Song Title: Hidden Agenda
Album: Deviant
Guitarists: Jim Davies (lead) and Matt Grundy (rhythm)
Tabbed By: Ian Gray ([email protected], www.eviltcat.co.uk)
Today, we learn how to become Jim Davies of Pitchshifter 🙂
Tuning
======
Low -> High
D G D G B E
Note: This is the tuning that Jim uses on all the songs on Deviant
Notes on Performance
====================
Jim uses many effects on this track so achieving his sound is very difficult. He uses all
Ibanez guitars, RG550s and RG570s, but live he mainly an SCR Series Ibanez which is
unmodified and exactly as it was in the factory. His live effects rig is:
Digitech Whammy Pedal (ala Tom Morello) – Used all over the Deviant album, specifically
the intro to ‘Wafer Thin’ and the middle of ‘Dead Bettery’
Wah-wah – Used all the time
Envelope Filter – Essential for the excessive ‘squelchy’ sounds that Jim is known for but
can be approximated with…creative…wah wah use 🙂 (In case, like me, you had no idea
what an envelope filer is it’s like an auto-wah but with a much wider and more extreme
range of sounds.)
Flanger
Six patches on a Rocktron Chameleon pre-amp controlled my a midi board
Intro/Verse
===========
E|——-
B|——-
G|——-
D|-6~~~~~
G|——-
D|——-
(Rock wah wah back and forward to its extremes in a regular rhythm throughout the whole
verse)
Meanwhile this is played:
E|——————-
B|——————-
G|——————-
D|—7–6——4–6–
G|——————-
D|——————-
(Wah closed)
Pre-Chorus
==========
E|——————————-
B|——————————-
G|——————————-
D|——————————-
G|-6-8—66-8——–6-88–66-8–
D|-4-6—44-6——–4-66–44-6–
.. .. ..
(Heavy distortion, the dotted chords are palm muted.)
After the chords above have been played twice, Jim plays this over the top of the rhythm
guitar:
E|——————————————————-
B|——————————————————-
G|——————————————————-
D|——————————————————-
G|———————————————–6-5-4~~~
D|-4-6–44-6-4-6-4-4-6-4-6—4-6–44-6-4-6-4-4-6———
(Envelope filter on. Rock wah back and forward madly for that squelchy tone. Don’t follow what I have tabbed too closely, listen to the track for the definitive way to play it.)
Chorus
======
Rhythm:
E|—————————
B|—————————
G|-4-6–xx–10-9—-xxxxxxx–
D|-4-6–xx–10-9—-xxxxxxx–
G|-6-8–xx–12-11—xxxxxxx–
D|-4-6–xx–10-9—-xxxxxxx–
(Heavy distortion)
Lead:
E|—————————–
B|————————–
G|———-10-9———— (Note: I’ve tabbed harmonics as they work on my setup but
D|———-10-9———— really, if you listen to the track you hear that Jim sets
G|———-12-11————– his guitar into feedback at this point so do that however
D|———-10-9————— you normally would.)
(With wah and envelope filter)
Second verse and pre-chorus
===========================
Same as before
Outro (the really really cool bit) 🙂
=====================================
Rhythm plays these chords throughout the whole outro.
P.S. I bet your lead player can’t resist joining in at this point… 😉
E|———————————————————
B|———————————————————
G|—————————–4–4-4–4-4–6-6-6-6——–
D|-6–4-6–4-6–4-6–4-6–4—-4–4-4–4-4–6-6-6-6–7–7–
G|-8–6-8–6-8–6-8–6-8–6—-4–4-4–4-4–6-6-6-6–9–9–
D|-6–4-6–4-6–4-6–4-6–4————————–7–7–
(Distortion)
Lead Line
Right, very Jim Davies sounding bit this so use your envelope filter or work that wah wah
loads in time with the music. I tend to rock up on the higher notes to make then jump out
and then rock it back on the crunchy lower notes but as always, listen to the track.
E|———————————————————
B|———————————————————
G|-8–6-8–6-8–6-8–6-8–6–6–4-6–4-6–9-9-9-9–8–6–
D|———————————————————
G|———————————————————
D|———————————————————
E|———————————————————
B|———————————————————
G|-8–6-8–6-8–6-8–6-8–6–6–4-6–4-6–9-9-9-9–8–9–
D|———————————————————
G|———————————————————
D|———————————————————
Repeat that quite a few times, remember that at the start of the outro it IS there but
very quiet, then ramp the volume after the vocal cue. After a while it changes to:
E|—————————————————-
B|-8–8-8-8-9~–8–8-8-8-9~–8–8-8-8-9–11–9–8–9–
G|—————————————————-
D|—————————————————-
G|—————————————————-
D|—————————————————-
Again work that wah on the last 5 notes so that each note pops out of the mix of the band
That repeats twice and then Jim adds another effect and plays the same riff twice again. I
believe that he turns on the whammy pedal and by using mine I can get a similar sound by
rocking it between the Octave Up and Octave Down settings whilst playing. Experiment
yourself with whatever sounds good.
And thats it 🙂
I’m pretty sure about all of this because it is figured out from Jim’s video
