Never the Machine Forever by Soundgarden
From "Down on the Upside" Album
Written by Kim Thayil
Tabbed by jjhand

I Borrowed some of the main riff from the Bass TAB on this site.
Please rate this tab. The guitars used are solidbody w/ humbuckers.

Time Signature: 9/8 Tuning: CGCGBE

Intro - Bass Guitar, then slide down neck as shown:

Verse Riff - play 8x
E|---- |------------------------------------------------|
B|---- |------------------------------------------------|
G|---- |------------------------------------------------|
C|---- |------------------------------------------------|
G|---- |-----------------------3--3--3------------------|
C|-12\ |-0--0--0----3--3--3---------------5--5--5---3---|

Pre-Chorus Riff - play 4x
E|---------------------------------------------------|
B|---------------------------------------------------|
G|----5--5--5--------------3--3--3-------------------|
C|-----------------------------------5--5--5---------|
G|---------------------------------------------------|
C|--------------3--3--3------------------------3-----|


Play Verse Riff again

Play Pre-Chorus Riff again 2x (run through notes 8 times)
with Guitar 2 accents on 5th and 6th time through:

Guitar 2, w/ wah rocking forward and Tremelo picking
E|---------------------------------------------------|
B|-----------------13\-------------------------------|
G|---------------------------------------------------|
C|---------------------------------------------------|
G|---------------------------------------------------|
C|---------------------------------------------------|


Chorus Riff - Staccato 'short notes', 4/4 time
E|------------------|------------------|--------------|-0h1p0-----|
B|------------------|------------------|--------------|-1---------|
G|------------------|------------------|--------------|-0---------|
C|-12-12-12---------|-10-10-10---------|-7-7-7--------|-0---------|
G|-12-12-12---------|-10-10-10---------|-7-7-7--------|-0---------|
C|-12-12-12---------|-10-10-10---------|-7-7-7--------|-0---------|

E|------------------|------------------|------------------|--------------|-0h1p0-----|
B|------------------|------------------|------------------|--------------|-1---------|
G|------------------|------------------|------------------|--------------|-0---------|
C|-12-12-12---------|-12-12-12---------|-10-10-10---------|-7-7-7--------|-0---------|
G|-12-12-12---------|-12-12-12---------|-10-10-10---------|-7-7-7--------|-0---------|
C|-12-12-12---------|-12-12-12---------|-10-10-10---------|-7-7-7--------|-0---------|


Play Chorus Riff while

Lead Guitar plays w/ wah:
E|-------------|-----------------------|------------|-------------15-17b18-|
B|-13~~~~~~~~~~|-(13~~~)------b15--r13-|------------|-b18r17-15-18---------|
G|-------------|-----------------------|-15-12~~~---|----------------------|
C|-------------|-----------------------|------------|----------------------|
G|-------------|-----------------------|------------|----------------------|
C|-------------|-----------------------|------------|----------------------|


Play Verse Riff 1 again with
Lead Guitar playing similar pattern to this with whammy bar effects:
E|-------------|-----------------------|
B|-3-----------|-3---------------------|
G|-5b7r5b7r5---|-5b7r5b7r5--3--1~------|
C|-------------|-----------------------|
G|-------------|-----------------------|
C|-------------|-----------------------|


Play Pre Chorus Riff with Lead Guitar accents again

Play Chorus Riff and end it with open chords
E|----------------|
B|----------------|
G|----------------|
C|-0-0-0----------|
G|-0-0-0----------|
C|-0-0-0----------|


Harmonics Riff, played 8x - All fretted notes are NH
E|-----------------------------------|
B|-----------------------------------|
G|-----------------------------------|
C|-----------------------------------|
G|-----------------------------------|
C|--0-0-0-0---2--2.3--3--4--3--2.6---|

Part of the way through the harmonics,

lead Guitar plays this wah riff
E|------------------------------------|
B|------------------------------------|
G|--5~~---2b3r2--0-----0--2b3r2b3r2---|
C|------------------4-----------------|
G|------------------------------------|
C|------------------------------------|

Play Pre Chorus Riff

Play Verse Riff


Play Harmonics riff with Lead Guitar playing (on 3rd riff repeat):
E|-8~~-----|--------|---------|----------|----------|----------|
B|---------|-8------|---------|----------|----------|----------|
G|---------|--------|--8~~----|-8\5~-----|-2b3r2--0-|-(0)--3/5-|
C|---------|--------|---------|----------|----------|----------|
G|---------|--------|---------|----------|----------|----------|
C|---------|--------|---------|----------|----------|----------|


Key:
| / slide up
| \ slide down
| h hammer-on
| p pull-off
| ~ vibrato
| x muted note
| () Hold note into slide/ hammer-on/ pull-off
| TP tremelo picked
| b string bend
| r release of bent string