Possum
From: Eric Berman (ericbe@microsoft.com)
From: Itay Chamiel (itaych@gSPAMmail.com)
By Jeff Holdsworth (The Artist Formerly A Member of Phish)
I finally figured out exactly what Trey plays. If this isn't it, then I don't
know what it is. I listened to the 11/3/98 radio interview, and he was kind of
noodling the intro while he was talking, right before they played an acoustic
version of it live on the radio. This was what he played, and it was really easy
to hear. Enjoy.
H-O H-O H-O H-O H-O H-O
E-----0-0-------0-0-------0-0-----0-0-----0-0------0-0-----------------------
B-----0-0---2---0-0---2---0-0-----0-0--2--0-0--2---0-0-----------------------
G-----0-1---2---0-4---2----------------2-------2---0-1-----------------------
D-----2-2---2---5-5---2---5-6-----5-6--2--5-6--2---2-2-----------------------
A-----2-2------------------------------------------2-2-----------------------
E---0-----------7-7-------7-7---7-7-7-----7-7------0-0-----------------------
Alternate transcription of intro by Itay Chamiel, based on the 4-29-1990
(Woodbury Ski and Racquet Club, Woodbury CT) video.
(*)
E-------------------------------------------------
B-------------------------------------------------
G----0h1--2--0~~--2--0h1-----0h1--2--0h1--2--0h1--
D----0~~--0--0h6--0--0~~-----0~~--0--0~~--0--0~~--
A----2~~--4--0~~--4--2~~-----2~~--4--2~~--4--2~~--
E--0---------7~~-----------0----------------------
(*) this chord slightly delayed and played harder
__
The Em7 is played for about 8th-note duration; the overall chord is an E7 and
the G (open G string) of the Em7 and the sus4 are nothing more than passing
tones.
Trey does some other stuff here, mostly noodling around on these chords,
that I'm not going to write out, but listen to any recording and he'll do
something different yet interesting; I'll just show the underlying chords
below.
Also, during the first A Chord, Trey used to pull one of these instead of
playing an A chord:
| | | | | |
/S /S /S /S /S
E|----------------------------------|--------------------------------|
B|---2-----3---5-----7-----8----9---|----10-10-------10----12----10--|
G|----------------------------------|--------------------------------|
D|-2---2-4---5---5-7---7-9---10---10|-11-------10-11----12----11---12|
A|----------------------------------|--------------------------------|
E|----------------------------------|--------------------------------|
\---/ \---/ \---/
E7 riff
I come from atop the mountain baby
Where the people come to pray
A7
I come from atop the mountain baby
E7
Where the people come to pray
B
There ain't no truth in action
G A7 E7
'Less you believe it anyway
(Same chords)
I was riding down the road one day
-- E7+9 (one octave up, slide down!!)
Someone hit a possum
I was riding down the road one day
-- E7+9 (one octave up, slide down!!)
Someone hit a possum
The road was his end
His end was that road
So they say
E7+9
E-----
B--20-
G--19-
D--18-
A--19-
E-----
Chorus:
E7 (hold 4 bars) E7 (riff)
Whoa possum... possum
A7 (hold 4 bars) E7 (riff)
Whoa possum... possum
B
Whoa possum
G A7 E7
Your end is the road
Solo (from the version on TMWSIY):
E7 chord
2 | | |
/
E|-15---|-12----------------------------------|
B|------|----15-14-13-12----------------------|
G|------|----------------14-13-12-13----------|
D|------|----------------------------14-12----|
A|------|----------------------------------14-|
E|------|-------------------------------------|
| | |
E|-------------------------------------|
B|-------------------------------------|
G|-------------------------------------|
D|-14----------12----------------------|
A|----14-13-14----14----13-12----------|
E|-------------------12-------15-12-12-|
\--/
| | | | | |
E|-----------------------------|---------------------------------|
B|-----------------------------|---------------------------------|
G|-----------------------------|-----------------------0-1-------|
D|-----2-------0---------------|-------------2---0-1-2-----2-0-1-|
A|-0-2---2-1-2---2-1-0---------|-0-1---0-1-2---2-----------------|
E|---------------------3-0-0-3-|-----3---------------------------|
A7 chord
| | | | | |
/S /S /S /S /S
E|----------------------------------|--------------------------------|
B|---2-----3---5-----7-----8----9---|----10-10-------10----12----10--|
G|----------------------------------|--------------------------------|
D|-2---2-4---5---5-7---7-9---10---10|-11-------10-11----12----11---12|
A|----------------------------------|--------------------------------|
E|----------------------------------|--------------------------------|
\---/ \---/ \---/
E7 chord
| | |
/S
E|----12---------------------------------------|
B|------15-14-13-12----------------------------|
G|-13---------------14-13-12-14-12-14-14-12----|
D|------------------------------------------14-|
A|---------------------------------------------|
E|---------------------------------------------|
B Chord
| | | | | |
E|-----------------------|------------------------------|
B|-----------------------|------------------------------|
G|-14--12--11--10--------|-----------6-----6-7-8------9-|
D|---14--14--12--12-14---|---7-----7-----7-------9------|
A|-----------------------|-9---6-9-----9----------------|
E|-----------------------|------------------------------|
