De: "Jan Neersoe" <QWERTZU@t-online.de>
Objet: TAB: Mark Knopfler -- What It Is
Date : lundi 27 novembre 2000 19:33


Alright, so it's taken a *bit* longer than expected... but anyway,
here's my shot at this great song... it may not be perfect (it's
my first "publicly released" tab), but I think it's quite OK and
I finally want to give something back to the whole on-line guitar
community that I've received so much from :)

Enjoy,

Jan

#-----------------------------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.                                                           #
#----------------------------------------------------------------------##

                                WHAT IT IS
                       as performed by Mark Knopfler
              (off the 2000 album "Sailing to Philadelphia")

(C)opyright Mark Knopfler, published by Straitjacket Songs Ltd./Rondor
Music (London) Ltd.

Tabbed without permission by Jan Neersoe (jneersoe@qwertzu.de). Dear Mr.
Record Label -- I bought the album, so leave me alone and go chase some
Napster kids instead.

My apologies for this version... of course it's not nearly as complete
as the real thing... but I think it's a fairly good start. This is not a
complete transcription, I've only included the chords, small fills and
the solos. I haven't tabbed the violin parts either -- maybe somebody out
there wants to do this too :)  Comments and corrections are always
welcome! If you think I've messed up completely somewhere (which is
entirely possible), please do tell me.

This tab is for standard tuning, nothing special. Just make sure that you
play it with the most amazing clean tone ever heard on Earth. ;)

The main progression for the intro, "chorus" and outro solo is
F#m - D - E; to me it sounds like it's alternating between open and barre
D and E chords in order to give it the "descending" or "ascending" feel...
listen to the song and you'll now what I mean...

After the intro chords, over the F#m - D - E, starts a part which I'll
call the "intro", which doesn't really make sense since it shows up all
over the place (with slight variations maybe), but anyway...

------------------------------------------------------------------------
--(9h10)------------------(9h10)----------------------------------------
---9h11--x-x--11p9---------9h11-x-11----9-(9h)11-9~---------------------
-------------------11----------------11---------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------
--(9h10)------------------(9h10)----------------------------------------
---9h11--x-x--11p9---------9h11-x----9-----9\7--9~----------------------
-------------------11------------------11--9\7--9~----------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------
--(9h10)------------------(9h10)--------10------------------------------
---9h11--x-x--11p9---------9h11-x-11-------11-9~------------------------
-------------------11----------------11---------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------
--(9h10)------------------(9h10)----------------------------------------
---9h11--x-x--11p9---------9h11-x----9-----9\7-x--9~--------------------
-------------------11------------------11--9\7-x--9~--------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Which leads us into the verse...

    F#m
The drinking dens are spilling out
        A
There's staggering in the square
        D
There's lads and lasses falling 'bout
     A         E
and a crackling in the air

(guitar plays a barre E chord here in the background)

(same verse chord pattern)
Down around the dungeon doors
The shelters and the queues
Everybody's looking for
Somebody's arms to fall into

         F#m        D  E
And it's what it is

(after these words he plays that cool lick... I can't quite hear how
he plays it exactly. Maybe the first part is 6h7h9/11\9p7, i.e. all
legato... maybe one might use tapping to play the 11 [yeah, I know
this isn't correct, so shut up :]... I don't know. Do what the little
voices in your head tell you ;)

----------------------------------
----------------------------------
---------------------6-9/11-9~~---
--6-7-9b11rb9-7----7--------------
----------------------------------
----------------------------------


             F#m     D E
it's what it is now

(fade in with volume pedal)
---------------------------------
----------------7----------------
-------9b(11)--x---6-------------
----------------------7/6-4--2~~-
---------------------------------
---------------------------------

(same verse chord pattern as above)
There's frost on the graves and the monuments
But the taverns are warm in town
People curse the government and
Shovel hot food down
Lights are out in city hall
The castle and the keep

-------------------
-------------------
---11--9--7~-------
---11--9--7~-------
-------------------
-------------------

The moon shines down upon it all
The legless and asleep

And it's          (slide up to a barre D chord here)
D
Cold on the tollgate
         A
With the wagons creeping through
D
Cold on the tollgate
    A                  E
God knows what I could do with you


Chorus -- see above

And it's what it is

----------------------------------
----------------------------------
---------------------6-9/11-9~~---
--6-7-9b11rb9-7----7--------------
----------------------------------
----------------------------------

it's what it is now

-------------------------------------
-------------------------------------
--9b(11)rb9b(11)--9--6---------------
------------------------7--4---2~~---
-------------------------------------
-------------------------------------

The garrison sleeps in the citadel
With the ghosts and the ancient stones (barre F#m-E-D in the background)
High on the parapet
A Scottish piper stands alone

-------------------------------------
-------10-----9----------------------
----/9-----9----11-9(h11)------------
----/9-----9--------------11~~~------
-------------------------------------
-------------------------------------

High on the wind the highland drums begin to roll

--------------------
----7---------------
-------6------------
-----------9--7~~---
--------------------
--------------------

And something from the past just comes
and stares into my soul

----------------------
----------------------
--------6\4--2--1/2~~-
-2h4/7----------------
----------------------
----------------------

And it's

(bridge chords -- see above)

