'Hands Down' by Dashboard Confessional - Guitar Tutorial

            Song: Hands Down
Artist: Dashboard Confessional
Album: “The So Impossible EP” and “Unplugged: Dashboard Confessional” (and some
electric version on the radio)
Tabber: Monkeyguy629 (aka Jacob—direct complaints to [email protected])

Tuning—One Half Step Down (Eb Ab Db Gb Bb eb) 

Alright, can’t guarantee it’s perfect, but it’s perfecter then the other versions.
No strumming pattern, sorry, but you can figure it out—you’re plenty smart.
I included palm muting and lyrics—take note for the lyrics, for example in the
first verse, second line of tablature, the lyric lines are overlapping—this does
not mean it is sung overlapping, it is just showing the pattern for chord
switching (the last words wouldn’t all fit on the same line AND still represent
accurate switching. Don’t fret.) It’s hard to explain, but don’t switch chords
until the lyrics are aligned with the next chord. You’ll get it.

GUITAR ONE PARTS

Intro: (the most user-friendly version—you could check out the other tab for a
perfectly good version of the intro, but the stretches are a bit difficult. This
is just slides.)

eb--------------------------------(repeat-----------------|
Bb--------------------------------sufficiant--------------|
Gb--------------------------------number of---------------|
Db------4/62-----4/6/7-----4/6---times-------4--1--------|
Ab—---2---------2---------2-------until: )----2--2--------|
Eb--0---------0---------0---------------------------------|


Verse One:

eb--0---------------(4)------------------0----------------|
Bb--0---------------(4)------------------2----------------|
Gb--1----------------6-------------------2----------------|
Db--2----------------6-------------------2----------------|
Ab--2----------------4-------------------0----------------|
Eb--0----------------4-------------------x----------------|
PM    . . . . . . .     . . . . . . . .    . . . . . . . .

    Breathe in for luck, breathe in so deep, this air is
    This night is  wild, so  calm  and  dull, these hearts
                                                       they
 -trol Your legs are smooth as they graze mine, we’re doing
								(GO TO CODA HERE)

eb--x---------------(5)----------------------------------|
Bb--x---------------(5)----------------------------------|
Gb--4----------------76----------------------------------|
Db--4----------------76----------------------------------|
Ab—-2----------------54----------------------------------|
Eb--2----------------54----------------------------------|
PM    . . . . . . 

  Blessed      you share 
                      with me 
  rage     from     self
                      con-


Coda:

eb--------------------------------------------------------|
Bb--------------------------------------------------------|
Gb--4-----------------------------------------------------|
Db--4-----------------------------------------------------|
Ab—-2-----------------------------------------------------|
Eb--2-----------------------------------------------------|
PM

   fine, we’re doing nothing at 

Chorus

eb-0----------------------------------------------4-------|
Bb-0----------------------------------------------4-------|
Gb-1----------------------------------------------5-------|
Db-2----------------------------------------------6-------|
Ab—2----------------------------------------------6-------|
Eb-0----------------------------------------------4-------|
PM

  all. My hopes are so high that your kiss might kill me,
       My   heart   is   yours   to   fill   or  burst, to

eb---------------0-*----------------4---------------------|
Bb---------------2------------------4---------------------|
Gb---------------2------------------5---------------------|
Db---------------2------------------6------6/76----------|
Ab—--------------0------------------6-----4-----4---------|
Eb---------------x------------------4----5-------5--------|
PM

   so won’t you kill me? So I die happy 
      break or bury, or wear as  jewelry (GO TO CODA HERE)

* in place of this A chord, some find it more user-friendly to just play 577655.
Easier to slide.

CODA

eb-----------------------------------|
Bb-----------------------------------|
Gb---6-------------------------------|
Db---6----6--------------------------|
Ab—--4----6--------------------------|
Eb--------4--------------------------|
PM

whichever you pre-

Verse Two:

eb--0---------------(4)------------------0----------------|
Bb--0---------------(4)------------------2----------------|
Gb--1----------------6-------------------2----------------|
Db--2----------------6-------------------2----------------|
Ab--2----------------4-------------------0----------------|
Eb--0----------------4-------------------x----------------|
PM    . . . . . . .     . . . . . . . .    . . . . . . . .

    -fer
these words are
hushed let’s not get busted  just  lay entwined here, un-
  
  Safe in here from
 all the stupid   questions, “hey did you get some?” Man, 
                                                  that is 

      Stay quiet, stay near, stay close
                              they can’t hear, so we can 

eb--x---------------(5)----------------------------------|
Bb--x---------------(5)----------------------------------|
Gb--4----------------76----------------------------------|
Db--4----------------76----------------------------------|
Ab—-2----------------54----------------------------------|
Eb--2----------------54----------------------------------|
PM    . . . . . . 

 discovered.

   so dumb.

   get some.

Alright, this part needs a little explanation too... on the last line of this
verse, ignore the palm muting lines—Carrabba really just strums the A and B once,
rather then draw it out with a palm mute.

Ok now PLAY THE CHORUS!

Bridge:

eb--------------------------------------------------------|
Bb-------------------------10--------------9--------------|
Gb---9---------------------9---------------9--------------|
Db---9---------------------7---------------9--------------|
Ab—--7---------------------0---------------7--------------|
Eb---0------------------------------------(0)-------------|

   Hands down, this is the best day I can ever remember

eb--------------------------------------------------------|
Bb—-(0)---------------------------------------------------|
Gb---8----------------------------------------------------|
Db---9----------------------------------------------------|
Ab—--9----------------------------------------------------|
Eb---7----------------------------------------------------|

I’ll always remember the



eb--------------------------------------------------------|
Bb—--------------------------10---------------------------|
Gb--6------------------------9----------------------------|
Db--6------------------------7----------------------------|
Ab—-4------------------------0----------------------------|
Eb--4-----------------------------------------------------|

   sound of the stereo, the dim of the soft lights, the 
  time on the clock when we realized it’s so late and this
the streets were wet and the gate was locked, so I
stood at the door with your hands on my waist and you
  knew     that    you    meant  it  that you
  knew     that    you    meant it

eb--------------------------------------------------------|
Bb—-9------------------------(0)--------------------------|
Gb--9-------------------------8---------------------------|
Db--9-------------------------9---------------------------|
Ab—-7-------------------------9---------------------------|
Eb-(0)------------------------7---------------------------|

  scent of your hair that you twirled in your fingers
                                                  and the
 walk that we   shared   together
 jumped    it   and   I    let you in and you
 kissed me    like   you   meant it and I 
 meant     it   that  you  meant it and I 
 meant it.


Those are the guitar parts for the first guitar, and there are just a few simple
riffs that go along as a second guitar in a few parts. Here they are (they’re not
perfect, sorry) :

The pretty bar is where there’s a chord change.

Verse:

eb|---------|---------|-----------------|---------|
Bb|---------|---------|-----------2---2-|---------|
Gb|---1---1-|-6---6---|---2---2-2---2---|-4---4---|
Db|-2---2---|---6---6-|-2---2-----------|---4---4-|
Ab|---------|---------|-----------------|---------|
Eb|---------|---------|-----------------|---------|

Keep in mind I didn’t tab the whole thing—they continue beyond the two times I
tabbed them, if you don’t know what I mean now, listen to the song.

Bridge:

eb----------|   |---------------|
Bb----------|   |---------------|
Gb--9-8-9-8-|...|-9---6-8-9-8-9-|...
Db----------|   |---9-----------|
Ab----------|   |---------------|
Eb----------|   |---------------|

Repeat sufficient number of times there.



Wuv,
Jacob