G chord A7 chord E7 chord
| 2 | 2
3 3 3 / /------
E|----------------------------------------|-----|
B|-----------------12-10------------------|-----|
G|-11-12-11-9-11-9-------11-9-------------|-----|
D|----------------------------10-11-10-11-|-7---|
A|----------------------------------------|-----|
E|----------------------------------------|-----|
E7 chord (2nd time through progression)
| | | 2 | 2 | | |
--------+ / /
E|--------14--12-17--15-|-------------------------------------12---|
B|----------------------|-17--16-15---15---------------------------|
G|----------------------|---16-----16---16-15-14---14---12-13----13|
D|----------------------|------------------------14--14------------|
A|----------------------|------------------------------------------|
E|----------------------|------------------------------------------|
2 | | |
/ P /S
E|--------------------------------------|
B|-14-14-(14)-12-14-12------------------|
G|---------------------12-13-------9----|
D|--------------------------14--11---11-|
A|--------------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------------|
\--/\--/
| | | | |
3 3 3 /S
E|------------------------------------|-------------------12--12---|
B|-12-11-10---------------------------|----------------------------|
G|---9--9--9-11-9-12-11-9-11-9--------|--------11--9-11-13--13---5-|
D|-----------------------------11-9---|11--9-11--11----------------|
A|----------------------------------11|--11------------------------|
E|------------------------------------|----------------------------|
A7 chord
| | | | | |
H
E|---5----------------------------|--------------------------------|
B|-----8-7-5----------------------|--------------------------------|
G|-6---------5-6------------------|--------------------------5-7-8-|
D|---------------7-5---7-------5--|--------------------5-6-7-------|
A|-------------------7---7-6-7----|-7--6-5-------5-6-7-------------|
E|--------------------------------|--------8-5-8-------------------|
E7 chord
| | | | | |
3 3 3 ~
E|--------------------------------|-----------------------|
B|--------------------------------|-----------------------|
G|-9-9-8-7---7--------------------|-----------------------|
D|---------9---9-8-7----------6---|-6-7-8-9-6---------6---|
A|-------------------10-7-7-----7-|-----------7-----7---7-|
E|--------------------------------|-------------9-7-------|
B chord
| | |
E|-------------------------|
B|-------------------------|
G|-----------6---7-8-7-8---|
D|---7-----7-------------9-|
A|-9---6-9-----9-----------|
E|-------------------------|
(Same chords as earler verse
I was riding down the road one day
Someone hit a possum
I was riding down the road one day
Someone hit a possum
The road was his end
His end was that road
So they say
chorus:
E7 (hold 8 bars) E7 (riff)
Whoa possum... possum
A7 (hold 8 bars) E7 (riff)
Whoa possum... possum
B G A7 E7
Whoa possum your end is the road
B G A7 E7
Whoa possum your end is the road
== Opening From Live Phish #9 ==
This is a fairly complicated opening that Trey plays, so I'll just list the
basics without getting too much into the fills and timings of what he plays.
When I first heard this, I went nuts, and was drying to know how he plays it.
I think I just figured it out!
He hits some pretty interesting parts though, makes me wonder why he doesn't
jam out like this anymore :(
This part is played with upstrokes, mute all the strings other than the two
you are playing. If you listen to the recording, you can hear exactly how he
moves between these fingerings, it's pretty linear:
[these just slide down]
E--x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x------
B--x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x------
G--13--11--9---7---6---4---3---2---1------
D--x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x------
A--14--12--11--9---7---5---4---3---2------
E--x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x---x------
Then he does some noodling around these little riffs/licks:
B H-O
E-15-15-15-15-15--------------------------------------
B-14-14-14-14-14^15--14--12---------------------------
G--------------------14--12-13------------------------
D------------------------------14-12-(trails off)-----
A-----------------------------------------------------
E-----------------------------------------------------
The rest is pretty standard trey-style soloing, bending and stuff.
You didn't want me to do ALL the work, did you? Play around with it, it's
not hard to figure out and very rewarding :)
== Bass Tablature ==
Possum
From: Justin Keeth< justin_tyme7@yahoo.com >
This is the Bass line for Possum
E A E
G---------------------2---2-----2---2-------------------------
D-2---2-----2---2-------2---2-5---2---2-5--2---2-----2---2----
A---2---2-5---2---2-5------------------------2---2-5---2---2-5-
E-------------------------------------------------------------
B7 G A E
G-4---4-------------------------------------------------------
D---4---4-7-5---7----9-7-6-5-4-4 4-4--Repeat------------------
A-------------5---7-------------------------------------------
E-------------------------------------------------------------
== Loops ==
Member recorded (J. Goldberg):
<gflash>100 40 /vb5/member/possum.swf</gflash>