Hard To Explain Tab

The Strokes - Hard To Explain
Tabbed by Arvid (arvid_87@hotmail.com)

This sounds very close to the original song. Enjoy!

Gtr. 1: (chords) clean
Gtr. 2: (lead) distorted

Intro/Verse

Gtr. 1  Each chord is played 8 times (downstroke).

e|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
B|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|-----------------5---5---7---7---7---7---5---5-------------------|
D|-5---2---7---7---5---5---7---7---7---7---5---5---7---7-----------|
A|-5---2---7---7---3---3---5---5---5---5---3---3---7---7-----------|
E|-3---0---5---5-----------------------------------5---5-----------|

Gtr. 2

e|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
B|-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-|
G|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
D|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
A|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
E|-----------------------------------------------------------------|

e|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
B|----------------------7----------------7-5-----------------------|
G|-5-7-7h9------7-5-9-5---5-9-5--7-5-9-5---------------------------|
D|---------7-5--------------------------------5-7-7h9-7--5-7-7h9-7-|
A|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
E|-----------------------------------------------------------------|

Bass fill (if you are playing without a bass one of the guitars can play this riff)

e|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
B|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
D|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
A|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
E|-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-7-7-7-7-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-5-5-5-5-|

Bridge (raised in carolina...)

Gtr. 1

e|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
B|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
D|-5---5---2---2---5---5---7---7---5---5---2---2---5---5---7---7---|
A|-5---5---2---2---5---5---7---7---5---5---2---2---5---5---7---7---|
E|-3---3---0---0---3---3---5---5---3---3---0---0---3---3---5---5---|

Gtr. 2 (2 times)

e|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
B|-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-|
G|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
D|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
A|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
E|-----------------------------------------------------------------|

e|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
B|-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-|
G|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
D|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
A|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
E|-----------------------------------------------------------------|

Chorus (I missed the last bus...)

Gtr. 1

e|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
B|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
G|-------------7---------------7---------------7-------------------|
D|-5---5---2---7---5---5---2---7---5---5---2---7---5---5---2-------|
A|-5---5---2---5---5---5---2---5---5---5---2---5---5---5---2-------|
E|-3---3---0-------3---3---0-------3---3---0-------3---3---0-------|

Gtr. 2 (play 3 times...               ...then this)

e|------------------------------------|----------------------------|
B|------------------------------------|----------------------------|
G|-7-4-5-4--7-4-5-4--4--------4-------|-7-4-5-4--7-4-5-4--4--------|
D|---------------------5-7-5----5-7-5-|---------------------5-7----|
A|------------------------------------|----------------------------|
E|------------------------------------|----------------------------|

This is how you play the song:

Intro
Bass fill
Verse
Bass fill
Verse
Bridge
Chorus
Silence for a few seconds
Verse
Bass fill
Verse
Bridge
Chorus

And there it is!