'Straight Through The Heart' by Dio - Guitar Tutorial

            Straight Through The Heart
by Dio
>From the album: Holy Diver
Bass Tablature

transcribed by Joe Vahabzadeh . . . joevah@eden.rutgers.edu
Completed on: 3/29/96
Any problems or maybe corrections, let me know . . . .
I'm not really 100% sure on the timing, but did my best.
There are some places where the bassist varies things a bit,
adding perhaps a slide when going from C# to E on the pre-chorus,
and occasionally playing a non-short note short, and vice-versa.
Listen to the song, you'll get the idea.
Other than that, I *tried* to be as accurate and exact as I could,
but I warn you, I don't have that good of an ear.

Lyrics at the end of the tablature

h.= dotted half note
h = half note
q = quarter note
e.= dotted eigth note
e = eigth note
s = 16th note

* = beneath means note is played short, typically sounds like the next
    smaller note, ie a short quarter sounds kind of like an eighth
    note followed by an eighth rest, etc.
R = Rest
() = indicates note is not struck again, but is continued
     from previous note.

Intro:

 |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
 |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
 |----------------0---------------|----2-----0-----4---2-0-2-0-----|
 |2-------0-2-------------2-------|R-----------2-0-------------2-0-|
  q       s e.    q       q        e   e     s s s e   s s s s s s


 |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
 |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
 |----------------0---------------|----------------0---------------|
 |2-------0-2-------------2-------|0-2-----R---------2-----R-------|
  q       s e.    q       q        s e.    q       s e.    q
                                     *               *

 |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
 |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
 |----------------0---------------|----2-----0-----4---2-0-2-0-----|
 |2-------0-2-------------2-------|R-----------2-0-------------2-0-|
  q       s e.    q       q        e   e     s s s e   s s s s s s


 |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
 |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
 |----------------0---------------|--------------------------------|
 |2-------0-2-------------2-------|0-0----(0)----------------------|
  q       s e.    q       q        s e.    h.


Verse:

 |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
 |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
 |--------------------------------|----------------4---2-0-2-0-----|
 |2-------2-------2-------2-------|2-------2-------------------2-0-|
  q       q       q       q        q       q       e   s s s s s s
  *       *       *       *        *       *
  Hanging fromthe . . . 

 |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
 |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
 |--------------------------------|----------------0---------------|
 |2-------2-------2-------2-------|0-2-----R---------2-----R-------|
  q       q       q       q        s e.    q       s e.    q
  *       *       *       *          *               *
  Looks like a . . . 

 |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
 |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
 |--------------------------------|----------------4---2-0-2-0-----|
 |2-------2-------2-------2-------|2-------2-------------------2-0-|
  q       q       q       q        q       q       e   s s s s s s
  *       *       *       *        *       *
  No one  ever . . .

 |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
 |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
 |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
 |2-------2-------2-------2-------|0-2-----R-------0-0----(0)------|
  q       q       q       q        s e.    q       s e. +  q
  *       *       *       *          *
  Guess I never . . . 

Play the above 8 measures twice for verse 1,
Once for verse 2
and once for verse 3 (which is the same as the first half of verse 1)

Pre Chorus:

 |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
 |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
 |4---4-4-4---4-4-4---4-4-4---4-4-|7---7-7-7---7-7-7---7-7-7---7---|
 |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
  e   s s e   s s e   s s e   s s  e   s s e   s s e   s s e   e
  *       *       *       *        *       *       *       *

Chorus:  Play measures 5 through 8 of Intro

Repeat verse, pre-chorus, and chorus

Bridge:

 |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
 |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
 |2---2-2-2---2-2-2---2-2-2---2-2-|2---2-2-2---2-2-2---2-2-2---2-2-|
 |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
  e   s s e   s s e   s s e   s s  e   s s e   s s e   s s e   s s 
  *       *       *       *        *       *       *       *

Play this 3 times . . .4th time is as follows:

 |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
 |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
 |2---2-2-2---2-2-2---2-2-2---2-2-|2---2-2-2---2-2-2---2-2-2---2---|
 |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
  e   s s e   s s e   s s e   s s  e   s s e   s s e   s s e   e 
  *       *       *       *        *       *       *       *


Then:

 |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
 |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
 |----------------0---------------|--------------------------------|
 |2-------0-2-------------2-------|0-0----(0)----------------------|
  q       s e.    q       q        s e.    h.


Then repeat the verse, pre-chorus, and chorus.


Solo:

 |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
 |--------------------------------|0---0-0-0---0-0-4---4-4-4---4-4-|
 |2---2-2-2---2-2-2---2-2-4-------|--------------------------------|
 |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
  e   s s e   s s e   s s q        e   s s e   s s e   s s e   s s
          *       *                        *               *

 |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
 |2---2-2-2---2-2-----------------|--------------------------------|
 |----------------0---0-0-0---0-0-|2---2-2-2---2-2-2---2-2-2---2-2-|
 |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
  e   s s e   s s e   s s e   s s  e   s s e   s s e   s s e   s s
          *               *        *       *       *       *

Play the above 4 times, but the last 2 measures the 4th time
should be as follows:

 |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
 |2---2-2-2---2-2-----------------|--------------------------------|
 |----------------0---0-0-0---0-0-|2---2-2-2---2-2-2---2-2-2---2---|
 |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
  e   s s e   s s e   s s e   s s  e   s s e   s s e   s s e   e
          *               *        *       *       *       *


Then play Pre-chorus
(This time around, the timing of the Pre-Chorus is
 varied slightly )
then 
Final Chorus: which is as follows

 |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
 |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
 |----------------0---------------|----2-----0-----4---2-0-2-0-----|
 |2-------0-2-------------2-------|R-----------2-0-------------2-0-|
  q       s e.    q       q        e   e     s s s e   s s s s s s

   Repeat 7 times, then play this:

 |--------------------------------|   This measure might be shortened
 |--------------------------------|   by 1/16th, and the last 1/4 note
 |----------------0---------------|   shortened by that same amount.
 |2-------0-2-------------2-------|
  q       s e.    q       q


 |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
 |--------------------------------|--------------------------------|
 |--------------------------------|5-------4-------2---------------|
 |2---------------0---------------|------------------------0---2---|
  h               h                q       q       q       e   e
                                                   *

 |--------------------------------|
 |--------------------------------|
 |--------------------------------|
 (2)------------------------------|
 (w)


LYRICS:

Hanging from the cobwebs in your mind,
It looks like a long, long way to fall.
No one ever told me life was kind,
I guess I never heard it, I never heard it all.
Living in a world of make-believe,
I can hide behind what's real.
But wearing your emotions on your sleeve,
And they all know what you feel.

And here it comes again, straight through the heart.
Straight through the heart.

Never tell a secret with your eyes,
It's the eyes that let you down.
Tell a little truth with many lies,
It's the only way I've found.

Oh here it comes again, straight through the heart.
Straight through the heart.

Shout to the wind,
How can you hurt me this way?
Oh, once it begins,
It looks like it's coming to stay.

Hanging from the cobwebs in your mind,
It looks like a long, long way to fall.
No one ever told me life was kind,
I guess I never heard it, I never heard it all . . no!

(Solo)

Here it comes again, straight through the heart.
In the middle of the heart.
No don't stand still, they'll get you,
Right through the heart.
Ah, here it comes, here it comes again,
Straight through the heart.