Black Math tab by The White Stripes

Black Math by The White Stripes
from the album Elephant

Tabbed by Keith Railton (guitar @ mooworldorder.com)

So, it's obvious that Jack is playing two chords in the main riff: C and G, but
how? Well, here are two variations that sound okay to me. The (0)'s represent
basic random string hitting in between changing chords, but hitting bass strings
seems to sound best. The D in the last A chord is faint, but I'm sure it's there
(at least occasionally).

The rhythm is swinging and the tempo is fast...

============================================================================


MAIN RIFF

||--------------------------|--------------------------|
||-5------------5-----------|-5------------5-----------|
||-5----(5)-----5----(5)----|-5----(5)-----5----(5)----|
||-5-(0)-5-(0)--5-(0)-5-(0)-|-5-(0)-5-(0)--5-(0)-5-(0)-|
||-3-(0)-5-(0)--3-(0)-5-(0)-|-3-(0)-5-(0)--3-(0)-5-(0)-|
||---(0)-3-(0)----(0)-3-(0)-|---(0)-3-(0)----(0)-3-(0)-|

 ------------------|-----------------||
 ------------------|-----------------||
 -(7)--------------|(7)--------------||
 --7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-|-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-||
 --7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-|-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-||
 --5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-||
p.m.---------------------------------|


Variation (see which is best for you)

||--------------------------|--------
||-5------------5-----------|--------
||-5-----0------5-----0-----|--------
||-5-(0)-0-(0)--5-(0)-0-(0)-|--etc.--
||-3-(0)-x-(0)--3-(0)-x-(0)-|--------
||---(0)-3-(0)----(0)-3-(0)-|--------


So, that's the main riff A. This is chopped up and used in different ways (it is
also the rhythm under the solo). This is followed by some sustained power chords:

||-0----|-5----|(0)---|------||
||-0----|-5----|-x----|------||
||-x----|-0----|-2----|-5----||
||-2----|-0----|-2----|-5----||
||-2----|-x----|-0----|-3----||
||-0----|-3----|------|------||
  E5   G5   A5   C5


After a few repeats of this type of thing, the tempo changes completely
(slower), and the guitar distortion goes through the roof:



RIFF B

||------------------|----------------|
||------------------|----------------|
||*-----------------|---------.--7--*|
||*-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-|-7-7-7-7-7--7--*|
||--7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-|-7-7-7-7-7--5---|
||--5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|-5-5-5-5-5------|

(last time)
|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|-------------------------------------2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2---5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5--|
|-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2---5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5---2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2---5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5--|
|-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2---5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5---0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0---3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3--|
|-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0---3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3--------------------------------------|
 E5        G5        A5        C5


Then into the solo, which I won't even bother to attempting to work out.
Basically, the first few bars, Jack plays one frenzied bent note (the E bent
from the 15th to the 17th fret on the B string, occasionally doubled with
the
12th fret on the high E string). Then there's some octave pedal stuff, and
then
a little bit I like...

|-15b17-17-17-17-17--15b17-17-17-17-17-|--20b22v20-20b22-15~--|
|--------------------------------------|----------------------|
|--------------------------------------|----------------------|
|--------------------------------------|----------------------|
|--------------------------------------|----------------------|
|--------------------------------------|----------------------|

Some more playing in the 12th fret position, and some long held feedbacky
bends
between 7th fret G string to 8th fret. Some flicking between pickups on a
sustained A...

...then a little bit like this...

|-15-----------15----------|
|-15b17-15-13--15b17-15-13-|
|--------------------------|
|--------------------------|
|--------------------------|
|--------------------------|

...ending with more pentatonic/pickup switching stuff...


Into another verse/chorus. Outro with a repeated A figure with Jack yelping
'yeah!':
                    x4
||-----------------|--------------------|----||
||-----------------|-----------Y--------|----||
||-----------------|-----------E-------*|----||
||-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-|-7-7-7-7-7-A-----7-*|-7--||
||-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-|-7-7-7-7-7-H-----7--|-7--||
||-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-|-5-5-5-5-5-------5--|-5--||

End.

(www.mooworldorder.com)