Its A Long Way To The Top Tab
by AC/DC321,597 views, added to favorites 5,182 times
| Capo: | no capo |
|---|
Author chanandler_bong [a] 70. 1 contributor total, last edit on May 14, 2016
We have an official Its A Long Way To The Top tab made by UG professional guitarists.
Check out the tabTabbed by: chanandler_bong
Email: red_cat_lz@hotmail.com
Tuning: Standard
So this is the proper way to play this song, like AC/DC, who had
to tune it down for the bagpipes.
I'm sure this tab is 100%, but not the solo, because i
think it sounds better if you just make it up on the spot. I've tried
to make this tab pretty detailed, so you can get the song just right.
Cheers!
chanandler_bong.
"For those about to rock, we salute you!"
"Its a Long Way to the Top"-(if you wanna rock'n'roll) AC/DC
[Opening rhythm riff]
(played by Malcom)
e|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|-------------------------------------------------------------------|X 32
A|-6--8-x-x-8-8------------------------------------------------------|
E|-6--6-x-x-6-6------------------------------------------------------|
Play rhythm riff until the chorus
[Opening lead riff]
(played by Angus, after 4 bars of rhythm)
e|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|-----6-------------------------------------------------------------|x 4
D|-----6-------------------------------------------------------------|
A|-6h8---6-----------------------------------------------------------|
E|---------6---------------------------------------------------------|
Then vocals come in- "Ridin' down the highway..."
Lead doesnt play anything in the first half of the verse, but in the last 8
bars, he plays this-
e|-6---6-------6---6-------6---6-------6---6-------------------------|
B|-6---6-------6---6-------6---6-------6---6-------------------------|
G|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|-------------------------------------------------------------------|x2
A|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
Then both guitars play this - let ring
e|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|---------------------------------8---------------------------------|x2
D|-----8----------------6----------8------------8--------------------|
A|-----8----------------6----------6------------8--------------------|
E|-----6----------------4-----------------------6--------------------|
"It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock'n'roll..."
e|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|------------------------------------------8~-----------------------|
D|------------------------------------------6~-----------------------|
A|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
"If you think its easy doin' one night stands..."
e|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|----------------------------8~-------------------------------------|
D|----------------------------8~-------------------------------------|
A|----------------------------6~-------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
"Try playin' in a rock'n'roll band..."
e|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|------8--------------8---------------------------------------------|
D|------6--------------8------------------------8--------------------|
A|---------------------6------------------------8--------------------|
E|----------------------------------------------6--------------------|
"It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock'n'roll!..."
Then the Rythm guitar comes back in with this until the guitar solo
e|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|-6--8-x-x-8-8------------------------------------------------------|
E|-6--6-x-x-6-6------------------------------------------------------|
Bagpipe Interlude
And the lead plays- (guitar and bagpipes) you can play the bagpipes
part on the guitar
e|-----/6/--| e|-----6-----|
B|----------| B|-----------|
G|-6h7------| Guitar x 4 G|-6-7-------|Bagpipes x 4
D|----------| D|-----------|
A|----------| A|-----------|
E|----------| E|-----------|
[Solo]
In the solo, the rhythm guitar playes this-
e|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|-8-8-x-8-8----8-8-x-8-8--------------------------------------------|
D|-6-6-x-6-6----8-8-x-8-8--------------------------------------------|x4
A|--------------6-6-x-6-6-----6--8-x-x-8-8---------------------------|
E|----------------------------6--6-x-x-6-6---------------------------|
Lead guitar solo, you can do what is recorded, but i just do my own thing,
e.g.- (Listen to the song for the timing of this part, the lead
plays after the rhythm plays the 3 chords) There are 3
bits to the guitar solo.
