Tab Pro guitar tabs / updates / news / reviews / interviews / columns / lessons / community / forums / contests / guitar store
Oops, an error
Loading...
Please don't close the window, it may take a few minutes.

Break Me Down Tab

by Alter Bridge
9,438 views 14 this week
3 commentsread comments
1 2 3 4 5
excellent!
x 8
add to favorites launch autoscroll
font size
0
reset
view tab on iPhone view tab on Android listen to this song
Instruments Play Fretboard Chords
Autoscroll
slow
fast
+/-
esc
set tempo
stop
Contributor
jjhand
Tabs too difficult? Try these easy step-by-step video lessons and learn fast! 
WARNING: You are trying to view
                                    content from Ultimate-Guitar.com
                                    in an unauthorized application,
                                    which is prohibited.

                                    Please use an official Ultimate
                                    Guitar Tabs application for iPhone,
                                    iPad or Android to access legitimate
                                    chords, guitar, bass, and drum tabs
                                    from Ultimate-Guitar.com database.

                                    Type "ultimate guitar tabs" in Apple
                                    App Store's or Android Market's
                                    search to find the application.
Alter Bridge - Break Me Down
from the album "Blackbird"
written by Mark Tremonti and Myles Kennedy
Tabbed by J. Handfield
Drop Db tuning (all strings tuned down 1/2 step, 6th string down 1 1/2 steps)

It took me a little bit to figure out the chords because of the different overtones,
but this sounds right. I'm glad that I could TAB this one too for everyone.

Guitar 2 Chords:
Db  |0 0 0 11 x x|

Intro - Heavy Distortion (play through 2x)
   Guitar 1                                                 
Eb|------------------|--------------------|------------------|---------------------------|
Bb|------------------|--------------------|------------------|---------------------------|
Gb|------------------|--11----------12-14-|-----------12-12--|---------------------------|
Db|---10---------3-3-|--0-----------10-10-|---10------10-10\-|-------------------------0-|
Ab|---8----------3-3-|--0-----------10-10-|---8-------10-10\-|----5p0---5~---5p0---5~--0-|
Db|---8----------3-3-|--0-----------10-10-|---8-------10-10\-|--0-----0----0-----0-----0-|
  |                                             
  |Guitar 2 - Distortion w/ fast repeated slap-back echo (set for ~250 ms)
Eb|------------------|--------------------|------------------|------------------------|
Bb|--13--10--8---11~-|--------------------|--17--13--11--15--|------------------------|
Gb|------------------|--11--12--14~-15\14-|------------------|------------------------|
Db|--10--7---5---8~--|--------------------|--14--10--8---12--|------------------------|
Ab|------------------|--9---10--12~-13\12-|------------------|------------------------|
Db|------------------|--------------------|------------------|------------------------|

   Guitar 1
Eb|------------------|--------------------|------------------|---------------|
Bb|------------------|--------------------|------------------|---------------|
Gb|------------------|--11----------12-14-|-----------12-12--|---------------|
Db|---10---------3-3-|--0-----------10-10-|---10------10-10\-|--0------------|
Ab|---8----------3-3-|--0-----------10-10-|---8-------10-10\-|--0------------|
Db|---8----------3-3-|--0-----------10-10-|---8-------10-10\-|--0------------|
  |
  |Guitar 2 (same delay effect)
Eb|------------------|--------------------|------------------|---------------|
Bb|--13--10--8---11~-|--------------------|--17--13--11--15--|---------------|
Gb|------------------|--11--12--14~-17\14-|------------------|---------------|
Db|--10--7---5---8~--|--------------------|--14--10--8---12--|--0------------|
Ab|------------------|--9---10--12~-15\12-|------------------|--0------------|
Db|------------------|--------------------|------------------|--0------------|


