Oops, an error
Loading. Please wait.

51 Tab

1,929 views 3 this week
4 commentsread comments
1 2 3 4 5
excellent!
x 10
add to favorites launch autoscroll
font size
0
reset
Autoscroll
+/-
esc
set tempo
stop
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.
#----------------------------------PLEASE NOTE---------------------------------#
#This file is the author's own work and represents their interpretation of the #
#song. You may only use this file for private study, scholarship, or research. #
#------------------------------------------------------------------------------##
From: Paul D 
Subject: TAB: "5150" by Van Halen

Okay, here's the tab for "5150".  This song is a pain in the ass for two
reasons: 1)it's tuned to "dropped-D" 1/2 step down; and 2)there are more
doublestops than mere humans (like me) can handle.  The little string names
on the side of the tab lines SHOULD have a flat next to each of them 'cause
of the 1/2 step down deal, but it's easier just to tune to dropped-D unless
you plan to jam to the CD or something.

Here's the signature riff of the song (play it FAST!):
E-|-----------------|-----------------|-4---------------|---------4---------|
B-|-7---5---5-7-----|-7-----5---7-----|-5-5-------------|---------5---------|
G-|-7---7---7-7-----|-7-----7---7-----|---4-4-------4---|-4-4-4-----4-------|
D-|-7-7---7-----7-7-|---7-7---7---7-6-|-----6-6-----4---|-4-4-6-------6-----|
A-|-----------------|-----------------|-------7-7-7---7-|-------7-------7\5-|
D-|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-------------------|


E-|-2---------------|-----------------|-----------------|---------------2-2/|
B-|-3---------------|---------3-------|-3p2-----------3-|-3-2-2-----2-2-3-3/|
G-|---2---------2---|-2-2-------2-----|----------2----2-|-2-2-2-----2-2-2-2/|
D-|-----4-4-----2---|-2-4---------4---|------2-----2--4-|-4-2-2-2-2-2-2-0-0-|
A-|-------5-5-5---5-|------5--------5-|-----------------|---0-0-2-2-0-0-0-0-|
D-|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-------2-2-----0-0-|

Repeat 3x; then...

E-|-10--10--9--9--7--7--9--9--10--10\||
B-|-10--10-10-10--9--9-10-10--10--10\||
G-|----------------------------------||
D-|----------------------------------||
A-|----------------------------------||
D-|----------------------------------||


Okay, this next part you repeat twice.  One time with the first ending
that I've tabbed out (marked between the 1>>>> and <<<<1), and again but
replacing the first ending with the second (2>>>> to <<<<2).  This is also
the part played behind the chorus ("Always one more; you're never
satisfied..."):
E-|-2------|-------2-2-----4-|-4-----------|-------4-4-----2-|-2--------------|
B-|-3------|-------3-3-----5-|-5-----------|-------5-5-----3-|-3--------------|
G-|-2------|-------2-2-----4-|-4-----------|-------4-4-----2-|-2--------------|
D-|-0------|-------0-0-------|-------------|-------6-6-----4-|-4--------------|
A-|-0--0-0-|-0-0-0-----0-0---|----0--0-0-0-|-0-0-0-----0-0---|-----0--0-0-0---|
D-|-0------|-----------------|-------------|-----------------|----------------|


E-|-(2)---------------||
B-|-(3)-------3-------||
G-|-(2)---------4-----||
D-|-(4)----/5-----5---||
A-|--0-0-0--0-------5-||
D-|-------------------||


   1>>>>                                 <<<<1
E-||------------10-10--9--9--7--7--9--9-10-10||
B-||3p2------2/-10-10-10-10--9--9-10-10-10-10||
G-||----2----2/------------------------------||
D-||------2----------------------------------||
A-||-----------------------------------------||
D-||-----------------------------------------||


