#----------------------------------PLEASE NOTE---------------------------------#
#This file is the author's own work and represents their interpretation of the #
#song. You may only use this file for private study, scholarship, or research. #
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From: NATHAN VIJAY PATWARDHAN 
Subject: Helmet transcription for you
To: jamesb@animal-farm.nevada.edu
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IRONHEAD by Helmet

This song is played in an odd 4/4 time signature.  If you do not fol-
low the timing properly, you are apt to end up playing something with a swing
time.
Guitar ace Page Hamilton, formerly of Band of Susans, and the Branca
Symphony Orchestra, put together Helmet about three years ago, released an EP
and an independant label release (which sold only 7,000 copies), and then got
an unheard of $1million recording contract with Interscope/Atlantic records,
from where they released their /Meantime/ album.

In the song 'Ironhead,' Page Hamilton uses the dropped-D tuning, fam-
iliar to those of you who are into the Seattlites.  He uses heavy distortion.
This is not a typical metal song with a lot of crunching and heavy muting.  
Page uses a muting that creates various artificial harmonics while he mutes the
strings just above the back pick-up...

'ironhead'
   G# A G# D G# A G# D  G# A G# D    F D F F G E F E F
-----------------------|-----------|-------------------|
-----------------------|-----------|-------------------|
-----------------------|-----------|-------------------|
-----------------------|-----------|-------------------|
---6--7-6--0-6--7-6--0-|6--7-6--0--|-3-0-3-3H5-2/3-2/3-|
---6--7-6--0-6--7-6--0-|6--7-6--0--|-3-0-3-3H5-2/3-2/3-|
                                    P.M.....A.H........
   |-Riff A------------|
Play Riff A about 6X, but at the end of six times, play...
|----------------------------|
|----------------------------|
|----------------------------|
|----------------------------|
|-3-0-3-3H5-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-3-4-|
|-3-0-3-3H5-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-3-4-|

Then back to Riff A and the verse:

F D F FhG E/F E/F
Safe to Kill...
It all comes back
I stick it out-
And wage my own attack

Lift me up...
etc...

Then onto Riff B:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------|---------------------------|-------------------
-------------------------------|---------------------------|-------------------
-------------------------------|---------------------------|-------------------
-------------------------------|---------------------------|-------------------
--0-2p0-2p0---2-3-4---0--x-x---|-2p0---6--7--6--0--2p0--2p0|--6h7--6--0--------

back to Riff A and onto Verse 3...

At the end of the last verse, play:
Riff B, then:

this tab is for the low-D and the A only
|--6-7-6-0--|--6-7-6-0--|--6-7-6-0--|-7-7-7-7-|-7-7-7-7|-7-7-7-7|-5-5-|
|--6-7-6-0--|--6-7-6-0--|--6-7-6-0--|-7-7-7-7-|-7-7-7-7|-7-7-7-7|-5-5-|

and this for the low-d and the A only...
|-00000000-|-77777777-|-66666666-|-33333333| (3x)
|-00000000-|-77777777-|-66666666-|-33333333|

and back to riff A and and Riff B to close.
This is a fairly close transcription.  I've heard several performances of this
song.  Its seems that they are somewhat different each time, so whatever you do
will probably almost correct as long as you play the right notes and stick with
the quirky tempo.


Nate
v119p7jc@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu