Break Me Down tab

Break Me Down

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

x

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