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SMOOTH OPERATOR (Bassline)
As recorded by Sade
(From the 1984 Album DIAMOND LIFE)
Words and Music by Helen 'Sade' Adu & Ray St. John
Transcribed by Slowhand
Gtr I (E A D G) - 'Paul S. Denman - Fretless Bass'
Gtr II (E A D G) - 'Paul S. Denman - Fretless Bass'
Intro
Q=120
4/4
Gtr I (Fretless Bass)
Wx3
|--------|
|--------|
|--------|
|--------|
Q E E E E E E Q E E E E E E +E E E E E E E E Q E E E E E E
|----5p4---------||-----------------|-------------------|----------------|
|--------5p4-----||o----------------|-------------------|----------------|
|------------5p4-||o-5----5-4-----3-|-(3)-----3-2-------|-5----5-4-----3-|
|----------------||-----------5-----|-----5---------3---|----------5-----|
+E E E E E E E E Q E E E E E E +E E E E E E E E Q E E E E E E
|-------------------|----------------|-------------------|----------------|
|-------------------|----------------|-------------------|----------------|
|-(3)-----3-2-3---4-|-5----5-4-----3-|-(3)-----3-2-------|-5----5-4-----3-|
|-----5-------------|----------5-----|-----5---------3---|----------5-----|
1st Verse
+E E E E E E E E 3x Q E E Q E S S Q E E Q Q Q E E Q E S S
|--------------------||-----------------|--------------|-------------------|
|-------------------o||-----------------|--------------|-------------------|
|-(3)-----3-2-2-3---o||-5----5----------|-----------3--|-5----5------------|
|-----5--------------||--------5----6p5-|-3----3-5-----|--------5----6p5---|
Q E E Q Q Q E E Q E S S Q E E Q Q Q E E Q E S S
|--------------|-----------------|--------------|-------------------|
|--------------|-----------------|--------------|-------------------|
|-----------3--|-5----5----------|-----------3--|-5----5------------|
|-3----3-5-----|--------5----6p5-|-3----3-5-----|--------5----6p5---|
Q E E E E E E Q E E Q E S S Q E E Q Q Q E E Q E S S
|----------------|-----------------|--------------|-------------------|
|----------------|-----------------|--------------|-------------------|
|----------3---7-|-5----5----------|-----------3--|-5----5------------|
|-3----3-5-------|--------5----6p5-|-3----3-5-----|--------5----6p5---|
Q E E E E Q Q E E Q E S S Q E E Q Q Q E E Q E S S
|---------------|-----------------|--------------|-------------------|
|---------------|-----------------|--------------|-------------------|
|------------3--|-5----5----------|-----------3--|-5----5------------|
|-3----3-5-5----|--------5----6p5-|-3----3-5-----|--------5----6p5---|
Pre-Chorus
$
|-3-| |-3-|
Q E E E E E E Q. E Q Q Q Q. E Q Q Q Q E E Q E E
|----------------||--------------|--------------|---------------|
|----------------||--------5-----|--------7-----|---------------|
|----------3---7-||------5---5---|------7---7---|-5----5-4----4-|
|-3----3-5-------||-3----------3-|-5----------5-|---------------|
|-3-| |-3-| |-3-|
Q E E Q Q Q Q. E Q Q Q Q. E Q Q Q H +Q. E
|--------------|--------------|--------------|---------------|
|--------------|--------5-----|--------7-----|---------------|
|-3----3-2-----|------5---5---|------7---7---|-5----(5)------|
|----------0-2-|-3----------3-|-5----------5-|------------5--|
|--3---| |-3-| |-3-|
H +Q a Q Q Q. E Q Q Q Q. E Q Q Q Q Q E E E E
|-----------------|--------------|--------------|---------------|
|-----------------|--------5-----|--------7-----|---------------|
|-5----(5)-5s7-5\-|------5---5---|------7---7---|----5------3-5-|
|-----------------|-3----------3-|-5----------5-|---------5-----|
Chorus
W Q E E Q E S S Q E E Q Q Q E E Q E S S
|----------||-----------------|--------------|-------------------|
|----------||-----------------|--------------|-------------------|
|----------||-5----5----------|-----------3--|-5----5------------|
|----------||--------5----6p5-|-3----3-5-----|--------5----6p5---|
Q E E E E Q Q E E Q E S S Q E E Q Q Q E E Q E S S
|---------------|-----------------|--------------|-------------------|
|---------------|-----------------|--------------|-------------------|
|------------3--|-5----5----------|-----------3--|-5----5------------|
|-3----3-5-5----|--------5----6p5-|-3----3-5-----|--------5----6p5---|
Bridge
Q E E E E Q Q E E E E E E +E E E E E E E E Q E E E E E E
|---------------||----------------|-------------------|----------------|
|---------------||----------------|-------------------|----------------|
|------------3--||-5--5-----5-----|---------------3---|-5--5-----5-----|
|-3----3-5-5----||------3-5---5-3-|-(3)-1-3-4-5-5---5-|------3-5---5-3-|
To Coda
+E E E E E e Q Q E E E E E E +E E E E E E E E Q E S S E E E E
|------------------|----------------|--------------------|--------------------|
|---------------7--|----------------|--------------------|--------------------|
|------------------|-5--5-----5-----|---------------3----|-5--5-5-5---5-------|
|-(3)-1-3-4-5-5----|------3-5---5-3-|-(3)-1-3-4-5-5---5--|----------5---5-3---|
Bass Solo
Gtr II (Fretless Bass)
|--3--| |---3----|
W Q Q Q Q q E E
|-------------------||------------12-14h15--|
|-------------------||---12-14-15-----------|
|-------------------||----------------------|
|-------------------||----------------------|
|
| Gtr I
| +Q E E +E E q W
|-------------------||----------------------|
|-------------------||----------------------|
|-------------------||-5--------------------|
|-(3)----5-(5)-5-5--||----------------------|
|---3---| |--3--| |-3-| |--3--|
H E E Q Q Q H Q a Q Q Q
|-14---12----------12\--|--------14h15-14-12--|
|---------15-14-15------|-12--12--------------|
|-----------------------|---------------------|
|-----------------------|---------------------|
|
| +W W
|-----------------------|---------------------|
|-----------------------|---------------------|
|-(5)-------------------|---------------------|
|-----------------------|--3------------------|
|--3--| |---3----| |---3----|
Q Q Q Q Q E E Q. S S Q Q E E
|-14-15-14-12-14-14s19--|-19----17-15-17-15-17s19-|
|-----------------------|-------------------------|
|-----------------------|-------------------------|
|-----------------------|-------------------------|
|
| W W
|-----------------------|-------------------------|
|-----------------------|-------------------------|
|-----------------------|--5----------------------|
|--5--------------------|-------------------------|
|--3--| |--3---| |--3--| |--3--|
E +E E E E Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q
|-19--(19)s17-17-15-17--15-14-----|-15-14-15-17-15-14----|
|---------------------------------|----------------------|
|---------------------------------|----------------------|
|---------------------------------|----------------------|
|
| +H +Q. S S W
|---------------------------------|----------------------|
|---------------------------------|----------------------|
|-(5)---------------(5)-----------|----------------------|
|-----------------------------0-0-|--3-------------------|
Sax Solo
|--3---|
Q Q Q Q Q W W W
|-12---------------14\---||---------------|-----------------||----------------|
|-----15------15---------||---------------|-----------------||o---------------|
|--------12--------------||---------------|-----------------||o---------------|
|------------------------||---------------|-----------------||----------------|
|
| Q. E E E e E Q E E Q e E +Q E E Q E E Q E E Q e E
|------------------------||---------------|-----------------||----------------|
|-----------7------------||----7------2---|-----------------||o----7------2---|
|------------------------||-5----0-3------|------5------7---||o-5----0-3------|
|--5-----------5-5--5----||-------------3-|-(3)----3-5----5-||--------------3-|
2nd Verse
Gtr I
+Q E E Q E E 3x Q E E Q E S S Q E E Q Q Q E E Q E S S
|------------------||-----------------|--------------|-------------------|
|-----------------o||-----------------|--------------|-------------------|
|------5------7---o||-5----5----------|-----------3--|-5----5------------|
|-(3)----3-5----5--||--------5----6p5-|-3----3-5-----|--------5----6p5---|