1st 2nd
e|-6-9-6--------------------------|-18-21-18--------------------------------|
B|-6-9-6--------------------------|-18-21-18--------------------------------|
G|-------8b-6-8b-6h8--------------|-----------20b-18-20b-8-20-8-------------|
D|-------------------8--6---------|-----------------------------20-19-18----|
A|--------------------------8-----|--------------------------------------20-|
E|------------------------------6-|-----------------------------------------|
The 3rd bit continues on for twice as long
e|-6-9-6------6-9------------------------------------------------------------|
B|-------6-9-----6-9-------------------6-9-----------------------------------|
G|-------------------8b-6-8-6--------------8-6-------------------------------|
D|---------------------------------6-7---------8-6---------------------------|
A|----------------------------/6-9-----------------8-------------------------|
E|---------------------------------------------------6~-~-~-~-~-~------------|
And then the rythm guitar comes back in with this until the chorus-
(20 bars)
e|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|-6--8-x-x-8-8------------------------------------------------------|
E|-6--6-x-x-6-6------------------------------------------------------|
And then the lead plays this again
e|-6---6-------6---6-------6---6-------6---6-------------------------|
B|-6---6-------6---6-------6---6-------6---6-------------------------|
G|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|-------------------------------------------------------------------|x2
A|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
[Chorus]
Both guitars play this plus the rhythm part -
e|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|---------------------------------8---------------------------------|x2
D|-----8----------------6----------8---------------------------------|
A|-----8----------------6----------6------------6--8-x-x-8-8---------|
E|-----6----------------4-----------------------6--6-x-x-6-6---------|
"It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock'n'roll..."
e|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|-----------8~------------------------------------------------------|
D|-----------6~------------------------------------------------------|
A|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
"If you wanna be a star on stage and screen ..."
e|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|-------8~----------------------------------------------------------|
D|-------8~----------------------------------------------------------|
A|-------6~----------------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
"Look out, it's rough and mean!..."
e|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|-8-8-x-8-8----8-8-x-8-8--------------------------------------------|
D|-6-6-x-6-6----8-8-x-8-8--------------------------------------------|
A|--------------6-6-x-6-6-----6--8-x-x-8-8---------------------------|
E|----------------------------6--6-x-x-6-6---------------------------|
"It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock'n'roll!..."
e|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
B|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
G|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
D|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
A|-6--8-x-x-8-8--6--8-x-x-8-8----------------------------------------|
E|-6--6-x-x-6-6--6--6-x-x-6-6----------------------------------------|
"It's a long way...!" Repeat until fade
END
Lyrics
Ridin' down the highway
Goin' to a show
Stop in all the by-ways
Playin' rock 'n' roll
Gettin' robbed
Gettin' stoned
Gettin' beat up
Broken boned
Gettin' had
Gettin' took
I tell you folks
It's harder than it looks
It's a long way to the top
If you wanna rock 'n' roll
It's a long way to the top
If you wanna rock 'n' roll
If you think it's easy doin' one night stands
Try playin' in a rock roll band
It's a long way to the top
If you wanna rock 'n' roll
Hotel, motel
Make you wanna cry
Lady do the hard sell
Know the reason why
Gettin' old
Gettin' grey
Gettin' ripped off
Under-paid
Gettin' sold
Second hand
That's how it goes
Playin' in a band
It's a long way to the top
If you wanna rock 'n' roll
It's a long way to the top
If you wanna rock 'n' roll
If you wanna be a star on stage and screen
Look out it's rough and mean
It's a long way to the top
If you wanna rock 'n' roll
***************************
| / slide up
| \ slide down
| h hammer-on
| p pull-off
| ~ let ring
| + harmonic
| x Mute note
***************************
X×
Its A Long Way To The Top – AC/DC
How to play
"Its A Long Way To The Top"
Font
51 comments
The main riff is...
|--------------|
|--------------|
|---0h2-2-2----|
|---0h2-2-2----| It is in the key of A not A# because i saw them
|---0---0-0----| live on a dvd playing in A.The reason why it is
|--------------| diffrent on the recording is because the original
tapes were put up half a step.I dont know why
+6
i think that if AC/DC EVER changed their tuning for ANY reason it would be to match the bagpipes.
and i believe the fact AC/DC uses OPEN chords when needed.
if you're playing with bagpipes (if anybody plays them anymore) then obviously you have to retune and that might lead to the aforementioned half step up.
and what'shisname is right, artists typically don't write tab books.
if i were to play this song, i would play in standard and play to the aforementioned "live version" where they do play standard supposedly because i don't know anybody who uses bagpipes to make me retune.
as for the tab, if you change to the open chords (because you can) it's tabbed on half step up or use can use the now popular "capo on 1st fret"
AC/DC plays open chords, and they don't tune differently unless necessary (like for bagpipe usage) that's all i got to say.
+1
Malcolm plays A-chords as intro
+1
Related tabs