Smooth Operator Bass

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Difficulty:	intermediate
Capo:	no capo
Author Neckwringer [a] 428,733. Last edit on May 23, 2015
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SMOOTH OPERATOR (Bassline)
 
As recorded by Sade
(From the 1984 Album DIAMOND LIFE)
 
Words and Music by Helen 'Sade' Adu & Ray St. John
 
Transcribed by Slowhand
 
 
Gtr I (E A D G) - 'Paul S. Denman - Fretless Bass'
Gtr II (E A D G) - 'Paul S. Denman - Fretless Bass'
 
 
 Intro
  Q=120
 4/4
  Gtr I (Fretless Bass)
  Wx3
|--------|
|--------|
|--------|
|--------|
 
 
  Q  E E E E E E     Q  E E E E E E   +E  E E E E E E E   Q  E E E E E E
|----5p4---------||-----------------|-------------------|----------------|
|--------5p4-----||o----------------|-------------------|----------------|
|------------5p4-||o-5----5-4-----3-|-(3)-----3-2-------|-5----5-4-----3-|
|----------------||-----------5-----|-----5---------3---|----------5-----|
 
 
  +E  E E E E E E E   Q  E E E E E E   +E  E E E E E E E   Q  E E E E E E
|-------------------|----------------|-------------------|----------------|
|-------------------|----------------|-------------------|----------------|
|-(3)-----3-2-3---4-|-5----5-4-----3-|-(3)-----3-2-------|-5----5-4-----3-|
|-----5-------------|----------5-----|-----5---------3---|----------5-----|
 
 
                       1st Verse
  +E  E E E E E E E  3x Q  E E Q  E S S   Q  E E Q  Q    Q  E E Q  E S S
|--------------------||-----------------|--------------|-------------------|
|-------------------o||-----------------|--------------|-------------------|
|-(3)-----3-2-2-3---o||-5----5----------|-----------3--|-5----5------------|
|-----5--------------||--------5----6p5-|-3----3-5-----|--------5----6p5---|
 
 
  Q  E E Q  Q    Q  E E Q  E S S   Q  E E Q  Q    Q  E E Q  E S S
|--------------|-----------------|--------------|-------------------|
|--------------|-----------------|--------------|-------------------|
|-----------3--|-5----5----------|-----------3--|-5----5------------|
|-3----3-5-----|--------5----6p5-|-3----3-5-----|--------5----6p5---|
 
 
  Q  E E E E E E   Q  E E Q  E S S   Q  E E Q  Q    Q  E E Q  E S S
|----------------|-----------------|--------------|-------------------|
|----------------|-----------------|--------------|-------------------|
|----------3---7-|-5----5----------|-----------3--|-5----5------------|
|-3----3-5-------|--------5----6p5-|-3----3-5-----|--------5----6p5---|
 
 
  Q  E E E E Q    Q  E E Q  E S S   Q  E E Q  Q    Q  E E Q  E S S
|---------------|-----------------|--------------|-------------------|
|---------------|-----------------|--------------|-------------------|
|------------3--|-5----5----------|-----------3--|-5----5------------|
|-3----3-5-5----|--------5----6p5-|-3----3-5-----|--------5----6p5---|
 
 
                   Pre-Chorus
                 $
                           |-3-|          |-3-|
  Q  E E E E E E    Q.   E Q Q Q   Q.   E Q Q Q   Q  E E Q  E E
|----------------||--------------|--------------|---------------|
|----------------||--------5-----|--------7-----|---------------|
|----------3---7-||------5---5---|------7---7---|-5----5-4----4-|
|-3----3-5-------||-3----------3-|-5----------5-|---------------|
 
 
         |-3-|          |-3-|          |-3-|
  Q  E E Q Q Q   Q.   E Q Q Q   Q.   E Q Q Q   H    +Q.   E
|--------------|--------------|--------------|---------------|
|--------------|--------5-----|--------7-----|---------------|
|-3----3-2-----|------5---5---|------7---7---|-5----(5)------|
|----------0-2-|-3----------3-|-5----------5-|------------5--|
 
 
        |--3---|           |-3-|          |-3-|
  H    +Q  a Q Q    Q.   E Q Q Q   Q.   E Q Q Q   Q  Q  E E E E
|-----------------|--------------|--------------|---------------|
|-----------------|--------5-----|--------7-----|---------------|
|-5----(5)-5s7-5\-|------5---5---|------7---7---|----5------3-5-|
|-----------------|-3----------3-|-5----------5-|---------5-----|
 
 
             Chorus
  W           Q  E E Q  E S S   Q  E E Q  Q    Q  E E Q  E S S
|----------||-----------------|--------------|-------------------|
|----------||-----------------|--------------|-------------------|
|----------||-5----5----------|-----------3--|-5----5------------|
|----------||--------5----6p5-|-3----3-5-----|--------5----6p5---|
 
