Van Halen's "Poundcake" - tab by Paul D.
First things first, unless you have a guitar with really good natural
harmonic response, don't bother playing this song. The little "call and
response" parts for the verses (one line of Sammy's vocals followed by
natural harmonics from Eddie) are impossible to play (audibly) without it.
On the recorded version Eddie fattens up the main riff by overdubbing two
or three tracks of electric 12-strings. Please excuse the mess and breakup.
It's supposed to be relatively flowing, but the visual-ASCII conversion on
the tab program I used hasn't quite been perfected. There's bits of lyric
here and there to help you keep up.
Poundcake
by Van Halen
tab by Paul D.
s3bz@music.transy.edu
|-0-0-0-0-0---0-0-|-0---0-0-0---0-0-|-0---0-0-0---------------|-----------------
|-0-0-0-0-0---0-0-|-0---0-0-0---0-0-|-0---0-0-0---------------|-----------------
|-9-9-9-9-9---9-9-|-9\7-7-7-7---7-7-|-7p6-6-6-6---------------|-----------------
|-9-9-9-9-9---9-9-|-9\7-7-7-7---7-7-|-7---7-7-7---------------|-----------------
|-7-7-7-7-7---7-7-|-7\5-5-5-5---5-5-|-5p4-4-4-4-----0-0-0-0-0-|-----------------
|-----------------|-----------------|-------------------------|-----------------
Harmonics..............]
-5-----------0----5---0-|-0-0-0-0-0---0-0-|-0---0-0-0---0-0-|-0---0-0-0---0-|---
-5-5-5-7-7-7-5-5----5-0-|-0-0-0-0-0---0-0-|-0---0-0-0---0-0-|-0---0-0-0---0-|---
------------------------|-9-9-9-9-9---9-9-|-9\7-7-7-7---7-7-|-7p6-6-6-6---6-|---
------------------------|-9-9-9-9-9---9-9-|-9\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-|-5p4-4-4-4---4-|---
------------------------|-----------------|-----------------|---------------|---
Harmonics.....]
--0--5-------5-5-5-x-x-|-0-0-0-0-0-----0--0--|-0--0--0--0------0--0--|----------
--0----5-5-5-------x-x-|-0-0-0-0-0-----15-15-|-15\13-13-13-----13-13-|----------
6------------------x-x-|-9-9-9-9-9-----14-14-|-14\12-12-12-----12-12-|----------
-----------------------|-9-9-9-9-9-----12-12-|-12\10-10-10-----10-10-|----------
4----------------------|-7-7-7-7-7-----12-12-|-12\10-10-10-----10-10-|----------
-----------------------|---------------------|-----------------------|----------
bend bend
0--0-0-0-|-----------------------||
13\0-0-0-|----------2------2-----||
12\6-6-6-|----------2------2-----||
10\7-7-7-|----------2------2-----||
10\------|----------0------0-----||
---------|-5\3--3------3-----5\0-||
She's
P.M..... Harm.......] PM..... Harm.......]
--------------------|---------|--------------------|---------|------------------
--------------------|---------|--------------------|---------|------------------
--------------------|---------|--------------------|---------|------------------
---------9----------|---5-----|---------9----------|-5-------|------------------
---------7----------|-5-------|---------7----------|---5-4---|------------------
-0-0-0-0---0-0----4-|-----4-3-|-0-0-0-0---0-0----4-|-------3-|------------------
Gotta have soul... Or it won't feel...
P.M..... Harmonics..]
--------------------|---------|
--------------------|---------|
--------------------|---------|
---------9----------|---5-----|
---------7----------|-5---5---|
-0-0-0-0---0-0----4-|-------4-|
Well just plain...
Harmonics.....] (play main riff until end of prechorus)
-------------------|-----12----||-0-0-0-0-0---0-0-|-0---0-0-0-----0-0-|---------
-------------------|---7----12-||-0-0-0-0-0---0-0-|-0---0-0-0-----0-0-|---------
-------------------|-5---------||-9-9-9-9-9---9-9-|-9\7-7-7-7-----7-7-|---------
--------9--------5-|-----------||-9-9-9-9-9---9-9-|-9\7-7-7-7-----7-7-|---------
--------7----------|-----------||-7-7-7-7-7---7-7-|-7\5-5-5-5-----5-5-|---------
0-0-0-0---0-0------|-----------||-----------------|-------------------|---------
Wrapped up... And home grown...
Depress bar slowly.....
0---0-0-0--------||---------------------||
0---0-0-0--------||---------------------||
7p6-6-6-6--/14p0-||---------------------||
7---7-7-7--------||---------------------||
5p4-4-4-4--------||---h4p0h4p0h4p0h4/10-||
-----------------||---------------------||
Gettin'
P.M..... Harm.......] P.M.... Harm.......]
--------------------|---------|---------------------|---------|-----------------
--------------------|---------|---------------------|---------|-----------------
--------------------|---------|---------------------|---------|-----------------
---------9----------|-5-------|----------9----------|---5-----|-----------------
---------7----------|---5-----|----------7----------|-5---4---|-----------------
-0-0-0-0---0-0----4-|-----4-3-|--0-0-0-0---0-0----4-|-------3-|-----------------
hard to find... Guess it ain't hip enough now
P.M..... Harmonics..]
