Metallica "Nothing Else Matters" (Hetfield/Ulrich/Hammet) Tabbed by: bernd.egl@freenet.de Questions, comments, corrections ? Mail me ! Arranged for single accoustic guitar. I know that it's not correct in every way, but... it works :) This is how they play it on their "Accoustic Radio Tour 1997"... well... almost, hehehe. I also included the lyrics at the bottom, but I think you all know the text (you should). p = pull off h = hammering ~ = vibrato/hold note x = this string is not played () = notes in brackets are played very softly v = downstroke ^ = upstroke
Standard Tuning (E;A;D;G;B;e) It's easier to play this one by fingerpicking, and it's not as difficoult as it seems. So here we go... Intro (clean) e---------0-----------0-----------0-----------0----- B-------0---0-------0---0-------0---0-------0---0--- G-----0-------0---0-------0---0-------0---0--------- D--------------------------------------------------- A--------------------------------------------------- E---0-----------0-----------0-----------0----------- e---7-7------7p0---------7-8-7h8p7p5-7p5p0------------------ B-------0--------0-------------------------5----5-7p5~-p0--- G---------0--------0---0---------------------5-------------- D----------------------------------------------------------- A--------------------------------------------0-------------- E-----0--------------0-------------------------------------- e---------0-----------------3-----p0-----------5-----p0----------12--------- B-------5----5--5--5----5-----5-------7----7-----7------------12----(12)---- G-----5------5--5--5--5---5-----5-----7--7---7-----7-------12-----------(12) D--------------------------------------------------------------------------- A---0--------0--2--3------------------5------------------------------------- E--------------------------------------------------------0------------------ e---------0-----------0-----------0---------------- B-------0---0-------0---0-------0---0-------------- G-----0-------0---0-------0---0-------0------------ D-------------------------------------------------- A-------------------------------------------------- E---0-----------0-----------0-----------0(heavy)--- Let the heavy-played ‚0' on the E-string ring and continue with this Note that there's no break between the ‚0' and this... e--------(0)-----------------------(0)----------------- B---------8-------7------5----------8-------7------5--- G-------9---------7------5--------9---------7------5--- D-----9---------7------5--------9---------7------5----- A---7---------5------3--------7---------5------3------- E---------------------------0-------------------------- Em e-----------7----5--------3--------3--------2--------------0--------0--- B-----------8------7--------5--------3--------4----------0---0------0--- G---------9----------7--------5--------4--------2-(p0)-0-------0----0--- D-------9-----------------------------------------------------------2--- A-----7--------------------------3--------2-------------------------2--- E---0----------5--------3----------------------------0-----------0--0--- Wow! That's it with the intro. After a moment of silence and a stupid conversation, they play this... Verse (still clean) D D D C e-------------3p0--2--2--2--0--- R B-----------0------3--3--3--1--- E G---------0--------2--2--2--0--- P D------------------0--0--0--2--- E A------------------x--x--x--3--- A E---3-2-0----------x--x--x--x--- T this through the whole verse. v ^ v So close, no matter how far... End of verse Em e-------------0------0--- B-----------0---0----0--- G---------0-------0--0--- D--------------------2--- A--------------------2--- E---3-2-0------------0--- ...else matters After the 3rd verse, they play this C A D D D D D D D D C A D D e-------------0------0--0--2--2--|---2-2-2-2-2-2--0--0--2-2---|--- B-----------0---0----1--2--3--3--|---3-3-3-3-3-3--1--2--3-3---|--- G---------0-------0--0--2--2--2--|°--2-2-2-2-2-2--0--2--2-2--°|--- D--------------------2--2--0--0--|°--0-0-0-0-0-0--2--2--0-0--°|--- A--------------------3--0--x--x--|---x-x-x-x-x-x--3--0--x-x---|--- E---3-2-0------------x--x--x--x--|---x-x-x-x-x-x--x--x--x-x---|--- v v v ^ ^ v ^ v ^ v v v v ^ ...else matters never cared for what they... Repeat this, till... D D D D e---2-2-2-2--2------- B---3-3-3-3----3----- G---2-2-2-2------2--- D---0-0-0-0---------- A---x-x-x-x---------- E---x-x-x-x---------- ^ v ^ v ...but I know... That's the point when James plays the small clean solo (as described beneath). In the background Kirk plays the ‚verse'. James' Solo (clean) e---12-----14-----15-----17-----8-----8---------------8------- B------12-----12-----12-----12----5-----5-------5---5---5----- G-----------------------------------5-----5---5---5-------5--- D------------------------------------------------------------- A-------------------------------------------0----------------- E------------------------------------------------------------- e---0------0----0------0----7-7~--7-7~--- (you can also play B-----1------1----3------0--------------- --12-12~--12-12~-- here) G-------0-----------2-------------------- D---------------------------------------- A---------------------------------------- E---------------------------------------- Play the solo 2 times. Then they play the ‚verse' and the ‚chord thing' which they've played after the 3rd verse. After the verse Kirk plays in the background something like that: (Instead of the distortion, play the chords heavy!!) Em Em Em Em Em Em Em D D D C e--|---0--0--0--0--0--0--0--2--2--2--0---|-- B--|---0--0--0--0--0--0--0--3--3--3--1---|-- G--|°--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--2--2--2--0--°|-- D--|°--2--2--2--2--2--2--2--0--0--0--2--°|-- A--|---2--2--2--2--2--2--2--x--x--x--3---|-- E--|---0--0--0--0--0--0--0--x--x--x--x---|-- v v ^ v ^ v ^ v ^ v And James plays his distorted solo. You wonder where James' solo is ? Well, I don't know. I couldn't figure it out (sorry). But on accoustic guitar it sounds shit anyway. If someone has a good interpretation of the solo, please mail it to me!! Or you take the solo from the original version, which At the end of the song, Kirk plays (clean again): e---------0-----------0-----------0----7-7-----7p0----------- B-------0---0-------0---0-------0---0------0-------0--------- G-----0-------0---0-------0---0--------------0-------0---0--- D------------------------------------------------------------ A------------------------------------------------------------ E---0-----------0-----------0------------0-------------0----- e--|--7-8-7h8p7p5-7p5-p0-0-----0-----------0-----|-- B--|-------------------------0---0-------0---0---|-- G--|°----------------------0-------0---0--------°|-- D--|°-------------------------------------------°|-- A--|---------------------------------------------|-- E--|---------------------0-----------0-----------|-- Repeat this and end... e---7-8-7h8p7p5-7p5-p0-0--- B-------------------------- G-------------------------- D-------------------------- A-------------------------- E-------------------------- And that's it !! Hope you enjoyed it !! I did !! Remember that this is my interpretation of the accoustic version of NEM. There are some differences to the original recording on the Black Album of Metallica. Watch out for the accoustic version, feat. Chris Isaak, Jerry Cantrell, Les Claypool, Pepper Caynen and others... it really kicks ass!
Nothing else matters is usually played on an electrical guitar but the songs mood and structure makes it good played on an acoustic as well. Check these acoustic Nothing else matters tabs by Metallica. The intro is played on open strings so it cannot be easier than that but it grows in both power and complexity after some seconds.
t is played on almost every concert but the live-version is a bit shorter as they usually skip the last verse. These acoustic Metallica Nothing else matters tabs are for the studio version released on their black album in 1991. Metallica did a acoustic version similar to these tabs on radio in 1997
Alternative guitar chords and tabs for Nothing Else Matters Acoustic by Metallica