 
  Q  E E E E Q    Q  E E Q  E S S   Q  E E Q  Q    Q  E E Q  E S S
|---------------|-----------------|--------------|-------------------|
|---------------|-----------------|--------------|-------------------|
|------------3--|-5----5----------|-----------3--|-5----5------------|
|-3----3-5-5----|--------5----6p5-|-3----3-5-----|--------5----6p5---|
 
 
                  Bridge
  Q  E E E E Q     Q  E E E E E E   +E  E E E E E E E   Q  E E E E E E
|---------------||----------------|-------------------|----------------|
|---------------||----------------|-------------------|----------------|
|------------3--||-5--5-----5-----|---------------3---|-5--5-----5-----|
|-3----3-5-5----||------3-5---5-3-|-(3)-1-3-4-5-5---5-|------3-5---5-3-|
 
 
                                                 To Coda
  +E  E E E E e Q    Q  E E E E E E   +E  E E E E E E E    Q  E S S E E E E
|------------------|----------------|--------------------|--------------------|
|---------------7--|----------------|--------------------|--------------------|
|------------------|-5--5-----5-----|---------------3----|-5--5-5-5---5-------|
|-(3)-1-3-4-5-5----|------3-5---5-3-|-(3)-1-3-4-5-5---5--|----------5---5-3---|
 
 
                      Bass Solo
  Gtr II (Fretless Bass)
                       |--3--|  |---3----|
   W                   Q  Q  Q  Q  q  E  E
|-------------------||------------12-14h15--|
|-------------------||---12-14-15-----------|
|-------------------||----------------------|
|-------------------||----------------------|
|
| Gtr I
| +Q   E E +E  E q     W
|-------------------||----------------------|
|-------------------||----------------------|
|-------------------||-5--------------------|
|-(3)----5-(5)-5-5--||----------------------|
 
 
   |---3---|  |--3--|      |-3-|     |--3--|
   H    E  E  Q  Q  Q      H   Q  a  Q  Q  Q
|-14---12----------12\--|--------14h15-14-12--|
|---------15-14-15------|-12--12--------------|
|-----------------------|---------------------|
|-----------------------|---------------------|
|
| +W                       W
|-----------------------|---------------------|
|-----------------------|---------------------|
|-(5)-------------------|---------------------|
|-----------------------|--3------------------|
 
 
   |--3--|  |---3----|                 |---3----|
   Q  Q  Q  Q  Q  E  E     Q.    S  S  Q  Q  E  E
|-14-15-14-12-14-14s19--|-19----17-15-17-15-17s19-|
|-----------------------|-------------------------|
|-----------------------|-------------------------|
|-----------------------|-------------------------|
|
|  W                       W
|-----------------------|-------------------------|
|-----------------------|-------------------------|
|-----------------------|--5----------------------|
|--5--------------------|-------------------------|
 
 
            |--3--|  |--3---|        |--3--|  |--3--|
   E   +E   E  E  E  Q   Q  Q        Q  Q  Q  Q  Q  Q
|-19--(19)s17-17-15-17--15-14-----|-15-14-15-17-15-14----|
|---------------------------------|----------------------|
|---------------------------------|----------------------|
|---------------------------------|----------------------|
|
| +H                +Q.       S S    W
|---------------------------------|----------------------|
|---------------------------------|----------------------|
|-(5)---------------(5)-----------|----------------------|
|-----------------------------0-0-|--3-------------------|
 
 
                           Sax Solo
   |--3---|
   Q   Q  Q    Q    Q       W                W                  W
|-12---------------14\---||---------------|-----------------||----------------|
|-----15------15---------||---------------|-----------------||o---------------|
|--------12--------------||---------------|-----------------||o---------------|
|------------------------||---------------|-----------------||----------------|
|
|  Q.       E  E E  e  E    Q  E E Q  e E   +Q   E E Q  E E     Q  E E Q  e E
|------------------------||---------------|-----------------||----------------|
|-----------7------------||----7------2---|-----------------||o----7------2---|
|------------------------||-5----0-3------|------5------7---||o-5----0-3------|
|--5-----------5-5--5----||-------------3-|-(3)----3-5----5-||--------------3-|
 
 
                     2nd Verse
  Gtr I
  +Q   E E Q  E E  3x Q  E E Q  E S S   Q  E E Q  Q    Q  E E Q  E S S
|------------------||-----------------|--------------|-------------------|
|-----------------o||-----------------|--------------|-------------------|
|------5------7---o||-5----5----------|-----------3--|-5----5------------|
|-(3)----3-5----5--||--------5----6p5-|-3----3-5-----|--------5----6p5---|
 
 
  Q  E E E E Q    Q  E E Q  E S S   Q  E E Q  Q    Q  E E Q  E S S
|---------------|-----------------|--------------|-------------------|
|---------------|-----------------|--------------|-------------------|
|------------3--|-5----5----------|-----------3--|-5----5------------|
|-3----3-5-5----|--------5----6p5-|-3----3-5-----|--------5----6p5---|
 
 
                                                          Outro
     D.S. al Coda &
  Q  E E E E E E     Q  E E E E E E   +E  E E E E E E E    Q  E E E E E E
|-----------------||----------------|-------------------||----------------|
|-----------------||----------------|-------------------||----7-----------|
|----------3---7--||-5--5-----5-----|---------3-------3-||-5----------7---|
|-3----3-5--------||------3-5---5-3-|-(3)-3-5---5-3-5---||------5-5-5---3-|
 
 
  +Q   E E E E E E   Q  E E E E E E   +Q   E E E E E E   Q  E E E E E E
|------------------|----------------|------------------|----------------|
|------------------|----7-----------|------------------|----7-----------|
|------5-------7-7-|-5----------7---|------5-------7-7-|-5----------7---|
|-(3)----3-5-5-----|------5-5-5---3-|-(3)----3-5-5-----|------5-5-5---3-|
 
 
  +Q   E E E E E E   Q  E E E E E E   +Q   E E E E E E   Q  E E E E E E
|------------------|----------------|------------------|----------------|
|------------------|----7-----------|------------------|----7-----------|
|------5-------7---|-5----------7---|------5-------7-7-|-5----------7---|
|-(3)----3-5-5---5-|------5-5-5---3-|-(3)----3-5-5-----|------5-5-5---3-|
 
 
  +Q   E E E E E E   Q  E E E E E E   +Q   E E E E E E   Q  E E E E E E
|------------------|----------------|------------------|----------------|
|------------------|----7-----------|------------------|----7-----------|
|------5-------7-7-|-5----------7---|------5-------7---|-5----------7---|
|-(3)----3-5-5-----|------5-5-5---3-|-(3)----3-5-5---5-|------5-5-5---3-|
 
 
  +Q   E E E E E E   H    Q  E E   Q  E E E E E E   +Q   E E E E E E
|------------------|-------------|----------------|------------------|
|------------------|-------------|----7-----------|------------------|
|------5-------7---|------3--3-4-|-5----------7---|------5-------7-7-|
|-(3)----3-5-5---5-|-3-----------|------5-5-5---3-|-(3)----3-5-5-----|
 
 
  Q  E E E E E E   +Q   E E E E E E   Q  E E E E E E   +Q   E E E E E E
|----------------|------------------|----------------|------------------*|
|----7-----------|------------------|----7-----------|------------------*|
|-5----------7---|------5-------7---|-5----------7---|------5-------7-7-*|
|------5-5-5---3-|-(3)----3-5-5---5-|------5-5-5---3-|-(3)----3-5-5-----*|
 
 
Duration Legend
---------------
W - whole; H - half; Q - quarter; E - 8th; S - 16th; T - 32nd; X - 64th; a - acciaccatura
+ - note tied to previous; . - note dotted; .. - note double dotted
Uncapitalized letters represent notes that are staccato (1/2 duration)
Irregular groupings are notated above the duration line
Duration letters will always appear directly above the note/fret number it represents the
duration for.  Duration letters with no fret number below them represent rests.  Multi-
bar rests are notated in the form Wxn, where n is the number of bars to rest for.  Low
melody durations appear below the staff
 
Tablature Legend
----------------
 h   - hammer-on
 p   - pull-off
 b   - bend
 pb  - pre-bend
 r   - bend release (if no number after the r, then release immediately)
 /\  - slide into or out of (from/to "nowhere")
 s   - legato slide
 S   - shift slide
  - natural harmonic
[n]  - artificial harmonic
n(n) - tapped harmonic
 ~   - vibrato
 tr  - trill
 T   - tap
 TP  - trem. picking
 PM  - palm muting
\n/  - tremolo bar dip; n = amount to dip
 \n  - tremolo bar down
 n/  - tremolo bar up
/n\  - tremolo bar inverted dip
 =   - hold bend; also acts as connecting device for hammers/pulls
 <>  - volume swell (louder/softer)
 x   - on rhythm slash represents muted slash
 o   - on rhythm slash represents single note slash
 
Misc Legend
-----------
 |  - bar
||  - double bar
||o - repeat start
o|| - repeat end
*|  - double bar (ending)
 :  - bar (freetime)
 $  - Segno
 &  - Coda
Tempo markers -  = BPM(8/16=s8/s16), where s8 = swing 8ths, s16 = swing 16ths
X
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1 comment
Looks mostly good. I don't see the point in those pull-offs though... most transcriptions/tablatures of this song don't acknowledge such a thing, and it affects the Latin/funky rhythm style.