--------------------|---------|-------------------------------------------------
--------------------|---------|-------------------------------------------------
--------------------|-5-------|-------------------------------------------------
---------7----------|---5-4---|-------------------------------------------------
-0-0-0-0---0-0----4-|-------3-|-------------------------------------------------
--------------------|---------|-------------------------------------------------
You take an average...
Harmonics.......]
-------------------|-------------|----------------------------------------------
-------------------|-------------|----------------------------------------------
-------------------|---5---------|----------------------------------------------
--------7----------|-5---5-------|----------------------------------------------
0-0-0-0---0-0----4-|-------4-3-3-|----------------------------------------------
-------------------|-------------|----------------------------------------------
He can't identify...
Harmonics.....] P.M.... Harm........
---------------------|---------|--------------------|---------||----------------
---------------------|---------|--------------------|---------||----------------
---------------------|---------|--------------------|---------||----------------
--------9------------|-5-------|----------9-9-------|-5-------||----------------
--------7----------4-|---5-----|----------7-7-------|---5-----||----------------
0-0-0-0---0-0----4---|-----4-3-|--0-0-0-0-----0---4-|-----4-3-||----------------
And there's a... Of the fine...
PM......
--------------------------|--------------------|---------------------------|----
4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-----|--------------------|-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-----|----
4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-----|-5---7--------------|-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-----|----
4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-----|-5---7--------------|-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-----|----
2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-0-2-|-3---5-7------------|-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-0-2-|----
--------------------------|---3---5----0-2-3-5-|---------------------------|----
Let me get on, let me get on... Bake it up nice...
PM......
--------------------|---------------------------|-------------------------------
----8-8-7-7---------|-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-----|-------------------------------
5---7-7-7-7---------|-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-----|-------------------------------
5---7-7-7-7---------|-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-----|-------------------------------
3-5-5-5-5-5---------|-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-0-2-|-------------------------------
--3---------0-2-3-5-|---------------------------|-------------------------------
Let me get on, let me get on...
PM......
-------------------|-------------|-3-3-----3-3-----3-3-----3-3-||---------------
-------------------|-4-----------|-5-5-----5-5-----5-5-----5-5-||---------------
5---7--------------|-4-----------|-5-5-----5-5-----5-5-----5-5-||---------------
5---7--------------|-4-----------|-5-5-----5-5-----5-5-----5-5-||---------------
3-5-5-7------------|-2-------2/3-|-3-3-----3-3-----3-3-----3-3-||---------------
--3---5----0-2-3-5-|-------------|-----------------------------||---------------
My baby's poundcake...
Then you do the main riff again for the pre-chorus. And for the "Uh-a...
A-huh-HUH!" part, do this:
|------------------------|--------------|------------------------|--------------
|-14-16-----12-12---14-9-|-7/9-7/9--/12-|-14-16-----12-12---14\9-|--------------
|-14-16-----12-12---14-9-|-7/9-7/9--/12-|-14-16-----12-12---14\9-|--------------
|-14-16---x-12-12---14\9-|-7/9-7/9--/12-|-14-16---x-12-12---14\9-|--------------
|------------------------|--------------|------------------------|--------------
|------------------------|--------------|------------------------|--------------
--------------------|------------------------|--------------|-----------------
9-9p7---7-7p5---5-5-|-14-16-----12-12---14\9-|-7/9-7/9--/12-|-----------------
9-9p7---7-7p5---5-5-|-14-16-----12-12---14\9-|-7/9-7/9--/12-|-----------------
9-9p7---7-7p5---5-5-|-14-16---x-12-12---14\9-|-7/9-7/9--/12-|-----------------
--------------------|------------------------|--------------|-----------------
--------------------|------------------------|--------------|-----------------
--------------------------|-------------------------||
14-16-----12-12---14---16-|-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-17-||
14-16-----12-12---14---16-|-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-|| (to the solo;
14-16---x-12-12---14---16-|-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-16-|| DON'T EVEN ASK!)
--------------------------|-------------------------||
--------------------------|-------------------------||
Then, after the solo, there's that part that goes "I've been out there,
tried a bit of everything. It's all sex without love, I've found the
real thing is Poundcake!" then play this: (and then go to the main riff)
|-5-----------|-----------0-|
|-5-4-----4---|-5-4h5p4---2/|
|-4---4-----4-|---------4-2/|
|-4-----4-----|-----------2/|
|-2-----------|-----------0-|
|-------------|-------------|
WELL!! Tabbing out almost a whole Van Halen tune certainly has been an
experience. Look elsewhere for the solo. There's NO WAY I'm gonna try
that one. There's harmonic tapping, pinch harmonics, regular tapping,
bends, trem-bar vibrato, and all the other shit I can't really do.
Basically, you're just gonna have to piece together what I've tabbed here
and you'll get the basic idea. If you can't figure it out from this, you
probably shouldn't be trying to play this song just yet. It ain't easy!
Questions/Comments/Augmentations are MOST welcome (by email).
Good Luck!
Paul D. S3BZ@MUSIC.TRANSY.EDU
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