I play a few Tool songs on guitar. I find it hard to really nail the songs the way they sound on the albums. I would like to know who here plays Tool on whatever instrument. I'd like to know which songs you play or know most of, and what particular parts you've had a really hard time making it all come together. For example, for me the 2nd Lateralus solo I find to be really fucking hard to make it sound like it should, at least in my eyes. I also had a Hell of a time trying to get down that main fast riff in Ticks and Leeches. I'm just wanting people's feedback on a musical level, and what makes certain parts hard for you to play. Thanks!

I can play Vicarious, Jambi, Stinkfist, Rosetta Stoned, Eulogy, 46& 2, and jimmy. I play a '72 Fender telecaster deluxe(walnut finish) through a Marshall JCM2000 with a B-52 stealth series cab. My effects include: Boss phase shifter, Ibanez digital delay/echo, Dunlop crybaby wah pedal, Korg rack tuner. I had a real tough time learing Rosetta stoned all the way through man. I also had a little trouble nailing the rising phase/wah effect during the climax of 46 & 2. I just learned 'Intension' and it was cake.

I had a lot of trouble nailing chorus progression in Lateralus. That was a tricky motherfucker. I had to learn it by ear and some bad tabs. Lateralus is definitely my favorite to just play though. Believe it or not I like to play it on my acoustic. Tool on acoustic has a pretty cool sound.

I can play Jimmy, Stinkfist, The Grudge, EBA=>The Patient, Ticks and Leeches, Lateralus, and I'm beginning to learn Right in Two. Playing Tool without a good drummer makes it pretty difficult. It's not so much that particular parts are hard, it's how it all comes together. They're really fun to play though.

The intro to Jambi is a tricky one, a lot of people get it wrong but once you figure it out, the rest of the song is easy.

Jambi is very fun to play, probably one of my favorites to play. And yes, easy.

I can play about half of Tool's catalog on bass and/or guitar. Not perfectly, but close enough for government work. Probably because I make a lot of tabs.

The Correct tabs for Tool: http://tooltabs.net


I use a Les Paul copy with the same pickups as stated in the Bio here on TDN. Into a Peavey Classic 100 Tube amp. I can get the sounds but i need to practice getting them right.

My effects(for bass and guitar):
Digitech bass whammy
Crybaby 535Q wah
Boss DD-3
Boss bf-3
Guyatone BR-2
Boss Mt-2
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...8/DSCN1151.jpg

i can play about everything on bass, a few on guitar and i sing too(nothing on maynard maybe ill upload some later) i have a 5string ibanez bass with a fender amp and a few big digetech pedals... tool rox

i find stuff on the new album to be trickier than the earlier stuff

fun songs to play are Stinkfist, H., Lateralus

wooo me too! i love having the 5th string.

Yeah the new stuff is a lot trickier. Especially The Pot on bass. No idea how Justin turns all of his affects on at once and shuits them all off. Probably has a looper for that...

Really? You guys think The Pot is hard on bass? It's not hard. Just complex. Once you know exactly what to play it's simple. Making your own tab is a huge help.

I like jammin' along on guitar, they have some fun songs.


Question about the intro to Jambi: I'm not finding the tabs on the above link for some reason...anyway, I've pretty much figured out the song, but I'm not sure exactly what notes he's fretting in the opening riff. I've got the rhythm down, and I know it's a series of open string/fretted note pull-offs... but what frets? This part has been a bitch for me to figure out :/

D |3-0-0-0-5-0-0-0-1-0-0-0-10-0-0-0-|

except with the right rhythm.

actually, try this

D|-3p2p0--0000-5p3p0-00-2p1p0-00-10p9p0-00-|

and then maybe this

D|-3p2p0-0000----3p2p0-00000-|

that's not what i hear.

a----p0------------p0--------p0---------p0---------------|
D--3p0--0-0-0-0--5p0--0-0--1p0--0-0--10p0--0-0-----------|

Hodge's is right, it's fucked up but that's how it's played, at least from what i can tell.

