It took me a while, but luckily I happened to read an old interview in a guitar magazine
in which Thurston talked about some of the tunings the band uses, mentioning the
one in Disappearer.
Once I had the correct tuning, things were easier while trying to tab the song.
First of all, to anyone asking me "to tab this in standard tuning", that is not
possible, Sonic Youth (almost) always uses odd tunings, there's nothing I can do about
On the other
hand I can help you achieve the desired tunings.
For this song, the tuning is gonna as follows:
D|--| (Standard high E, down one whole step)
G|--| (Standard B, down 2 whole steps. You can use standard B, if you want)
B|--| (Standard G, up 2 whole steps. You can let in standard G, if you want)
E|--| (Standard D, up one whole step)
C|--| (Standard A, up 1 and a half steps)
C|--| (At first I though this C was one octave lower than the other one but
apparently it sounds better if they both are unisone, so it's up to
you, you can either go up or down from the satandar low E)
Now you have the tuning, here's the tab.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DISAPPEARER - Sonic Youth
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tuning:CCEBGD
INTRO
Guitar 1 (listen to the song to get the correct strumming pattern)
D|-(1-1-1-11-333-1-1-1-11-333-11)-4-4-44-4-4-44------------|
G|--1-1-1-11-333-1-1-1-11-333-11--4-4-44-4-4-44/16-16-1616-|
B|--1-1-1-11-333-1-1-1-11-333-11--0-0-00-0-0-00-0--0--0-0--| X2
E|--1-1-1-11-333-1-1-1-11-333-11--0-0-00-0-0-00-0--0--0-0--|
C|--0-0-0-00-000-0-0-0-00-000-00------0------0--0-----0-0--|
C|--0-0-0-00-000-0-0-0-00-000-00---------------------------|
Guitar 2
D|----------------------------------------|
G|----------------------------------------|
B|----------------------------------------| X2
E|-8r-8-10/11-10-8r-8-10/11-10-8r-7r-/19r-|
C|----------------------------------------|
C|----------------------------------------|
VERSE 1
Both Guitars (I guess)
D|-----------|
G|----00-0-0-|
B|----88-8-8-|X6
E|-88-88-8-8-|
C|-00-00-0-0-|
C|-----------|
(And here it comes again, right out of the rain...)
D|---------------------|
G|----00-0-0----00-0-0-|
B|----88-8-8----66-6-6-|X4
E|-88-88-8-8-66-66-6-6-|
C|-00-00-0-0-00-00-0-0-|
C|---------------------|
(...it turns to me and it turns to gold...)
D|-0-00-0-0--0-0-|
G|-333333-000000-|
B|-444444-333333-|X2
E|-444444-333333-|
C|-000000-000000-|
C|-000000-000000-|
CHORUS 1
(It’s been away too long...)
Guitar 1
D|-1-1-11-1/3-3-3333-|
G|-1-1-11-1/3-3-3333-|
B|-1-1-41-1/3-3-6363-|X4
E|-1-1-11-1/3-3-3333-|
C|-0-0-00-0-0-0-0000-|
C|-0-0-00-0-0-0-0000-|
D|-4-4-44-4-4-44------------|
G|-4-4-44-4-4-44/16-16-1616-|
B|-0-0-00-0-0-00-0--0--0-0--|
E|-0-0-00-0-0-00-0--0--0-0--|
C|-----0------0--0-----0-0--|
C|--------------------------|
Guitar 2
D|--------------------------------------------------------|
G|-----8-----------10----10--------8-----------10---10-12-|
B|--------------------------------------------------------|X2
E|-8-8---8-8/10-10----10----10-8-8---8-8/10-10----10------|
C|--------------------------------------------------------|
C|--------------------------------------------------------|
D|-----|
G|-16r-|
B|-0r--|
E|-0r--|
C|-----|
C|-----|
VERSE 2
(Looking out I thought I saw it blink...)
Both Guitars
D|-----------|
G|----00-0-0-|
B|----88-8-8-|X4
E|-88-88-8-8-|
C|-00-00-0-0-|
C|-----------|
D|---------------------|
G|----00-0-0----00-0-0-|
B|----88-8-8----66-6-6-|X2
E|-88-88-8-8-66-66-6-6-|
C|-00-00-0-0-00-00-0-0-|
C|---------------------|
(...pick it up and turn it on...)
D|-0-00-0-0--0-0-|
G|-333333-000000-|
B|-444444-333333-|X2
E|-444444-333333-|
C|-000000-000000-|
C|-000000-000000-|
CHORUS 2
(It’s been mad, and gone...)
