Negative Girl - Steely Dan
--------------------------
From the album "Two Against Nature"
Transcribed by Howard Wright
email: Howard@jmdl.com
This is probably my favourite track from the new album. Great atmosphere, and some very
spicy chords. Although the guitars are featured prominently on the original, it's not a
song that's easy to play all the way through on just one guitar. In places (e.g in the
introduction) it's impossible to find a playable chord shape that has all the essential
notes.
Sometimes the bass note can't be played at the same time as the other notes in the chord
- for these chords I've written the bass note in brackets. For a few of the chords you
have to miss out a note to make them playable on the guitar, so you end up with something
that is close but not *exactly* what is played on the original. Overall though, I think
the chords I've written out work pretty well.
I've written out some of the 2nd guitar fills (left channel). Where there are pairs of
tablature staves, the top one has the basic chord changes and the bottom one has the
guitar fills/riffs etc. The lyrics are written under the tablature with the chord changes.
Notes: the intro chords and most of the verse & chorus chords should be left to sustain
as much as possible. Most of the guitar fills in the verses use a palm mute for a dry sound.
INTRO:
------
Gm11 Ebm9 Fm11 Dbm9
E---1----------------------0----------------------
B---1-------7-------4------4---------4------------
G---3-------10------0------4---------4------------
D-----------11------6----------------2------------
A--------------------------4---------4------------
E---3------(11)----(1)----------------------------
E-------------------------10/11--11--6/7-----x--------
B-------------------------11/12--12--8/9------x-------
G--------------------------8/9-----------------x------
D-----------------------------------------------x----- (tremolo bar dive effect)
A------------------------------------------------x----
E-------------------------------------------------x---
alternative Fm11 shape: 1x634x
VERSE 1:
--------
G/C E/C
E-------7---------------------------------------------
B-------8---9----------------------------------------
G-------7---9----------------------------------------
D-----------9----------------------------------------
A----------------------------------------------------
E-------8---8----------------------------------------
She's lost, she's late, she's zooming on a couch
E------------------------------------------------------
B------------------------------------------------------
G---------------4---4----------------------------4-----
D-------------6---6----------------------------6-------
A------------------------------------------------------
E------------------------------------------------------
Emadd9 Esus2sus4
E----------------------
B-----------0----------
G----2------2----------
D----5------4----------
A----------------------
E----0-----------------
somewhere
E-------------------------------------------
B-------------------------------------------
G-------------------------------------------
D---------------------5p4-------------------
A-------5-5---5-7--------5---5--7-----------
E-----7-----7-------------7-----------------
G/C E/C F13
E----7-------------------------------------------3------------
B----8---9---------------------------------------3------------
G----7---9---------------------------------------2------------
D--------9---------------------------------------1------------
A-------------------------------------------------------------
E----8---8---------------------------------------1------------
Or high, or home, I'm not supposed to call her there
E--------------------------------------------------------
B--------------------------------------------------------
G--------------4---4-------------------------4-----------
D------------6---6-------------------------6-------------
A--------------------------------------------------------
E--------------------------------------------------------
riff after the F13 chord:
E--------------------------------------------------------
B--------------------------------------------------------
G--------------------------------------------------------
D--------------------------------------------------------
A---6--6-6--8--8/10--8--6--6-6--8--8/10--8--6-8----------
E--------------------------------------------------------
C/Bb Fsus2 C/Bb Am11
E------------------------------------------------------------------
B---5---5------------6----------------------5---5------3-----------
G---5---5------------5----------------------5---5------5-----------
D---5---5------------5----------------------5---5------5-----------
A--------------------8---------------------------------------------
E---6---------------------------------------6----------5-----------
I wait, I smoke, I stare into my coke, it's happening again
E-----------------------------------------------------------------------
B-----------------------------------------------------------------------
G--------------5-------------------------------------5------4---5/7--5--
D------------5-5-----------------3-3---5-5p3-------5-5----5---7-7/9--7--
A------------------------------------3----------------------------------
E-----------------------------------------------------------------------
(alternative shape for Fsus2: 1xx011)
Bbm7 Bbm6 Gm7 C7#9 Abmaj7 Ab6
E----------------------------------------------------------------
B---6----------6--------------3--------4-------4------4----------
G---6----------6--------------3--------3-------5------5----------
D---6----------5--------------3--------2-------5------3----------
A--------------------------------------3-------------------------
E---6----------6--------------3----------------4------4----------
I tell myself that it's over and done, amen
E--/8----------6-------------------------------3------------
B--/6----------6-----------------------------4---4----6-----
G--/6----------6-------------------------4/5-------5--------
D--/6----------5--------------------------------------------
A-----------------------------------------------------------
E-----------------------------------------------------------
Link section:
-------------
After the first verse, the link section is pretty short:
Gbmaj7-5 Fmaj7 Emaj7-5
E--8---8------------6-----------------------
B--11----11--10--------9--------------------
G--10--10----9------8-----------------------
D-------------------------------------------
A--9---9-----8------7-----------------------
E-------------------------------------------
N.B The tab above picks out the melody line from the chords.
