------------------------------|
B|----1---------------------------------------------------------|
G|----------3---4-----------------------------------------------|
D|-3---33-3---4-------------------------------------------------|
A|-3------------------------------------------------------------|
e|-11-----------------------------------------------------------|
Chorus (Guitar 1)
(Synth-ish sounding guitar)

E|----------------------------3333-4444-------------------------|
B|-35555555-35555555-66666666-----------------------------------|
G|--------------------------------------------------------------|
D|--------------------------------------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------------------------------------|
e|--------------------------------------------------------------|
Verse 2 (Guitar 1)
(Ticking sound)

E|----------------------------3~~~/12~~-------------------------|
B|-5~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-6~~~~~~~-----------------------------------|
G|--------------------------------------------------------------|
D|--------------------------------------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------------------------------------|
e|--------------------------------------------------------------|

or

E|--------------------------------------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------------------------------------|
G|--------------------------------------------------------------|
D|----------------------------5~~~/14~~-------------------------|
A|-7~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-8~~~~~~~-----------------------------------|
e|--------------------------------------------------------------|
Verse 2/Bridge (Guitar 2)
(Synth, I'm not sure which octave it is)

E|--------------------------------------------------------------|
B|---------------4-4--------------------------------------------|
G|-2---2-3-3-5-5-5-5--------------------------------------------|
D|-0h3-3-5-5-6-6------------------------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------------------------------------|
e|--------------------------------------------------------------|
Chorus 2 (Guitar 2)
(Synth, sounds like organ, kinda; at first its hard to
hear the 0h3 and it just sounds like 3)

G|--------------------------------------------------------------|
D|(3334)--------------------------------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------------------------------------|
E|-1112---------------------------------------------------------|
Bridge 1 (Bass)
(With space invaders-ish wah; the 3334 isn't really there
but sounds good)

E|--------------------------------------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------------------------------------|
G|-------6-5----------------------------------------------------|
D|-2-2-3-6-5-6-7-6-88-654---------------------------------------|
A|-2-2-3-4-3-6-7-6-88-654---------------------------------------|
d|-2-2-3-----6-7-6-88-654---------------------------------------|
Bridge 1 (Guitar 3)
(With static/fuzz effect on)

E|--------------------------------------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------------------------------------|
G|--------------------------------------------------------------|
D|--------------------------------------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------------------------------------|
e|-(xx)-13p8-13p8-13p8-13p8-13--8h13-8h13-13p8-13p8-13----------|
Bridge 2 (Guitar 1)
(Synth, sounds like space invaders/bubble-ish wah; I'm
not sure if the mutes are there)

G|--------------------------------------------------------------|
D|-331----------------------------------------------------------|
A|-----------6-8-8--8---8---------------------------------------|
E|--------------------8---4-------------------------------------|
Bridge 2 (Bass 2)
(With static/fuzz effect; its hard to hear the 331 at
at first because Bass 1 is playing over it and is
louder)

E|-------------|------------------------------------------------|
B|-------------|------------------------------------------------|
G|-------------|------------------------------------------------|
D|-5-5-6-8-89--|--8-8-9-8-12-10---------------------------------|
A|-3-3-4-6-67--|--6-6-7-8-10--8---------------------------------|
e|-------------|------------------------------------------------|
Bridge 3 (Guitar 3)
(With static/fuzz effect; after you play the first part 3
times, sometimes play the second part)

G|--------------------------------------------------------------|
D|--------------------------------------------------------------|
A|-3/-----------------------------------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------------------------------------|
Bridge 4 (Bass 2)
(With heavy static, slide slowly from between the 2nd and
3rd frets to on top of the 3rd, then slowly release the
string into a harmonic position)

E|--------------------------------------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------------------------------------|
G|--------------------------------------------------------------|
D|--------------------------------------------------------------|
A|----------------6---------------------------------------------|
e|-8-6-8-66-8-6-8-----------------------------------------------|
Bridge 4 (Guitar 1)
(Synth, sounds kinda organ-ish)

E|--------------------------------------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------------------------------------|
G|--------------------------------------------------------------|
D|-8-7-----------8-7-----------8-7-----------8-7----------------|
A|-6-5h6p5h6p5---6-5h6p5h6p5---6-5h6p5h6p5---6-5h6p5h6p5--------|
d|--------------------------------------------------------------|
Bridge 4 (Guitar 3)
(With static/fuzz effect; you probably won't hear the
hammer-ons and pull-offs at first on the cd, they're
faint but they're there)

E|--------------------------------------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------------------------------------|
G|--------------------------------------------------------------|
D|-9/8/7--------------------------------------------------------|
A|-7/6/5--------------------------------------------------------|
e|--------------------------------------------------------------|
Bridge 4 (Guitar 4)
(With static/fuzz effect; starts slightly before the last
chord on Guitar 3's riff)

E|--------------------------------------------------------------|
B|--------------------------------------------------------------|
G|-12~~10~~-10~~9~~-8~~7~~-3-3-2-5------------------------------|
D|-10~~-8~~--8~~7~~-6~~5~~-1-1-0-3-5~~--------------------------|
A|---------------------------------3~~--------------------------|
e|--------------------------------------------------------------|
Bridge 4 (Guitar 5)
(Synth)

E|--------------------------------------------------------------|
B|-20~~18~~-18~~17~~-16~~15~~-11-11-10-13-----------------------|
G|--------------------------------------------------------------|
D|---------------------------------------(10)-------------------|
A|--------------------------------------------------------------|
e|--------------------------------------------------------------|
End (Pick a guitar, any guitar)
(Piano; on the 2nd time leave out the 10 and let the 13
ring)

Return to NINE INCH NAILS Tablature »

Official NINE INCH NAILS Tablature & Sheet Music »