Guitar 1
D|-1-1-11-1/3-3-3333-|
G|-1-1-11-1/3-3-3333-|
B|-1-1-41-1/3-3-6363-|X4
E|-1-1-11-1/3-3-3333-|
C|-0-0-00-0-0-0-0000-|
C|-0-0-00-0-0-0-0000-|
D|-4-4-44-4-4-44------------|
G|-4-4-44-4-4-44/16-16-1616-|
B|-0-0-00-0-0-00-0--0--0-0--|
E|-0-0-00-0-0-00-0--0--0-0--|
C|-----0------0--0-----0-0--|
C|--------------------------|
Guitar 2
D|--------------------------------------------------------|
G|-----8-----------10----10--------8-----------10---10-12-|
B|--------------------------------------------------------|X2
E|-8-8---8-8/10-10----10----10-8-8---8-8/10-10----10------|
C|--------------------------------------------------------|
C|--------------------------------------------------------|
D|-------------------|
G|-16r-/16b-16r-/24b-|
B|-0r------------0---|
E|-0r------------0---|
C|-------------------|
C|-------------------|
Note (At some point I think they used 3 guitars in during the interlude, so in order to
it easier to understand and play I'm going to divide this section into parts)
INTERLUDE PART I
Guitar 1
D|----------13----------13------------------12-------|
G|-----13-----13--13--13--------13------12----12--12-|
B|---13--13-----13--15----13--13--13--12--12----12---| X2
E|-13-----------------------13------12---------------|
C|---------------------------------------------------|
C|---------------------------------------------------|
Guitar 2
D|---------------------------|
G|---------------------------|
B|---------------------------| X2
E|-1r-3/4/3-1r-3/4/3-1r-/17b-|
C|---------------------------|
C|---------------------------|
INTERLUDE PART II
Guitar 1
D|----------13----------13------------------12-------|
G|-----13-----13--13--13--------13------12----12--12-|
B|---13--13-----13--15----13--13--13--12--12----12---| X2
E|-13-----------------------13------12---------------|
C|---------------------------------------------------|
C|---------------------------------------------------|
Guitar 2
D|---------------------------|
G|---------------------------|
B|---------------------------|
E|-1r-3/4/3-1r-3/4/3-1r-/17b-|
C|---------------------------|
C|---------------------------|
D|---------------------------|
G|---------------------------|
B|---------------------------|
E|-1r-3/4/3-1r-3/4/3-1r-/15r-|
C|---------------------------|
C|---------------------------|
Guitar 3 (for the bendings, slowly bend the string the most you can)
D|-10r----------------10r-----------------|
G|-----13-12-10-12-13-----13-12-10-12-14b-|
B|----------------------------------------|
E|----------------------------------------|
C|----------------------------------------|
C|----------------------------------------|
D|-10r----------------10r-----------------|
G|-----13-12-10-12-13-----13-12-10-12-16b-|
B|----------------------------------------|
E|----------------------------------------|
C|----------------------------------------|
C|----------------------------------------|
INTERLUDE PART 3
Both Guitars (Fast strumming)
D|----------------------------------------|
G|----------------------------------------|
B|----------------------------------------|X2
E|----------------------------------------|
C|-55555555557777777744444444444444444444-|
C|-55555555557777777744444444444444444444-|
INTERLUDE PART 4
Guitar 1
D|-----------------------------|
G|-----------------------------|
B|----------------9-11-12-11-9-|X4
E|-12-14-15-14-12-0-0--0--0--0-|
C|-0--0--0--0--0---------------|
C|-----------------------------|
Guitar 2 (if you have a volume pedal, well ... lower the volume a little bit for this part)
D|----------------------------------------|
G|----------------------------------------|
B|----------------------------------------|X4
E|----------------------------------------|
C|-55555555557777777744444444444444444444-|
C|-55555555557777777744444444444444444444-|
INTERLUDE PART 5
Guitar 1
D|-----------|
G|----00-0-0-|
B|----88-8-8-|X6
E|-88-88-8-8-|
C|-00-00-0-0-|
C|-----------|
Guitar 2
D|------------------------------|
G|------------------------------|
B|-----------8------------8-----|X6
E|---------8---8--------8---8---|
C|-0-0-0-0------0-0-0-0-------0-|
C|------------------------------|
VERSE III
Both Guitars
(Looking out I’m back in time to stay...)
D|---------------------|
G|----00-0-0----00-0-0-|
B|----88-8-8----66-6-6-|X2
E|-88-88-8-8-66-66-6-6-|
C|-00-00-0-0-00-00-0-0-|
C|---------------------|
(...it comes alive through and clearer...)
D|-0-00-0-0--0-0-|
G|-333333-000000-|
B|-444444-333333-|X2
E|-444444-333333-|
C|-000000-000000-|
C|-000000-000000-|
CHORUS III
(You’ve been away too long...)
Guitar 1
D|-1-1-11-1/3-3-3333-|
G|-1-1-11-1/3-3-3333-|
B|-1-1-41-1/3-3-6363-|X4
E|-1-1-11-1/3-3-3333-|
C|-0-0-00-0-0-0-0000-|
C|-0-0-00-0-0-0-0000-|
D|-4-4-44-4-4-44------------|
G|-4-4-44-4-4-44/16-16-1616-|
B|-0-0-00-0-0-00-0--0--0-0--|
E|-0-0-00-0-0-00-0--0--0-0--|
C|-----0------0--0-----0-0--|
C|--------------------------|
Guitar 2
D|----------------------------------------------------------|
G|-----8-----------10----10--------8-----------10---10-12-16|
B|----------------------------------------------------------|X2
E|-8-8---8-8/10-10----10----10-8-8---8-8/10-10----10--------|
C|----------------------------------------------------------|
C|----------------------------------------------------------|
OUTRO
Guitar 1
D|-0r-|
G|-0r-|
B|-8r-|
E|-8r-|
C|-0r-|
C|-0r-|
Guitar 2
D|-0r--|
G|-16r-|
B|-0r--|
E|-0r--|
C|-0r--|
C|-----|
So, overall this is the song. There are some arrangements here and there I did not
bother to tab, anyway, hope it helps you play this incredible song by Sonic Youth.