For a simpler part, just strum the chords as in the tab below:
Gbmaj7-5 Fmaj7 Emaj7-5
E--8---8------------6-----------------------
B--11--11----10-----9--------------------
G--10--10----9------8-----------------------
D-------------------------------------------
A--9---9-----8------7-----------------------
E-------------------------------------------
VERSE 2:
--------
(2nd guitar fills are virtually the same as verse 1)
G/C E/C Emadd9 Esus2sus4
E-------7--------------------------------------------------------------
B-------8---9-------------------------------------------------0--------
G-------7---9------------------------------------------2------2--------
D-----------9------------------------------------------5------4--------
A----------------------------------------------------------------------
E-------8---8------------------------------------------0---------------
Her skin, like milk, it's like she's never seen the sun
G/C E/C F13
E------7-----------------------------------------3------------
B------8---9-------------------------------------3------------
G------7---9-------------------------------------2------------
D----------9-------------------------------------1------------
A-------------------------------------------------------------
E------8---8-------------------------------------1------------
Some hearts to crunch is more like her idea of fun
C/Bb Fsus2 C/Bb Am11
E------------------------------------------------------------------------
B---5---5---------------6-------------------------5---5-------------3----
G---5---5---------------5-------------------------5---5-------------5----
D---5---5---------------5-------------------------5---5-------------5----
A-----------------------8------------------------------------------------
E---6---------------------------------------------6-----------------5----
I know, she's ill, I'm cruising for a spill, I'm hanging just the same
Bbm7 Bbm6 Gm7 C7#9 Abmaj7 Ab6
E---------------------------------------------------------------
B--6----------6-----------3----------4------------4------4------
G--6----------6-----------3----------3------------5------5------
D--6----------5-----------3----------2------------5------3------
A------------------------------------3--------------------------
E--6----------6-----------3-----------------------4------4------
I need to be in the heat of her cold white flame
Link section:
-------------
Gbmaj7-5 Fmaj7 Emaj7-5 Ebmaj7 B/C D/Eb
E--8---8------------6----------------2------5----
B--11----11--10-------9-----8--------4------7----
G--10--10----9------8-------7--------4------7----
D------------------------------------------------
A--9---9-----8------7-------6--------3------6----
E------------------------------------------------
CHORUS:
-------
Dsus2 Dadd2 Bm11
E--0---0----------------2---2--------------------------
B--3---3----------------5---5------------------5--5----
G--2---2----------------2---2------------------7--7----
D--0---0----------------0---0------------------7--7----
A------------------------------------------------------
E----------------------------------------------7--7----
Another negative girl at the edge of the frame
Abm11 Gadd2/C G7 C6-5 Bbadd2/Eb C6-5
E--------------------------1--------------5--5---------------5--5----
B---2----------3-----------3--------------7--7---6-----------7--7----
G---4----------4-----------4--------------9--9---7-----------9--9----
D---4----------7---------------------------------10------------------
A--------------3---------------------------------6-------------------
E---4----------------------3--------------8--8---------------8-------
Deliciously toxic, the original classic thing, more of the same
Then, 4 bars ad lib. using Ebm9: x6466x or Ebm11: x64644
Note: the triads at the top of the C6-5 and Bbadd2/Eb chords are what I hear
in the vocals and vibes, and is the dominant sound at this point.
Playing these triads *with* the bass notes is not easy on the guitar! You
might want to drop the bass notes here to make it easier.
I think there is also a B in the first chord and a G in the second,
which adds another twist to the chord. If you add these notes and drop
the top notes you have two different chords to try for this change.