Verse - Guitar 2 (Clean + Light chorus)
Eb|--------------------|----3-3--3-----3--3-----|-------------------|--------------------|
Bb|-------5-----6------|----6-6----6---5--5-3---|-3-3--8---8-8--8-8-|-6--6/8--7--888-8p7-|
Gb|-7-6-----------5----|----5-5------5-5--5-5-5-|-5-5--7---7-7--7-7-|-5--5/7--7--777-7---|
Db|----------8------8--|-3----------------------|-5-5--5---5-5--5-5-|-3--3/5--7--777-7---|
Ab|--------------------|------------------------|-------------------|--------------------|
Db|--------------------|------------------------|-------------------|--------------------|

                                                            Dist. Guitar 1: Db (vol swell)
Eb|-------------------|----3-3--3-----3--3-----|-----------------------|--------------------|
Bb|-------5-----6-----|----6-6----6---5--5-3---|-3--3-3--8--8-8--7-7-7-|-6--6/8--7--888-8p7-|
Gb|-7-6-----------5---|----5-5------5-5--5-5-5-|-5--5-5--7--7-7--7-7-7-|-5--5/7--7--777-7---|
Db|---------8-------8-|-3----------------------|-5--5-5--5--5-5--5-5-5-|-3--3/5--7--777-7---|
Ab|-------------------|------------------------|-----------------------|--------------------|
Db|-------------------|------------------------|-----------------------|--------------------|

Chorus- Play the Intro riff (Guitar 1 only, because the chords are only used here)

Pre-Verse 2
Eb|-------------------|----3-3--3-----3--3-----|-----------------------|-------------------|
Bb|-------5-----6-----|----6-6----6---5--5-3---|-3--3-3--8--8-8--7-7-7-|--6--6--7--888-8p7-|
Gb|-7-6-----------5---|----5-5------5-5--5-5-5-|-5--5-5--7--7-7--7-7-7-|--5--5--7--777-7---|
Db|---------8-------8-|-3----------------------|-5--5-5--5--5-5--5-5-5-|--3--3--7--777-7---|
Ab|-------------------|------------------------|-----------------------|-------------------|
Db|-------------------|------------------------|-----------------------|-------------------|

Verse 2 (same as verse 1)

Chorus 2 (same as Chorus 1)

Bridge - Guitar 1
       PM___      PM___
Eb|-----------------------------|---------------------------|------------------------------|
Bb|-----------------------------|---------------------------|------------------------------|
Gb|-----------------------------|---------------------------|------------------------------|
Db|-------------------------0-2-|--3--3-3---3-3---3---3-3---|--10--10-10--10-10--10--10-10-|
Ab|----5p0---5~---5p0---5~--0-2-|--3--3-3---3-3---3---3-3---|--10--10-10--10-10--10--10-10-|
Db|--0-----0----0-----0-----0-2-|--3--3-3---3-3---3---3-3---|--10--10-10--10-10--10--10-10-|
  | Guitar 2
Eb|-----------------------------|---------------------------|------------------------------|
Bb|-----------------------------|---------------------------|------------------------------|
Gb|-----------------------------|-----14-14-14-14-14-14-14--|------------------------------|
Db|-------------------------0-2-|--3--12-12-12-12-12-12-12--|--10--10-10--10-10--10--10-10-|
Ab|----5p0---5~---5p0---5~--0-2-|--3--10-10-10-10-10-10-10--|--10--10-10--10-10--10--10-10-|
Db|--0-----0----0-----0-----0-2-|--3------------------------|--10--10-10--10-10--10--10-10-|

    Both Guitars (until 3rd bar)                                           
Eb|---------------------------|---------------------------|-Guitar 1 only-------------|
Bb|---------------------------|---------------------------|---------------------------|
Gb|----------7---7-7-7-7--7---|----------7---7-7-7-7--7---|---------------------------|
Db|--3---0---7---7-7-7-7--7---|--3---0---7---7-7-7-7--7---|--3--3-3---3-3---3---3-3---|
Ab|--3---0---5---5-5-5-5--5---|--3---0---5---5-5-5-5--5---|--3--3-3---3-3---3---3-3---|
Db|--3---0--------------------|--3---0--------------------|--3--3-3---3-3---3---3-3---|


