Led Zeppelin - What Is And What Should Never Be guitar tab
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#This file is the author's own work and represents their interpretation of the #
#song. You may only use this file for private study, scholarship, or research. #
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What is And What Should Never Be
Words and Music Jimmy Page and Robert Plant
from Led Zeppelin II (The Brown Bomber)
Transcribed by Ted DaCosta
Here's the words, tab and solo to this great Zep tune. Here's the breakdown.
Verses: Jimmy basically plays and A13 and E9 during the slower verses.
Here's how I form these chords :
A13 E9 and these varied forms
e----------|----0---------7--------------------------------------
B---7------|----7---------0--------------------------------------
G---6------|----7---------7-----7--------------------------------
D---5------|----6---------6-----6--------------------------------
A----------|--------------------7--------------------------------
E----------|-----------------------------------------------------
I suggest to do a little ad-lib with the E9 chord variations until you find
something that works and sounds good to you.
Chorus : (heavy guitar sound with distortion)
notation : h - hammer
p - pulloff
b - bend
e---------------------------------|----------------2-------------------------
B---------------------------------|----------------3--2----------------------
G---------------------------------|-------------2--2--2----------------------
D----5h7---7-7-7p5---5--5--5------|-4--4---4----2--4--2----------------------
A----0-----0---------0--0----0--0-|-0--0-0----0-0-----0--0-------------------
E---------------------------------|------------------------------------------
e---------------------------------|----------------2-------------------------
B---------------------------------|----------------3--2--2-------------------
G---------------------------------|-------------2--2--2--2-------------------
D----7---7---7p5-----5-------5----|-4-4-4-4---2-2-----2--2-------------------
A----0---0-0---------0--0-0----0--|-0-0-0-0---0-0-----0--0-------------------
E-----------------3---------------|----------------------0-------------------
e-----------------------------|
B-4-4-4-4---------------------|
G-4-4-4-4----4---4---4---4----|
D-4-4-4-4----4---4---4---4----|
A-2-2-2-2--0---0---0---0------|
E-----------------------------|
let ring
e-----------------------0-------------|--------|-----------------
B-----------------------0---4--2------|--2-----|-----------------
G-----4---4---4----4----1---4--3------|--2-----|-----------------
D-----4---4---4----4----2---4--4------|--2-----|-----------------
A-----------------------2---2--4------|--0-----|--2--------------
E---4---4---4----4------0------2------|------3b|--0--------------
1/2 step
Jimmy plays slide on the solo (I don't, I'm not the best slide player, so if
you can't, just slide to the notes rather than picking each note, it sounds ok
especially if you add a little delay.)
notation : s = slide (e.g. xsy means pick note x and slide from note x to
note y)
e-------------------------|--------|-------------------|---------------------
B-------------------------|--------|------5--7s9--7s9--|--7s2----------------
G----------9--9s13--11s13-|--11s6--|--4-6----7s9--7s9--|--7s2----------------
D---9--11-----------------|--------|-------------------|---------------------
A-------------------------|--------|-------------------|---------------------
E-------------------------|--------|-------------------|---------------------
e---------12---10-12-10---------------|--------------------------------------
B---7s12----------------10s12---10s12-|-10s12s14-------12--------------------
G-------------------------------------|--------------------------------------
D-------------------------------------|--------------------------------------
A-------------------------------------|--------------------------------------
E-------------------------------------|--------------------------------------
e--14s16--10s12-----------------------|--------------------------------------
B----------------10s12---10-8-10------|--10s14-------------------------------
G-------------------------------------|--------------------------------------
D-------------------------------------|--------------------------------------
A-------------------------------------|--------------------------------------
E-------------------------------------|--------------------------------------
e----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------
B-------14-------14------------14--14----|------14-14-14----14---------------
G--------------------------14------------|----------------------------14-----
D--7s14----14-14------5s14--------------7s14-14----------14------12---14-----
A----------------------------------------|-----------------------12----------
E----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------
e----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------
B-------14-------14------------14--14----|------14-14-14----14---------------
G--------------------------14------------|----------------------------14-----
D--7s14----14-14------5s14--------------7s14-14----------14------12---14-----
A----------------------------------------|-----------------------12----------
E----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------
e----------------------------------------|-------------------7---------------
B----------16----16-------------16--16---|------16-16-16--9--7---------------
G-------16----16----16-------16----------|---16-----------9------------------
D--9s16-----------------9s16-----------7s|16---------------------------------
A----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------
E----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------
e----------------------|-----------------------------------|-------|---|----
B--14s17-16-14---------|--14s12s14--14s12s14--12s14--12s14-|12s9s7s|sss|s2--
G------------------14--|-----------------------------------|-----7s|sss|s2--
D---------------14-----|-----------------------------------|-----7s|sss|s2--
A----------------------|-----------------------------------|-------|---|----
E----------------------|-----------------------------------|-------|---|----
Note that on the solo if you aren't playing slide just bar the A
on the 14th fret and the B on the 16th fret with your ring finger. It allows
you to let the notes ring and makes the fingering very easy.
Sometimes I substitute the following A chord and B chords for the
A on the 14th and the B on the 16th respectivley, but still play the same
notes. Obviously you don't do this if you play the solo with a slide.
A B
e-----9-----------11-----------
B-----10----------12-----------
G-----9-----------11-----------
D------------------------------
A------------------------------
E------------------------------
Outro : Distorted, play to the end of the song. After playing the following
part twice, from the third time on mute the strings in between the notes
that are played to get that "chuka" effect.
e-----------------|-----------------------------------------------------------
B------------9-9--|---------------9-9-9-9-------------------------------------
G------------9-9--|----7---7-7----9-9-9-9-------------------------------------
D---9-9------9-11-|--7-7---7-9----9-9-9-9-------------------------------------
A---9-11-----0----|--7-9---0------7-7-7-7-------------------------------------
E-----------------|---------------0-0-0-0-------------------------------------
Now putting it altogether :
And if I say to you tomorrow, take my hand child come with me.
It's to a castle I will take you, Well what's to be they say will be.
Chorus :
Catch the wind, see us spin, sail-away leave the day, way up high in the sky
hey whoa, But the wind won't blow, you really shouldn't go, it only
goes to show, that you will be mine by taking our time. Oooh Ho whoa.
And if you say to me tomorrow, oh what fun it all would be. Then what's to
stop us pretty baby, but what is and what should never be.
Chorus :
Guitar Solo (with verse rhythym guitar and then into the chorus guitar part)
So if you wake up with the sunrise, and all your dreams are still as new,
and happiness is what you need so bad, well girl the answer lies with you yeah
Chorus :
Outro guitar with ad-lib vocals :
Uh, but a the wind wont blow and we really shouldn't go, and it only goes
to show, whoa, whoa whoa. Got the wind gonna see us spin we're gonna
say leave the day. A do be do ba da 'n' do oh. My my my my my yeah.
Everybody I know seems to know me well, but they say I'm gonna move like
hell. Uh baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, baby ....
As always with my tab versions you better listen to the record to get
the timing straight and the changes. Feel free to make any corrections
because if it don't sound right it probably ain't.