So instead of C6-5 and Bbadd2/Eb, try playing Cmaj7-5 (8x997x) and
Ebmaj6/7 (x6553x).
Middle 8:
---------
Am11 Em11 G/A G13
E-----3-------------2-------------------------------------------
B-----3-------------3---------------------3--------5------------
G-----5-------------2---------------------4--------4------------
D-------------------5---------------------5--------3------------
A-----0-----------------------------------0---------------------
E-------------------0------------------------------3------------
She's in the zone crying on the phone, I need you here
E-----------------------------------------------------------------------
B--------------------------3--------------------------------------------
G-----------5---5--------0----------------------------------------------
D---------7---7--------4--------------------------------------3-3---3/5-
A---------------------------------------------------------5-5-----5-----
E-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Cmaj7 Am7 C9 Am7 D9 F#m7 B7#9
E-------------------------------------------------------------------------
B-----3------5--------3-----------5-----------5------------2----------3---
G-----4------5--------3-----------5-----------5------------2----------2---
D-----5------5--------2-----------5-----------4------------2----------1---
A-----3---0-----------3-----------0-----------5-----------------------2---
E----------------------------------------------------------2--------------
I'm on the street again staggering out into the burn of the brain dead
E----------------------------------------------------------------------8/10--8--
B--6/-12-----3/5------3---------------------------7-------------------10/12--10-
G--6/-12-----3/5------3-------------------------------5-------------------------
D----------------------------------------------------------7--------------------
A-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gmaj7 G6 Fmaj7 Fadd2/C# Fadd2#5 Gsus2 Em/G Fm/maj9 Fm6
E--------------------0----------------5------5-------5----------7-----------------
B--3---------3-------1----------------8------8-------8----------5-------8------6--
G--4---------4-------2----------------5------6-------7------------------9------7--
D--4---------2-------3-------------------------------5----------5-------6------6--
A------------------------------------(4)-----8--------------------------8------8--
E--3---------3-------1-------------------------------------------------------
dawn, to arrive in time to find her gone
E-----------------------------------------------------10/12--10----7----
B----------10/8---------------------------------------10/12--10--5---5--
G--11--9/11--/9-----5----------------------------------------------------
D-------------------7----------------------------------------------------
A-----------------------------------------------------------------------
E-----------------------------------------------------------------------
VERSE 3:
--------
(Same chords as before, similar guitar fills to verse 1)
G/C E/C Emadd9 Esus2sus4
She's on the train to somewhere up by Fordham Road
G/C E/C F13
Her reptile brain locked down and ready in combat mode
C/Bb Fsus2 C/Bb Am11
Some cash - a key this guy she has to see a doctor friend uptown
Bbm7 Bbm6 Gm7 C7#9 Abmaj7 Ab6
And maybe she gets to me when she comes back down
Link:
-----
Gbmaj7-5 Fmaj7 Emaj7-5 Ebmaj7 B/C D/Eb
CHORUS:
-------
Dsus2 Dadd2 Bm11
Another negative girl spinning out of the frame
Abm11 Gadd2/C G7 C6-5 Bbadd2/Eb C6-5
Exquisitely limpid the original classic thing - more of the same
SOLO:
-----
EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE EADGBE
x54555 x43455 x54555 x87888
D9 Db7#5#9 D9 F9
Verse 4:
---------
C/Bb Fsus2 C/Bb Am11
A goof - a buzz if that is what it was then how do you explain
Bbm7 Bbm6 Gm7 C7#9
The way she looks when she's dragging me out to dance with her
Gm/F F#m/E Fm/Eb Dm11 Dbmaj7
E---6----5-/--4-----3----1-----------------------------
B---8----7-/--6-----6----1-----------------------------
G---7----6-/--5-----5----1-----------------------------
D-------------------0----------------------------------
A---8----7-/--6----------4-----------------------------
E------------------------------------------------------
In the sum - mer rain
Link:
-----
Gbmaj7-5 Fmaj7 Emaj7-5 Ebmaj7 B/C D/Eb
CHORUS:
-------
Dsus2 Dadd2 Bm11
Another negative girl at the edge of the frame
Abm11 Gadd2/C G7 C6-5 Bbadd2/Eb C6-5 Bbadd2/Eb C6-5
Exhausting and luscious the original classic thing - more of the same, more of the same
OUTRO:
------
Ad lib over Ebm9: x6466x or Ebm11: x64644