NIRVANA - "Plateau" Tablature

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"Plateau" by Curt Kirkwood of the Meat Puppets
from Nirvana Unplugged

Tune your strings down a half step to match the CD.


This song is pretty easy once you get the hang of the fingerstyle, because
the whole thing is based on two chord fingerings just moved around the
fingerboard. Here they are: G:320033 Bb:113331

Intro:
|--3-------6-------3-------6-------3-------6-------1----------------
|-------------------------------------------------------------1-----
|------------------------------------------------------0--------0---
|------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0--------------------
|----2-------5-------2-------5-------2-------5----------------------
|--3-------6-------3-------6-------3-------6-------1-------1--------

Play the above 3 times and then once more with the ending like this:

|-------------1------
|--1-----------------
|------0--------0----
|--------------------
|--------------------
|--1-------1---------


The verse is just like the intro except little variations in the fingerstyle
are thrown in:

|--3-------6-------3------------- -3---------------1-----------------
|--------------------------6----- ---------6------------------1------
|-------------------------------- or ---------------------0--------0----
|------0-------0-------0-------0- -----0-------0---------------------
|----2-------5-------2-------5--- ---2-------5-----------------------
|--3-------6-------3-------6----- -3-------6-------1-------1---------

Also, there is some variation in the ending of the main phrase (like the
intro). Listen to the CD if you want to get all these little quirks exactly.

End the verse with:

|--4---------------|
|------------4-----|
|------0-----------|
|------------------|
|----------3-------|
|--4---------------|


Chorus:

|--3-------3-3-------------------------------------------------------------
|--------3----------------3-------3-------------------------3--------------
|----0--------------------3-------3-------------------------3--------------
|----------------3-3------3-------3---------------3-------3-----3----------
|---------------------1-------------------------------1-------------1------
|--3---3----------------------1-------3---3--------------------------------

|--------3-------------------------------3---------------------------------
|------------3---------3-------3---3---------3---------3-------------------
|------0---------------3-------3-------0---------------3-------------------
|----0---------3-------3-------3-----0---------3-------3-------------------
|------------------1-------------------------------1-----------------------
|--3-----------------------1-------3-----------------------1---------------



Outro:

|--4---------------------4---------6----------------------6\---------------
|------------4-------4-----------------------6-------6---------------------
|----------------0-------------0-----------------0-------------------------
|--------------0-------------------------------0---------------------------
|----------3-------3-------3---------------5-------5-----------------------
|--4-------------------4-----------6---------------------------------------


Guitar 1
|----------------------------------------------------------------0---------
|------2-------0-------3-------0-1-----2-------0-------0-------1-----------
|----2-------2---2---2-------2-------2-------2---2---2-------2-------------
|--2-------2-------0-------0-------2-------2-------3-------0---------------
|--------0---------------3---------------0---------------3-----------------
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Guitar 2
|--------0-----------2---------0---------0---------------------0-----------
|------2-----2---------2-------1-------2-----2-------1-0-------1-----------
|----2---------2---------------0-----2---------2-----2-2-------0-----------
|--2-------------2-0-------0-2-----2-------------2-3-------0-2-------------
|------------------------3-------------------------------3-----------------
|--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Play this 4 times and end with an Asus2 chord. Asus2:x02200


Lyrics:

Many a hand has scaled the grand old face of the plateau.
Some belong to strangers, and some to folks you know.
Holy ghosts and talk show hosts are planted in the sand
to beautify the foothills, shake the many hands.

(CHORUS:)
Nothing on the top but a bucket and a mop and an illustrated book about birds.
You see a lot up there, but don't be scared.
Who needs action when you got words?

When you've finished with the mop then you can stop
and look at what you've done.
The plateau's clean, no dirt to be seen,
and the work, it was fun.

CHORUS

Many a hand began to scan around for the next plateau.
Some say it was Greenland and some say Mexico.
Others decided it was nowhere, except for where they stood.
Those were all just guesses, wouldn't help you if they could.

David Lowenfels
ellipsis@anc.ak.net


From: tmvtzet@cs.vu.nl (Zet van t TM)

"Plateau" - Nirvana with the Meat Puppets
From Nirvana's Unplugged
Tab transcription by Mark van 't Zet (tmvtzet@cs.vu.nl)



INTRO - Main riff

--3-------6-------3-------6-------3-------6-------1-----
------------------------------------------------------1-
----------------------------------------------------0---
------0-------0-------0-------0-------0-------0---------
----2-------5-------2-------5-------2-------5-----------
--3-------6-------3-------6-------3-------6-------1-----

This is played with the following (movable) shapes:
G 320x33
Bb 650x66
Fsus2 1xx011
Sometimes the riff is varied by playing the highest note
on string 2 (B) instead of string 1 (E). Takes a bit of
practising at first. Play it fingerstyle and use you thumb
to rake the E, A and D strings.


VERSE - w/ main riff


PRE-CHORUS - 2/4 time, chordshape is similar to main riff.

--4---------
---------4--
-------0----
------------
------------
--4---------


CHORUS

'Nothing on top but a bucket and a mop and an..

--1/3--------------------------------------------------
--1/3------------------------3---------3---------------
-----------------------------3---------3---------------
------------5---x------------3---------3---------------
------------5---x-----1--------------------------------
---------3-------------------------1-------------------

..illustrated book about birds'

---------------3---------------------------------------
---------------3-----------------6---------------------
---------------------------------7---------------------
---------------------------------8---------------------
---5---------------------------------------------------
---3----------------------/6---------------------------

etc.


PRE-OUTRO

--4----------------4---6-----------------6-------------
---------4-------4------------6--------6---------------
-------------------------------------------------------
------0-------0------------0-------0-------------------
----3-------3------------5-------5---------------------
--4--------------------6-------------------------------


OUTRO

* repeat from *
------------------------------0-----|------------------
--------------0-------2---------1p0-|-----2------------
------2-----2---2---2-------2-------|---2--------------
----2-----2-------0-------0---------|-2----------------
--0-----0---------------3-----------|------------------
------------------------------------|------------------

While the line above is played by a Meat Puppet, Krist plays:

--------0-------------2-------0-----
------------2-----------3-----1-----
--------------2---------------------
----------------2-------------------
------------------------------------
------------------------------------

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