    2>>>>                                                            <<<<2
E-|-------------2|2-0-0-0-0--2-2--------|---------------|----|-----------||
B-|-3p2---------3|3-2-2-0-0--3-3------10|10-9-10-10\-2-2|----|-----------||
G-|-----2-2--2--2|2-2-2-1-1--2-2------11|11-9-11-11\-2-2|---2|-----------||
D-|-------2--2--4|4-2-2-2-2--0-0------12|12-9-12-12\-2-2|---2|-----------||
A-|-------0--0---|--0-0-2-2--0-0--0-0---|------------0-0|---0|-----5---3-||
D-|--------------|------0-0--0-0--0-0---|---------------|----|--/7---7---||

This next bit is played behind the verses.  It's basically just crunching
out a D power chord with the low D thrown in.  Eddie does a little bit of
extra stuff (which I tabbed out here) but you really don't need it unless
you're really anal and want to be exact...
E-|--------------|-----------------|-------------|---------------||
B-|--------------|-----------------|-------------|---------------||
G-|--------7-----|-7---------------|-----------0-|-0-------------||
D-|--------7-----|-7---------------|--0--------5-|---------------||
A-|--------5-----|-5------5p3p0----|-----0-5p3---|---0-5~~-0-3~~-||
D-|-0--0-0---0-0-|----0-0-------4b-|-------------|---------------||


E-|-----------||
B-|-----------||
G-|-----------||
D-|-----------||(repeat throughout verses)
A-|----5----3-||
D-|-/7----7---||


Here's what I guess you'd call the "pre-chorus" ("Still we try; win or lose;
take the highs; with the blues..."). Play it twice through, only the second
time, leave out the first measure (A-2-3-2-3-2-3/5). Then rake your pick
down the low strings before you go into the next riff.
E-|---------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------0--------|
B-|---------------|-------------2---|-3-------2-5-----|-5p3---3---2--3--------|
G-|---------------|-------2-4-2---2-|-------2-----2-0-|-2-----2---2--2--------|
D-|---------------|-----2-----------|-----2-------0-0-|-0---0---0----0--------|
A-|-2-3-2-3-2-3/5-|-0-0-------------|---0-------------|-----------------------|
D-|---------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------------|


E-|-0--------------||
B-|-3------3-3-----||
G-|-2------2-2-----||
D-|-0------0-0-----||
A-|----------------||
D-|----5-5-----5-5-||


This next part is (in my opinion) the coolest riff in the song.  This is
just a fill-in between the pre-chorus (above) and the chorus (WAY above).
Play this one time through then go to the chorus riff (tabbed above).
E-|----------------|------------------|------------|-----------------|
B-|----------------|------------------|------------|-----------------|
G-|----------------|------------------|------------|-----6---------7-|
D-|-------2-5~~----|---5-4~~------7\6-|-----3-7----|---7-----5---7---|
A-|-2-2-2----------|-5--------5-5-----|---3--------|-7-----3---5-----|
D-|-2-2-2--------5-|------------------|-3--------7-|-----------------|

E-|0~~~~---|--9--9--7--7--9--9--10--10\||
B-|--10~~--|-10-10--9--9-10-10--10--10\||
G-|-----11~|---------------------------||
D-|--------|---------------------------||
A-|--------|---------------------------||
D-|--------|---------------------------||


That's it.  Just arrange those basic riffs in order by listening to the song
and you'll have the main structure (sans solo).   The solo is more than I'm
willing to attempt to play OR tab.  Email me if you need the lyrics.
Corrections/augmentations/comments welcome...
Good luck!
Paul D. (s3bz@music.transy.edu)  OR  (AntiPC@aol.com)
4 comments total. Showing first comments.
0 reply
Ace From Space wrote on June 19 2004, 12:00 am

The song is called "5150"... not "51".

0 reply
Ace From Space wrote on June 19 2004, 12:00 am

Amazing tab though.

0 reply
5e1v5h0 wrote on July 17 2007, 01:36 am

best version ive seen

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!