Different Strings

Background and Commentary

“Odd man out of Permanent Waves is ‘Different Strings,’ a hugely underrated ballad [written by Geddy] for the band, sophisticated textures and melodies marking a step forward indeed. ‘There’s usually one song per album that is produced in such a way that we’ll never play it live,’ says Alex. ‘”Madrigal” [on A Farewell to Kings] is one of those. So is “Different Strings.”‘—Martin Popoff, Contents Under Pressure

“‘Different Strings’ was designed as a purely studio creation to test the band’s most ornate musical instincts. Hugh Syme [who art directs the band’s album covers] made another guest appearance, playing the grand piano.”—Bill Banasiewicz, Rush Visions

“I love the feel of the tune. It reminds me of soldiers sitting around a piano in a smoke-filled pub in England during the war. It’s the type of solo I really enjoy playing, an emotive, bluesy sort of thing.” (Guitar Player, 1980)—Alex in Merely Players

Lyrics

Who’s come to slay the dragon?
Come to watch him fall?
Making arrows out of pointed words
Giant killers at the call?
Too much fuss and bother
Too much contradiction and confusion
Peel away the mystery
Here’s a clue to some real motivation

Chorus:
All there really is
The two of us
And we both know why we’ve come along
Nothing to explain
It’s a part of us
To be found within a song

What happened to our innocence
Did it go out of style?
Along with our naivete
No longer a child
Different eyes see different things
Different hearts beat on different strings
But there are times
For you and me, when all such things agree

Chorus

Tablature (Bass)

By Erik Habbinga and Sean Jones

Excerpted from Rock Magic.

w w w h h w w w w w w
+-Rest-++—–+—+—+—–+—+—+—+—+—+—+
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|-1:23-||4:—|—|-3-|-5—|—|—|-3-|-5-|—|—|
+——++—5-+—+—+—–+-5-+—+—+—+-5-+—+

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q q q q w q q e e q Q q e q e e e e+h h+Q e q e e e e e e
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|———|-2-|—3—5—|—9-7—|————|——-|———–8-7-|
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h+Q e +q Q Q Q Q Q Q e e H +e e e e e e e e h+Q e
+——-+——–+—5—+———–+—–+——————–+——-+
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|—–7-|—-5—|4:—–|4:-5—5—|4:-7-|4:—-7-7-5-5—3—|-3—–|
+-5—–+——–+—–3-+—–5—–+—–+——————–+—–3-+

For complete tab, go to Rock Magic.