I play guitar, and can play at least a bit of every song, and maybe half of all their songs all the way through. I use an Ibanez rg170b with a line 6 amp. Crappy I know, but I need to save my money for college haha. With the spider II I can still get a pretty nice crunch like Adam's.

The second solo in Lateralus I find a lot easier than the first one. I don't have any pedals so I improvise. I just tremble pick 12 on the a string - with chorus/flange, bend it occasionally a half step, throw in pinch harmonics. then move to the d string 12th fret and do basically the same thing. It's a very "feel" solo, you don't need to get it exactly like he plays it, and it sounds different live all the time anyway.

I totally hear you there dude. That's exactly how I attempt to play it. I think the album version is just genius though. I don't know if it's just me but I love how he gets all those fucking tones and sounds out of basically two notes. I couldn't agree more about it being a very "feel" kind of solo. You just kinda let thing evolve into something grand if you can pull it off.

all adams solos are the same

either tremollo picks a string or does those bend things like

3 or 10
5^ 12^

nonetheless i haven't quite mastered the lateralus ones...i gotta get my wah pedal back up and running :|

Yea, Lateralus can be tricky. My friend plays it all fucked up and I wince every time.

Right in Two is a fun one. Gotta get that delay right, though, otherwise the intro sounds funky. It always sounds so beautiful when played right, though.

I can't believe no one's really mentioned Schism on here, it's my favorite Tool song to play. I love the triplet hammer-on, and it's just overall fun to mess around with. And that breakdown....*shudder*

That sounds right.

Thanks :)

Anytime.

shameless plug... www.youtube.com/lemonlateralus :D
most is crap but i am trying:P

Keep practicing! You're definitely on the right track, though. I'm glad to see there's quite a few of you guys that enjoy playing Tool. :)

I'm glad there's finally a thread about it =P

I second this approach, although sometimes i hear 6p5p0 rather than 5p3p0.

Those playing it 3p0 and then p0 on the A string, are you fret hand plucking the A string or dropping the pick each time?

EDIT: Ah, nvm i see tooltabs has theirs up. I trust them. crazy, can't wait to get off work and give it a shot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0bHGDyxJLE

I made this tonight for you all, not perfect, and I fuck up the end, but I'm still learning it.

the song i play best on guitar from tool is the grudge. its not that difficult.

Yeah TT corrected it.

The pot isn't hard-- it's just the bass solo i cant get XD

nnevermind now i play with the 5 string ibenez and a walllll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i play my tool at least daily, sometimes more!

i find to get tool songs sounding good, its best not necessarily to try and imitate exactly what you hear on the album. the lateralus solo for example, will never sound the same when i do it as when adam does it. you just gotta do it so it feels right, the sound will come after that. i find tools mostly feel as apposed to definite replication

I agree, but not 100%. There are certainly some definitive things you have to get down. The rhythms are definitive, but his solos are definitely all about the feel.

I play guitar and my gear is:

Epiphone Les Paul Goth, default pickups
Marshall amps, 30 w
Effects:
Boss DD-3 delay, BF-2 flanger, MT-2 metal zone
Dunlop Crybaby Classic
Zoom 707 II

As of today, i know all songs from opiate, undertow, aenima and lateralus except hooker with a penis, it has never been of my interest...
From 10kdays i've figured out vicarious, jambi (without talkbox of course), wings 1 & 2, the pot, lost keys (altough the sustained note is from bass, you can get it from the guitar with a wah), rosetta stoned.

As someone said above, once you figure certain things on songs, they all come out easy, there's not a lot going on there.. i don't use tabs, i play by ear.

If i can help you with any part of a song you can't get, just PM me, about effects, riffs etc.


No, the sound won't come after you feel it if you don't know what the basis are for playing the solo, and know what effects did he use, etc.... you just can't wait for it to sound good if you're "feeling" it.
If you're talking about "imitate exactly what you hear on the album" then yes you can. Figure the notes, the effects, the vibrato and once you've got all that, you'll hear the song. Go to youtube and search for lateralus, there are a couple out there that nail it pretty good.