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I CAN'T EXPLAIN As recorded by The Who (From the 1965 Album MEATY BEATY BIG AND BOUNCY) Words and Music by Pete Townshend Transcribed by Slowhand Gtr I (E A D G B E) - 'Pete Townshend - Electric 12-string Guitar' Intro Q=140 E D A E D A E 4/4 Gtr I (El. 12-string Gtr. w/ light dist.) E E Q E E Q E E Q E E Q E E Q E E Q E E Q E E Q |---------------|-5-------------|---------------|-5--------------| |-9------7-7----|-5------9-9----|-9------7-7----|-5------9-9-----| |-9------7-7----|-6------9-9----|-9------7-7----|-6------9-9-----| |-9------7-7----|-7------9-9----|-9------7-7----|-7------9-9-----| |-7------5-5----|-7------7-7----|-7------5-5----|-7------7-7-----| |---------------|-5-------------|---------------|-5--------------| Chorus
E E Q DE E Q AE E Q EE E Q EE E Q DE E Q AE E Q EE E Q |---------------|-5-------------||---------------|-5--------------| |-9------7-7----|-5------9-9----||-9------7-7----|-5------9-9-----| |-9------7-7----|-6------9-9----||-9------7-7----|-6------9-9-----| |-9------7-7----|-7------9-9----||-9------7-7----|-7------9-9-----| |-7------5-5----|-7------7-7----||-7------5-5----|-7------7-7-----| |---------------|-5-------------||---------------|-5--------------|
E E Q DE E Q AE E Q EE E Q E E Q DE E Q AE E Q EE E Q |---------------|-5-------------|---------------|-5--------------| |-9------7-7----|-5------9-9----|-9------7-7----|-5------9-9-----| |-9------7-7----|-6------9-9----|-9------7-7----|-6------9-9-----| |-9------7-7----|-7------9-9----|-9------7-7----|-7------9-9-----| |-7------5-5----|-7------7-7----|-7------5-5----|-7------7-7-----| |---------------|-5-------------|---------------|-5--------------|
E E Q DE E Q BE E Q EE E Q E E Q DE E Q AE E Q EE E Q |---------------|-7-------------|---------------|-5--------------| |-9------7-7----|-7------9-9----|-9------7-7----|-5------9-9-----| |-9------7-7----|-8------9-9----|-9------7-7----|-6------9-9-----| |-9------7-7----|-9------9-9----|-9------7-7----|-7------9-9-----| |-7------5-5----|-9------7-7----|-7------5-5----|-7------7-7-----| |---------------|-7-------------|---------------|-5--------------|
1st Verse
E E Q DE E Q AE E Q EE E Q EE E Q DE E Q AE E Q EE E Q |---------------|-5-------------||---------------|-5--------------| |-9------7-7----|-5------9-9----||-9------7-7----|-5------9-9-----| |-9------7-7----|-6------9-9----||-9------7-7----|-6------9-9-----| |-9------7-7----|-7------9-9----||-9------7-7----|-7------9-9-----| |-7------5-5----|-7------7-7----||-7------5-5----|-7------7-7-----| |---------------|-5-------------||---------------|-5--------------|
E E Q DE E Q AE E Q EE E Q E E Q DE E Q AE E Q EE E Q |---------------|-5-------------|---------------|-5--------------| |-9------7-7----|-5------9-9----|-9------7-7----|-5------9-9-----| |-9------7-7----|-6------9-9----|-9------7-7----|-6------9-9-----| |-9------7-7----|-7------9-9----|-9------7-7----|-7------9-9-----| |-7------5-5----|-7------7-7----|-7------5-5----|-7------7-7-----| |---------------|-5-------------|---------------|-5--------------|
Bridge
E E E DE Q BQ +W EQ. E +E Q. C#mE E E E +H |------------7--|-(7)--------||-0----0-(0)------|-------4-(4)----| |-9-----7----7--|-(7)--------||-0----0-(0)-0----|-------5-(5)----| |-9-----7----8--|-(8)--------||-1---------------|-----6----------| |-9-----7----9--|-(9)--------||-2---------------|---6------------| |-7-----5----9--|-(9)--------||-2---------------|-4--------------| |------------7--|-(7)--------||-0---------------|----------------|
Chorus
AE E E E E E Q BE E E E E E Q EE E Q DE E Q AE E Q EE E Q |---5-5---5-5----|---7-7---7-7----||---------------|-5--------------| |---5-5---5-5----|---7-7---7-7----||-9------7-7----|-5------9-9-----| |-7-7-6-6-7-6-6--|-9-9-8-8-9-8-8--||-9------7-7----|-6------9-9-----| |-------7-----7--|-------9-----9--||-9------7-7----|-7------9-9-----| |----------------|----------------||-7------5-5----|-7------7-7-----| |----------------|----------------||---------------|-5--------------|
Guitar Solo
E E Q DE E Q AE E Q EE E Q N.C.E E Q E E E E AQ E E N.C. E E E E |---------------|-5-------------||-----4--4s2-----|------------------| |-9------7-7----|-5------9-9----||------------0---|-2--2-2-----------| |-9------7-7----|-6------9-9----||-2s4----4s2-0-2-|-2--2-2-----------| |-9------7-7----|-7------9-9----||--------------2-|-2--2-2----0------| |-7------5-5----|-7------7-7----||----------------|--------/2---4-2--| |---------------|-5-------------||----------------|------------------|
2nd Verse Q e e e e e e E E E E a S E S S S E E E Q E E Q E E Q E E Q |----------------|-----------------------||---------------|-5-------------| |----3-3-3-3-3-3-|-3---------------------||-9------7-7----|-5------9-9----| |----2-2-2-2-2-2-|-2---------------------||-9------7-7----|-6------9-9----| |----2-2-2-2-2-2-|-2p0---------0---2p0---||-9------7-7----|-7------9-9----| |-0--------------|-----2-0-1s2---2-----2-||-7------5-5----|-7------7-7----| |----------------|-----------------------||---------------|-5-------------|
E E Q DE E Q AE E Q EE E Q E E Q DE E Q AE E Q EE E Q |---------------|-5-------------|---------------|-5--------------| |-9------7-7----|-5------9-9----|-9------7-7----|-5------9-9-----| |-9------7-7----|-6------9-9----|-9------7-7----|-6------9-9-----| |-9------7-7----|-7------9-9----|-9------7-7----|-7------9-9-----| |-7------5-5----|-7------7-7----|-7------5-5----|-7------7-7-----| |---------------|-5-------------|---------------|-5--------------|
Bridge
E E E DE Q BQ +W EQ. E +Q E6Q C#mQ E E +E E E E |------------7--|-(7)--------||-0----0-(0)--0--|-4----4-(4)---4----| |-9-----7----7--|-(7)--------||-0----0-(0)--2--|-5----5-(5)---5-0--| |-9-----7----8--|-(8)--------||-1----1-(1)--1--|-6----6-(6)---6-0--| |-9-----7----9--|-(9)--------||-2----2-(2)--2--|-6--6-6-(6)-6-6-0--| |-7-----5----9--|-(9)--------||-2----2-(2)-----|-4--4-4-(4)-4-4-0--| |------------7--|-(7)--------||-0----0-(0)-----|-------------------|
Chorus
AE E E E E E E E BE E E E E E E E EE E Q DE E Q AE E Q EE E Q |-----------------|-------------------||---------------|-5--------------| |-----------------|-------------------||-9------7-7----|-5------9-9-----| |-----------------|-------------------||-9------7-7----|-6------9-9-----| |-----------------|-------------------||-9------7-7----|-7------9-9-----| |-7-7-9-7-7-7-9-7-|-9-9-11-9-9-9-11-9-||-7------5-5----|-7------7-7-----| |-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|-7-7--7-7-7-7--7-7-||---------------|-5--------------|
Guitar Solo D A E N.C. |-3-| E E Q E E Q E E Q E E Q Q Q S S E E E Q E E q q q |---------------|-5-------------||-0--0------------|---------------| |-9------7-7----|-5------9-9----||-3--3--3p0-------|--------3-3-3--| |-9------7-7----|-6------9-9----||-----------2-0---|----0---4-4-4--| |-9------7-7----|-7------9-9----||---------------0-|-2----2--------| |-7------5-5----|-7------7-7----||-----------------|---------------| |---------------|-5-------------||-----------------|---------------| |-3-| |-3-| q q q q q q q S S E S S E E E Q Q a Q Q a Q a Q a E E a E E |-------------|------------------------|----0----0--0--|-------------0-0---0-0-| |-3-3-3-3-3-3-|-3----------------------|----3--5s7--5--|---0----0--3s5-5-3s5-5-| |-4-4-4-4-4-4-|-4--2p0-----------------|---------------|-2s4--2s4--------------| |-------------|--------2-0h2-0---------|---------------|-----------------------| |-------------|----------------0-------|---------------|-----------------------| |-------------|------------------3b3.5-|-0-------------|-----------------------| Out-Chorus
a E S S S S E a E E E E Q E e E E E E EE E Q DE E Q AE E Q EE E Q |---0-3-0-----------------|----------------||---------------|-5--------------| |-3s5-----3-0-----0---0---|----------------||-9------7-7----|-5------9-9-----| |-------------2-2s4-2-0---|-0--2-2-4-4-4-2-||-9------7-7----|-6------9-9-----| |-----------------------2-|-0--2-2-4-4-6-2-||-9------7-7----|-7------9-9-----| |-------------------------|----------------||-7------5-5----|-7------7-7-----| |-------------------------|----------------||---------------|-5--------------|
E E Q DE E Q AE E Q EE E Q E E Q DE E Q AE E Q EE E Q |---------------|-5-------------|---------------|-5--------------| |-9------7-7----|-5------9-9----|-9------7-7----|-5------9-9-----| |-9------7-7----|-6------9-9----|-9------7-7----|-6------9-9-----| |-9------7-7----|-7------9-9----|-9------7-7----|-7------9-9-----| |-7------5-5----|-7------7-7----|-7------5-5----|-7------7-7-----| |---------------|-5-------------|---------------|-5--------------|
E E Q DE E Q AE E E EE +H +W |---------------|-5-----0-(0)----|-(0)----*| |-9------7-7----|-5-----0-(0)----|-(0)----*| |-9------7-7----|-6-----1-(1)----|-(1)----*| |-9------7-7----|-7-----2-(2)----|-(2)----*| |-7------5-5----|-7-----2-(2)----|-(2)----*| |---------------|-5-----0-(0)----|-(0)----*|
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