Q E E E E Q Q E E Q E S S Q E E Q Q Q E E Q E S S
|---------------|-----------------|--------------|-------------------|
|---------------|-----------------|--------------|-------------------|
|------------3--|-5----5----------|-----------3--|-5----5------------|
|-3----3-5-5----|--------5----6p5-|-3----3-5-----|--------5----6p5---|
Outro
D.S. al Coda &
Q E E E E E E Q E E E E E E +E E E E E E E E Q E E E E E E
|-----------------||----------------|-------------------||----------------|
|-----------------||----------------|-------------------||----7-----------|
|----------3---7--||-5--5-----5-----|---------3-------3-||-5----------7---|
|-3----3-5--------||------3-5---5-3-|-(3)-3-5---5-3-5---||------5-5-5---3-|
+Q E E E E E E Q E E E E E E +Q E E E E E E Q E E E E E E
|------------------|----------------|------------------|----------------|
|------------------|----7-----------|------------------|----7-----------|
|------5-------7-7-|-5----------7---|------5-------7-7-|-5----------7---|
|-(3)----3-5-5-----|------5-5-5---3-|-(3)----3-5-5-----|------5-5-5---3-|
+Q E E E E E E Q E E E E E E +Q E E E E E E Q E E E E E E
|------------------|----------------|------------------|----------------|
|------------------|----7-----------|------------------|----7-----------|
|------5-------7---|-5----------7---|------5-------7-7-|-5----------7---|
|-(3)----3-5-5---5-|------5-5-5---3-|-(3)----3-5-5-----|------5-5-5---3-|
+Q E E E E E E Q E E E E E E +Q E E E E E E Q E E E E E E
|------------------|----------------|------------------|----------------|
|------------------|----7-----------|------------------|----7-----------|
|------5-------7-7-|-5----------7---|------5-------7---|-5----------7---|
|-(3)----3-5-5-----|------5-5-5---3-|-(3)----3-5-5---5-|------5-5-5---3-|
+Q E E E E E E H Q E E Q E E E E E E +Q E E E E E E
|------------------|-------------|----------------|------------------|
|------------------|-------------|----7-----------|------------------|
|------5-------7---|------3--3-4-|-5----------7---|------5-------7-7-|
|-(3)----3-5-5---5-|-3-----------|------5-5-5---3-|-(3)----3-5-5-----|
Q E E E E E E +Q E E E E E E Q E E E E E E +Q E E E E E E
|----------------|------------------|----------------|------------------*|
|----7-----------|------------------|----7-----------|------------------*|
|-5----------7---|------5-------7---|-5----------7---|------5-------7-7-*|
|------5-5-5---3-|-(3)----3-5-5---5-|------5-5-5---3-|-(3)----3-5-5-----*|
Duration Legend
---------------
W - whole; H - half; Q - quarter; E - 8th; S - 16th; T - 32nd; X - 64th; a - acciaccatura
+ - note tied to previous; . - note dotted; .. - note double dotted
Uncapitalized letters represent notes that are staccato (1/2 duration)
Irregular groupings are notated above the duration line
Duration letters will always appear directly above the note/fret number it represents the
duration for. Duration letters with no fret number below them represent rests. Multi-
bar rests are notated in the form Wxn, where n is the number of bars to rest for. Low
melody durations appear below the staff
Tablature Legend
----------------
h - hammer-on
p - pull-off
b - bend
pb - pre-bend
r - bend release (if no number after the r, then release immediately)
/\ - slide into or out of (from/to "nowhere")
s - legato slide
S - shift slide
- natural harmonic
[n] - artificial harmonic
n(n) - tapped harmonic
~ - vibrato
tr - trill
T - tap
TP - trem. picking
PM - palm muting
\n/ - tremolo bar dip; n = amount to dip
\n - tremolo bar down
n/ - tremolo bar up
/n\ - tremolo bar inverted dip
= - hold bend; also acts as connecting device for hammers/pulls
<> - volume swell (louder/softer)
x - on rhythm slash represents muted slash
o - on rhythm slash represents single note slash
Misc Legend
-----------
| - bar
|| - double bar
||o - repeat start
o|| - repeat end
*| - double bar (ending)
: - bar (freetime)
$ - Segno
& - Coda
Tempo markers - = BPM(8/16=s8/s16), where s8 = swing 8ths, s16 = swing 16ths