TAB: "Runaround" by Van Halen Okay, here's my second posting of a rather difficult Van Halen tune (the first being that "Poundcake" monster). The first thing you gotta do if you wanna sound like the record is tune down 1/2 step. The signature riff (which is also the chorus part) is quite difficult to play. Try to find as many actual chord-shapes as possible; that way you won't have to make a million changes in hand position. There's some bits of lyric here and there to help you keep up... A few notes on my tab: "p.m...." means palm-mute; "a.h...." means artificial harmonics "b" means bend "b&r" means bend the notes up to pitch and then release the bend to the original pitch. "bf" means bend full Runaround by Van Halen tab by Paul D. s3bz@music.transy.edu
|---||---------------0-|--------------|-----------------|------------------
|---||-------------3---|-3------------|---------------3-|------------------
|---||-----2-----2-----|---2----------|-----2-------0---|------------------
|---||---2-----0-------|--------------|---2-------------|------------------
|---||-0-----3---------|----------0-3-|-0-----3---------|------------------
|-3-||-----------------|-----3~~~-----|---------3~------|------------------
--------------|---------------0-|--------------|-------------3-|-----------
1-0-----0-----|-------------3---|-3------------|-------------3-|-----------
------2---2---|-----2-----2-----|---2----------|-----2-------0-|-----------
----0---------|---2-----0-------|--------------|---2---------0-|-----------
--------------|-0-----3---------|----------0-3-|-0-----3-------|-----------
------------3-|-----------------|-----3~~~-----|---------3~----|-----------
3-3-3-2---2-2-0-|------------|------------|------------|-------------------
3-3-3-3---3-3-3-|-------15---|-------14---|-------13---|-------------------
0-0-0-2---2-2-2-|----12------|----12------|----10------|-------------------
0-0-0-0---0-0-0-|-14---------|-14---------|-12---------|-------------------
----------------|------------|------------|------------|-------------------
----------------|------------|------------|------------|-------------------
-------------------|------------|------------|----------|------------------
12-12-10h12-10-----|-------15---|-------14---|-------13-|------------------
10-10-10----10-----|----12------|----12------|----10----|------------------
10-10-10----10-----|-14---------|-14---------|-12-------|------------------
-----------------0-|------------|------------|----------|------------------
-------------------|------------|------------|----------|------------------
b
--------------14---12\--||----------|--------------|----------|------------
12-12-12-10---12---12\--||----------|--------------|----------|------------
10-10-10-10---12--------||----------|--------------|----------|------------
10-10-10-10-----------2-||-2--------|------------2-|-2--------|------------
----------------------0-||-0--------|-----5------0-|-0--------|------------
------------------------||-------12\|-2------2-----|-------12\|------------
"She don't like it..." "And don't like..." b b
--------------|----------|--------------|---------------|------------------
--------------|----------|--------------|-----------5-7-|------------------
--------------|----------|--------------|-------5---5-7-|------------------
----7-------2-|-2--------|------------2-|-2-2/7---7-----|------------------
4------4~~~-0-|-0--------|-----5------0-|-0-0-----------|------------------
--------------|-------12\|-2------2-----|---------------|------------------
"She ain't about to give..." b&r
---------------|------------|------------|----------|----------------------
-7-------------|-------15---|-------14---|-------13-|----------------------
-7------p5-----|----12------|----12------|----10----|----------------------
-----------7-7-|-14---------|-14---------|-12-------|----------------------
-------------0-|------------|------------|----------|----------------------
---------------|------------|------------|----------|----------------------
b b
--------------14---12\--||----------------|----------------|----------|----
12-12-12-10---12---12\--||----------------|----------------|----------|----
10-10-10-10---12--------||--------2---x-x-|----------------|----------|----
10-10-10-10-----------2-||-2------2---x-x-|--------------2-|-2--------|----
----------------------0-||-0--3-------x-x-|-------5------0-|-0--------|----
------------------------||----------------|-2--------2-----|-------12\|----
"She can take me..." a.h....... b
--------------------|-------------|--------------|---------------|---------
--------------------|-------------|--------------|-----------5-7-|---------
--------------------|-------2-----|--------------|-------5---5-7-|---------
-----7------------2-|-2-----2-----|------------2-|-2-2/7---7-----|---------
4------4---4-4~~~-0-|-0-3-----x-x-|-----5------0-|-0-0-----------|---------
--------------------|-------------|-2------2-----|---------------|---------
"...drives me home..." b&r p.m...
