Joy Division - The Sound of Music
This is one of their wilder songs, and one of only two (the other being "Interzone") where one of the band
members makes a lot of weird howling.
For this tab, I am referring mostly to the Peel session (November 1979) version, NOT the regular studio version.
Comparing both, the Peel session is slower and has an overdubbed riff at the end absent in the other version.
The studio version has the howling and a few other vocal/guitar overdubs. Live versions include the ending riff
at the end of the song to replace the chords. The notes played should be identical, however.
Song Structure:
Intro (x1)
Verse (x4)
Arpeggio 1 (x2)
Verse (x3)
Arpeggio 1 (x2)
Arpeggio 2 (x2)
Verse (Play until the end)
Ending Riff (x3)
Optional Last Chords (x1)
Intro. Finger the chord a bit at the beginning of the song before launching into striking the whole chord
(dampened with your fingers, not your palm) and end the 32nd with the undampened chord:
E|--7~-----7~|--x--|-7~-----------------------------------
B|--7~--7~---|--x--|-7~-----------------------------------
G|9----------|--x--|-9~-----------------------------------
D|-----------|--x--|-9~-----------------------------------
A|-----------|--x--|-7~-----------------------------------
E|-----------|--x--|-7~-----------------------------------
(x31)(x1)
Verse. Repeat the x sequence two times and then on the third, strike the undampened chord four times as shown.
E|x--x-x-x--x-x-x-x-x-x-7~|---7-7--7-7---------------------
B|x--x-x-x--x-x-x-x-x-x-7~|---7-7--7-7---------------------
G|x--x-x-x--x-x-x-x-x-x-9~|---9-9--9-9---------------------
D|x--x-x-x--x-x-x-x-x-x-9~|---9-9--9-9---------------------
A|x--x-x-x--x-x-x-x-x-x-7~|---7-7--7-7---------------------
E|x--x-x-x--x-x-x-x-x-x-7~|---7-7--7-7---------------------
(x2)
Arpeggio 1. Make the bend on the 12th fret all the way up, then 1/2
E|--------------------------------------------------
B|--------------------------------------------------
G|7-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-7-9-9-9-9-9-9-7-12b~-7-9-9-9-9----
D|--------------------------------------------------
A|--------------------------------------------------
E|--------------------------------------------------
Arpeggio 2. Finger the B, G, and D strings of the chord a bit at the end of each arpeggio, dampened or not.
E|-----------------------------------------------------
B|--------------------------------------x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
G|--------------------------------------x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
D|7-10-9~---7-10-9~---7-10-9~---10-7~---x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
A|-----------------------------------------------------
E|-----------------------------------------------------
Ending Riff. Most live versions play this at the end, or some minor variation of it. Play after the ending
refrain, "Higher higher higher higher" or after the fourth time Ian and Peter sing it.
E|--------------------------------------------------
B|--------------------------------------------------
G|--------------------------------------------------
D|--------------------------------------------------
A|5-3-5-3-5-3-0-3-5-3-5-3-5-3-0-3-5-3-5-3-5-0-3-3-0-
E|--------------------------------------------------
Optional Last Chords.
E|7~---5~---7~---------------------------------------------
B|7~---5~---7~---------------------------------------------
G|9~---7~---9~---------------------------------------------
D|9~---7~---9~---------------------------------------------
A|7~---5~---7~---------------------------------------------
E|7~---5~---7~---------------------------------------------
