rocket -- by Smashing Pumpkins
------
Okay, after the nearly-seven-minute-long Hummer, the chops deserve a
little break, and that's what this tune, Rocket, provides us with. The
most interesting and exciting thing about this song is the prominent the
of the Boss Octave pedal in combination with the slide/bend guitar. To
acheive this effect, you need to turn down the direct level on the Octave
pedal, and turn up both the 1 Octave Down and 2 Octave Down knobs. This
creates a very thick pseudo-synth guitar sound that make this song what it
is. Anyways, here we go:
intro (from Guitar World March 94, the rest is mine)
repeat 3x------------------|then play this 1x keep repeating this
| main riff through
--------------------5---------------------------5------- the first verse up
------3----5p3---3----------------3----------3---------- until the chorus
----0---0------0------0-3-------0---0--5p0-0------0-3---
--5---------------------------5-------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------
Some little tremolo guitar floats through in the second bar after the intro:
-----
--7--
--7-- or something like that, just turn up the tremolo knob on your amp ;)
-----
--5--
-----
Bleed in your own light dream of your own life
I miss me I miss everything
right before the chorus play these two chords (or something similar):
----------------------------------
----------------------------------
--5-5--5-5-5----------------------
--2-2--5-5-5--etc-----------------
--0-0--3-3-3----------------------
----------------------------------
everything... I'll never be
G D F C G D F C
and on and on...
G D F C
I torch my soul to show the world that I am pure deep inside my
G D F C
heart....heart no lie...(??)
the lead line over the chorus is as follows:
------------------------------------------
-----------------10--------13------10p8--- repeat this
---0--0--0-----11--11----14--14---9----9-- 4x
------------/12-------/15-------10--------
------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------
now here's the beginning of that interesting octave pedal work. This
part does not use a slide, but make the B string bends very fast.
Repeat this entire line 2x with the main riff underneath.
with octave pedal
------------------------------------------------------------------5h7-7b8b7--
-6-8-8b10b8--6-8-8b10b8--6-8-8b10b8---6-8-8b10b8--6-8-8b10b8--6h8------------
------------------------------------4----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now under the 2nd verse, along with the main riff, play this part. Turn the
direct volume all the way down and turn Octave & Octave 2 all the way up,
and break out the slide. If you don't have an octave pedal or a slide, play
the bottom notes in the brackets -- that's the equivalent, only not synth.
Another way to play it is to do bends, which is tough, but effective.
A crown of thorns, an image formed, deformed
The mark I've borne, a mark of scorn.. to you
---12\10--7/10--------------------------7\5----8\7---7/10----
----------------10/12--10\8------10\8------------------------
---[9\7]-[4/7]-----------------------------------------------
----------------[7/9]--[7\5]-----[7\5]-[9\7]-[10\9]-[9/12]---
---[7\5]-[2/5]-----------------------------------------------
----------------[5/7]--[5\3]-----[5\3]-[7\5]--[8\7]-[7/10]---
Now play these chords over the lyrics with the following lead:
C G
Consume my love devour my hate only powers my escape
C D
The moon is out the stars invite I think I'll leave tonite
use slow bends: fast bends:
---8b10-----------12b15---10b12-10-10--8-10-10b12b10-10--8-10-10b12b10-10-
----------9b10p8----------------------------------------------------------
--[5/7]-----------[9/12]--------------------------------------------------
---------[6b7\5]----------------------------------------------------------
--[3/5]-----------[7/10]--------------------------------------------------
---------[4b5\3]----------------------------------------------------------
---8-10-10b12b10--8-10-10b12b10--10------
-----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------
D A C G vib
--------------------------------------------
-------------------------12b13b12b13b12/15--
-------------------------[4/-5\-4/-5\-4/7]--
--------------------------------------------
-------------------------[2/-3\-2/-3\-2/5]--
--------------------------------------------
Soon I find myself alone
D A C G
----------------------15h17-15h17-15---
---------------------------------------
---------------------[12/14-12/14-12]--
---------------------------------------
---------------------[10/12-10/12-10]--
---------------------------------------
To relax and fade away
D A C G
----------17\15---------------------
-----17---------------------17\15---
-----[9]-[14\12]------------[9\7]---
------------------------------------
-----[7]-[12\10]------------[7\5]---
------------------------------------
Do you know what's coming down
D A C
-------------------------------------
---15--17--12---13---12---13---12----
---[7]-[9]---------------------------
-----------[9]-[10]--[9]-[10]--[9]---
---[5]-[7]---------------------------
-----------[7]--[8]--[7]--[8]--[7]---
Do you know I couldn't stay..
G D F C
-------17\15-----
-----------------
------[14\12]----
-----------------
------[12\10]----
-----------------
free?
G D F C
---------------------------------------------------------
-----------15-13-12-13-12----12--------------------------
--------------------------14----14-12-14-14-14-------12--
-----------------------------------------------12-14-----
---------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------
I shall be free
G D F C
----------15-14--------15-14------------------------------
----------------15-----------15-----15-13-12-13-12--------
-------------------14-----------14-----------------12-12--
----------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------
I shall be free I shall be free I shall be
G D F C
----------------------------22-20-19-20-19----19------------
--15-13-12-13-12----12---------------------22----22--19b20--
-----------------14----14-----------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
free free freed of those voices inside me
break and play this super fuzzed-out riff twice alone, and repeat it through
the end of the song before the climbing G chord:
vib vib
--------------------------------------------------------------------
------8h12-12----------13p12-12----8h12-12---15p12---13p12---13p12--
---0-----------0--0-0------------0-----------------0-------0--------
--------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Go into the "I shall be free" chorus and repeat 6x, slowing on the last two
times. Also play the octave-bending riff, plus this one right before the
climb:
f.h. slow
---------------8-7-----------------8--7---------7b8------------------xxx--
----10(12)b10------8---10(12)b10--------10-10-------10-8-7b8---------xxx--
---------------------------------------------------------------------xxx--
---------------------------------------------------------------------xxx--
---------------------------------------------------------------------xxx--
---------------------------------------------------------------(7)\--xxx--
16th note strumming, neat progression:
---3--4--5--6--7--8--9--10--11--12--13--14--15------------
---3--4--5--6--7--8--9--10--11--12--13--14--15------------
---0--0--0--0--0--0--0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0----
---0--0--0--0--0--0--0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0---0----
---2--3--4--5--6--7--8---9--10--11--12--13--14--14--14\---
---3--4--5--6--7--8--9--10--11--12--13--14--15--15--15\---
