Van Halen - 5150 Tab

Artist : Van Halen
Song : 5150

Rate : ( 4.98 of 5 )
Your vote :

Okay, here's the tab for "5150".  This song is a pain in the ass for two
reasons: 1)it's tuned to "dropped-D" 1/2 step down; and 2)there are more
doublestops than mere humans (like me) can handle.  The little string names
on the side of the tab lines SHOULD have a flat next to each of them 'cause
of the 1/2 step down deal, but it's easier just to tune to dropped-D unless
you plan to jam to the CD or something.

Here's the signature riff of the song (play it FAST!):
E-|-----------------|-----------------|-4---------------|---------4---------|
B-|-7---5---5-7-----|-7-----5---7-----|-5-5-------------|---------5---------|
G-|-7---7---7-7-----|-7-----7---7-----|---4-4-------4---|-4-4-4-----4-------|
D-|-7-7---7-----7-7-|---7-7---7---7-6-|-----6-6-----4---|-4-4-6-------6-----|
A-|-----------------|-----------------|-------7-7-7---7-|-------7-------7\5-|
D-|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-------------------|


E-|-2---------------|-----------------|-----------------|---------------2-2/|
B-|-3---------------|---------3-------|-3p2-----------3-|-3-2-2-----2-2-3-3/|
G-|---2---------2---|-2-2-------2-----|----------2----2-|-2-2-2-----2-2-2-2/|
D-|-----4-4-----2---|-2-4---------4---|------2-----2--4-|-4-2-2-2-2-2-2-0-0-|
A-|-------5-5-5---5-|------5--------5-|-----------------|---0-0-2-2-0-0-0-0-|
D-|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------|-------2-2-----0-0-|

Repeat 3x; then...

E-|-10--10--9--9--7--7--9--9--10--10\||
B-|-10--10-10-10--9--9-10-10--10--10\||
G-|----------------------------------||
D-|----------------------------------||
A-|----------------------------------||
D-|----------------------------------||


Okay, this next part you repeat twice.  One time with the first ending
that I've tabbed out (marked between the 1>>>> and <<<<1), and again but
replacing the first ending with the second (2>>>> to <<<<2).  This is also
the part played behind the chorus ("Always one more; you're never
satisfied..."):
E-|-2------|-------2-2-----4-|-4-----------|-------4-4-----2-|-2--------------|
B-|-3------|-------3-3-----5-|-5-----------|-------5-5-----3-|-3--------------|
G-|-2------|-------2-2-----4-|-4-----------|-------4-4-----2-|-2--------------|
D-|-0------|-------0-0-------|-------------|-------6-6-----4-|-4--------------|
A-|-0--0-0-|-0-0-0-----0-0---|----0--0-0-0-|-0-0-0-----0-0---|-----0--0-0-0---|
D-|-0------|-----------------|-------------|-----------------|----------------|


E-|-(2)---------------||
B-|-(3)-------3-------||
G-|-(2)---------4-----||
D-|-(4)----/5-----5---||
A-|--0-0-0--0-------5-||
D-|-------------------||


   1>>>>                                 <<<<1
E-||------------10-10--9--9--7--7--9--9-10-10||
B-||3p2------2/-10-10-10-10--9--9-10-10-10-10||
G-||----2----2/------------------------------||
D-||------2----------------------------------||
A-||-----------------------------------------||
D-||-----------------------------------------||


    2>>>>                                                            <<<<2
E-|-------------2|2-0-0-0-0--2-2--------|---------------|----|-----------||
B-|-3p2---------3|3-2-2-0-0--3-3------10|10-9-10-10\-2-2|----|-----------||
G-|-----2-2--2--2|2-2-2-1-1--2-2------11|11-9-11-11\-2-2|---2|-----------||
D-|-------2--2--4|4-2-2-2-2--0-0------12|12-9-12-12\-2-2|---2|-----------||
A-|-------0--0---|--0-0-2-2--0-0--0-0---|------------0-0|---0|-----5---3-||
D-|--------------|------0-0--0-0--0-0---|---------------|----|--/7---7---||



This next bit is played behind the verses.  It's basically just crunching
out a D power chord with the low D thrown in.  Eddie does a little bit of
extra stuff (which I tabbed out here) but you really don't need it unless
you're really anal and want to be exact...
E-|--------------|-----------------|-------------|---------------||
B-|--------------|-----------------|-------------|---------------||
G-|--------7-----|-7---------------|-----------0-|-0-------------||
D-|--------7-----|-7---------------|--0--------5-|---------------||
A-|--------5-----|-5------5p3p0----|-----0-5p3---|---0-5~~-0-3~~-||
D-|-0--0-0---0-0-|----0-0-------4b-|-------------|---------------||


E-|-----------||
B-|-----------||
G-|-----------||
D-|-----------||(repeat throughout verses)
A-|----5----3-||
D-|-/7----7---||


Here's what I guess you'd call the "pre-chorus" ("Still we try; win or lose;
take the highs; with the blues..."). Play it twice through, only the second
time, leave out the first measure (A-2-3-2-3-2-3/5). Then rake your pick
down the low strings before you go into the next riff.
E-|---------------|-----------------|-----------------|--------------0--------|
B-|---------------|-------------2---|-3-------2-5-----|-5p3---3---2--3--------|
G-|---------------|-------2-4-2---2-|-------2-----2-0-|-2-----2---2--2--------|
D-|---------------|-----2-----------|-----2-------0-0-|-0---0---0----0--------|
A-|-2-3-2-3-2-3/5-|-0-0-------------|---0-------------|-----------------------|
D-|---------------|-----------------|-----------------|-----------------------|


E-|-0--------------||
B-|-3------3-3-----||
G-|-2------2-2-----||
D-|-0------0-0-----||
A-|----------------||
D-|----5-5-----5-5-||


This next part is (in my opinion) the coolest riff in the song.  This is
just a fill-in between the pre-chorus (above) and the chorus (WAY above).
Play this one time through then go to the chorus riff (tabbed above).
E-|----------------|------------------|------------|-----------------|
B-|----------------|------------------|------------|-----------------|
G-|----------------|------------------|------------|-----6---------7-|
D-|-------2-5~~----|---5-4~~------7\6-|-----3-7----|---7-----5---7---|
A-|-2-2-2----------|-5--------5-5-----|---3--------|-7-----3---5-----|
D-|-2-2-2--------5-|------------------|-3--------7-|-----------------|

E-|0~~~~---|--9--9--7--7--9--9--10--10\||
B-|--10~~--|-10-10--9--9-10-10--10--10\||
G-|-----11~|---------------------------||
D-|--------|---------------------------||
A-|--------|---------------------------||
D-|--------|---------------------------||


That's it.  Just arrange those basic riffs in order by listening to the song
and you'll have the main structure (sans solo).   The solo is more than I'm
willing to attempt to play OR tab.  Email me if you need the lyrics.
Corrections/augmentations/comments welcome...
Good luck!
Paul D. (s3bz@music.transy.edu)  OR  (AntiPC@aol.com)