Eb|------------------------------|---------------------------|---------------------------|
Bb|------------------------------|---------------------------|---------------------------|
Gb|------------------------------|----------7---7-7-7-7--7---|----------7---7-7-7-7--7---|
Db|--10--10-10--10-10--10--10-10-|--3---0---7---7-7-7-7--7---|--3---0---7---7-7-7-7--7---|
Ab|--10--10-10--10-10--10--10-10-|--3---0---5---5-5-5-5--5---|--3---0---5---5-5-5-5--5---|
Db|--10--10-10--10-10--10--10-10-|--3---0--------------------|--3---0--------------------|


Eb|---------------------------|------------------------------|--Both Guitars-------------|
Bb|---------------------------|------------------------------|---------------------------|
Gb|---------------------------|------------------------------|---------------------------|
Db|--3--3-3---3-3---3---3-3---|--10--10-10--10-10--10--10-10-|-------------------------0-|
Ab|--3--3-3---3-3---3---3-3---|--10--10-10--10-10--10--10-10-|----5p0---5~---5p0---5~--0-|
Db|--3--3-3---3-3---3---3-3---|--10--10-10--10-10--10--10-10-|--0-----0----0-----0-----0-|

Eb|-------------------------|--**--------------------------|
Bb|-------------------------|------------------------------|
Gb|---------------------7~--|-/10--------------------------| ** Clean Chorus (Guitar 2)
Db|-------------------------|------------------------------|    starts with this bar
Ab|----5p0---5~---5p0---5~--|-/8---------------------------|
Db|--0-----0----0-----0-----|------------------------------|

In bar 6 of the bridge part (where it states Guitar 1 only), Guitar 2 starts
playing an octave in a repeated sixteenth note rhythm shown below:

Eb|--10--------|  Play this for 6 bars (until 'Both Guitars' appears)
Bb|------------|
Gb|--7---------|
Db|------------|
Ab|------------|
Db|------------|


Clean Chorus (distortion, volume knob turned low)                    
Eb|------------------------|----------------------------|------------* vol Swell--|
Bb|------------------------|----------------------------|-----------------------|
Gb|------------------12-12-|--11--11--11-x-x------------|----------------12-12--|
Db|---10--10--10-10--10-10-|--0---0---0--x-x--12-12-x-x-|-10--10--10-10--10-10--|
Ab|---8---8---8--8---8--8--|--0---0---0--x-x--10-10-x-x-|-8---8---8------8--8---|
Db|---8---8---8--8---------|------------------10-10-x-x-|-8---8---8-------------|

   Both guitars (Guitar 1 has a downward slide just before this measure)
Eb|---------------------------|
Bb|---------------------------|
Gb|---------------------------|
Db|-------------------------0-|
Ab|----5p0---5~---5p0---5~--0-|
Db|--0-----0----0-----0-----0-|

Final Chorus (Same as other Chorus)

Outro - Same as Intro for Guitar 1 & 2

Both Guitars: Let chord ring at end of outro
Eb|------------|
Bb|------------|
Gb|------------|
Db|--0---------|
Ab|--0---------|
Db|--0---------|


Key:
TP  Tremelo Picking
PM  Palm Mute
p   Pull-off
~   vibrato
x   muted string (makes percussive sound)
/   slide up the neck
\   slide down the neck
Learn to play "Alter Bridge" with online video lessons
comments
print report bad tab
3 comments total.
0 reply
Kreuger wrote on December 3 2007, 11:16 pm

I cant seem to follow this tab with the song. It doesnt quite fit for some reason

0 reply
Darkness470 wrote on June 4 2009, 05:07 pm

i cant really follow this maybe someone should make it in guitar pro or power tab

+1 reply
JimBonJovi wrote on August 20 2010, 02:51 am

What are you guys talking about? Perfect tab Joe. Superb song as well.

I want to post or [tab]
guest
You may want to rate the tab now too:
select rating
Please do not post tabs as comments. Select "correction" instead!
© 2013 Ultimate-Guitar.com or its affiliates. All rights reserved     About | Help | Site Map | Link To Us | TOS | Privacy Policy | Advertise | Contact