Cold on the tollgate
With the Caledonian blues

----------------------
---10-10-10-9-9-9--7~-
---9--9--9--9-9-9--7~-
----------------------
----------------------
----------------------

Cold on the tollgate

God knows what I could do with you
----------------------
------------------9---
-----------9-9-11-----
-----/11~-------------
----------------------
----------------------

And that's what is is

----------------------------------
----------------------------------
---------------------6h9/11-9~~---
----7-9b11rb9-7----7--------------
----------------------------------
----------------------------------

It's what it is now

---------------------------------
----------------7----------------
-------9b(11)------6-------------
----------------------7/6-4--2~~-
---------------------------------
---------------------------------

It's what is is

------------------------------------
--------------------------10-7------
-----------------6-9-9/11------9~~--
----7-9b11rb9-7---------------------
------------------------------------
------------------------------------

It's what it is now

------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------
----9b(11)rb9b(11)--(11)rb9--6--------------1h2-------
--------------------------------9--7~---x-x-----2-2-4-
------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------

SOLO:

The chords for the solo are those for one verse and one "chorus".

------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------7--5-----------------------5h7p5---5/7-7-7-7~--
----------2------6-----6-------6--4-----------------------5-------------
--------2----4/7-----7---------------7~~--//----------------------------
----2h4-----------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------
----5--3--5--3h5p3\2-5----------------7--9--7--------------7------------
-----------------------4~~-----9b(11)----------6--h9b(11)----9--6-------
-------------------------------------------------------------------7----
----------------------------------------------------------------------9~
------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------6-------------------------------------------6-9/11~--------
------6-7-9--7--9--7--9--7--6----4~----6-7-9/11\9-7----7----------------
--9-9-----------------7-------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(not sure about the above part)

------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------7-------------------------------------------10-7--------------
--9b(11)----6----------------------------------6-9/11------9~-----------
--------------7\6--4--2------6-7-9/11\9-7----7--------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------
------10----------------------------------------------------------------
----x----11-------------------------------------------------------------
--x---------11--9--7--9/11\9p7h9---7\6h7~~~-----------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------


(verse chords as noted above)

There's a chink of light
There's a burning wick
There's a lantern in the tower
Wee Willie Winkie with a candlestick
Still writing songs in the wee wee hours
On Charlotte Street I take
a walking stick from my hotel
The ghost of Dirty Dick
Is still in search of Little Nell

And that's what it is

(chorus lick and chords... you'll be able to figure that out yourself ;)
(from now on it's all F#m - D - E chords...)

It's what it is now

G------4b(6)-4b(6)---  echoes in the background

It's what it is

(violin)

What it is, now, now, now...

(w/ echo)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------2-5--------------------------------------------
----------------------4b-----4b-4----4---4------------------------------
---6-7-9/11\9-7~-----------------------5---5--7--7/9~~------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                 (note: of course this could also be
                                  played on the G string only instead of
                                  on the G/D strings, but to me this
                                  sounds more exact)

                         (don't pick the bend again)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------7--7--9-10-9~----b(10)-9-7-----------------------------------
----9b(11)----------------------------9-6-------------------------------
------------------------------------------7-6-7/9--7--9/11--9~~---------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------


------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------6h9-9/11~~---------6----------------------------
---6-7-9/11\9-7~-----7------------------------9--7--9--9/11--9~~--------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------


------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
----9-9--7--6--7~-------------------------------------------------------
----9-9--7--7--7~---7--6--6h9~--7-6-------------------------------------
------------------------------------9-6-9~------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
    ^^^^^^^^^^^^
(I don't think I got this this part down correctly -- if you happen
to know the way it should be, please let me know :)

------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------6h9-9/11~~------9b(11)-9b(11)rb9--6-------------
---6-7-9/11\9-7~-----7--------------------------------------7-----------
--------------------------------------------------------------9~~-------
------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------10--7---------9brb--7---------------------------
------------6--9--9/11---------9~~------------9-6-----------------------
---6--7--9----------------------------------------7-6-/-7-/-9--9/11-9~--
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                       (not quite, but close...)

-----------
---10-10---
---11-11---
-----------
-----------
-----------

... and then he starts playing the intro again, which I won't repeat
here since basically it's the same as above and I'm too lazy to copy it.

And when the intro/re-tro is over, it continues like...

                                                       .
------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------7h10p7-10~-9~----7-9b(10)-9-7----7------
------11--11p9-11~--11p9-11~--x--------------------------------9---6~---
-9h11-------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------

     (slide down very quickly)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------5------------------------7-10p7---7~---10b(12)-10-9~-------------
---4h6---(6)\4--2--4~----9b(11)--------9--------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------
---9b(10)--9--7--------2-----------------------------5~-----------------
-----------------6\4-2---2~----------------2-2----------6-4-------------
------------------------------2h4-x-x--2h4-2-2---4/6----6-4-------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------

... and then the intro again, until the song stops on an E chord!

And that's all folks... have fun playing this great song!

Tab symbols:

9b(10)         bend note to note in brackets
(10)rb9        release bend...
9h10           hammer-on...
10p9           pull-off...
9/10           slide up, either to a note or "to somewhere"
10\9           slide down, either from a note or "from somewhere"
x              muted sound
~              let ring...
. (above note) don't let ring...
(9h10)         maybe this is played, maybe not... :)

• what it is (2)
• what it is (3)