---------------||------------------|---------------------|-----------------
-7-------------||--------5-----7---|-----10---9h10p9-----|-----------------
-7------p5-----||------6-----------|-9---------------9---|-----------------
-----------7-7-||----6-------7---9-|---9---------------9-|-----------------
-------------0-||--4-------5-----7-|---------------------|-----------------
---------------||----------------0-|---------------------|-----------------
"I'd walk, but I want it..."
--------------------|-------------------|-----------------|----------------
--------10-----7/10-|-9-----------------|-----------------|----------------
-----11-------------|---9---------------|-----6-----------|----------------
--11---------7------|-----9---7h9p7\6---|---6-------------|----------------
9----------5--------|-----------------7-|-4----/7-5-5/9-7-|----------------
-----------------0--|-------------------|---------------0-|----------------
"what fool believes.." "I've got her in my sight..." p.m...
--------------------|------------------|-------------||--------------------
-----------------10-|--------3-2-------|-0-----------||--------------------
--9-----------11----|------2-----2---1-|-2---1-------||--------------------
9----------11-------|----2-----------2-|-2---2-------||--------------------
---/11-9------------|--0-------------2-|-----2-------||--------------------
--------------------|----------------0-|-----------3-||--------------------
"But just out of..."
--------------0-|--------------|-----------------|---------------|---------
------------3---|-3------------|---------------3-|-1-0-----0-----|---------
----2-----2-----|---2----------|-----2-------0---|-------2---2---|---------
--2-----0-------|--------------|---2-------------|-----0---------|---------
0-----3---------|----------0-3-|-0-----3---------|---------------|---------
----------------|-----3~~~-----|---------3-------|-------------3-|---------
"Here we go around..."
--------------0-|--------------|-----------------|-------------||
------------3---|-3------------|---------------3-|-1-0-3---3---||
----2-----2-----|---2----------|-----2-------0---|-----2---2---||
--2-----0-------|--------------|---2-------------|-----0---0-2-||
0-----3---------|----------0-3-|-0-----3---------|-----------0-||
----------------|-----3~~~-----|---------3-------|-------------||
Then it's back to the verse, pre-chorus, and chorus parts one more time through, then it's SOLO time. (DON'T ASK!) After that, there's a bit of a "bridge":
||----------|---------|---------|-------------|----------|---------|-------
||-----10---|-----9---|-----8---|-7-7-5h7-5---|-----10---|-----9---|-------
||---7------|---7-----|---5-----|-5-5-5---5---|---7------|---7-----|-------
||-9--------|-9-------|-7-------|-5-5-5---5---|-9--------|-9-------|-------
||----------|---------|---------|-------------|----------|---------|-------
||----------|---------|---------|-----------0-|----------|---------|-------
"oo. ah." "It goes like this" b bf pm
--------------|-----9-----||--------|-----------------|--------------------
----8-----7-7-|-7-5-7-7---||--------|-----------------|--------------------
--5-------5-5-|-5-5-7-7---||--------|-----------------|--------------------
7---------5-5-|-5-5-7-7---||--------|-----2---------2-|--------------------
--------------|---------2-||--------|---------------2-|--------------------
--------------|---------0-||--3-----|-4------4------0-|--------------------
"Oh man it's..." b bf pm
--------------------------|---9-9-9-7-|--------|-----------------|---------
--0-3h5p3p0-5p3p0---------|---7-7-7-7-|--------|-----------------|---------
------------------2h4p2p0-|---7-7-7-7-|--------|-----------------|---------
--------------------------|-----------|--------|-----2---------2-|---------
--------------------------|-----------|--------|---------------2-|---------
--------------------------|-0---------|-0--3---|-4------4------0-|---------
"And you make it harder..." "Fill me up..." b
------------|-------------------------||
------------|-------------------------||
------------|-------------------------||
----------2-|-------------------------||
----2-4---2-|-------------------------||
3h4-------0-|-----------------------3-||
Oh man she owns it." "Here we go a- round..." (go to the chorus and ad lib a fade-out) That's it. That should be all you need to do an accurate version of "Runaround". If you're REALLY hurtin' for the solo, email me and be nice and I'll give it a shot. I might even do the outro part too. Questions/Comments welcome (by email). Good luck! Paul D. s3bz@music.transy.edu
Source: http://www.xguitar.com/guitar-tabs/van_halen/for_unlawful_carnal_knowledge/runaround.txt