Present Tense Chords
by Pearl Jam
Present Tense by Pearl Jam is a moderately challenging guitar song played in the key of D. It uses the chords D, G, F, Bb and A. Use the transpose and diagram tools on this page to change the key, see each shape, or simplify the chords.
Drop D tuning: DADGBe
The verse is variations of this (shown here is the first time through):
--5------------5-------------5----------3-2-0---0----
----3-3-3-3-3----3---3-------------------------------
----------------------------------------------2---2-2
0-------------------------------<5>------------------
-------------3-----3---3-3-2--------2-0--------------
-----------------------------------------------------
Chorus:
D G F G D G F G D G F G D G
------------------------------------------- ---
------------------------------------------- ---
------------------------------------------- etc. ---
0--0----X-5-5^3-3-X-5-5^0-0-0-X-5-5-5^3-3-3 X-5
0--0----X-5-5^3-3-X-5-5^0-0-0-X-5-5-5^3-3-3 X-5
12-12\0-X-5-5^3-3-X-5-5^0-0-0-X-5-5-5^3-3-3 X-5
The first time through, Mike lets it end at the G, the second time (not
shown) a D.
Then the bridge goes like this, (with variations on the picking
pattern):
Bb A G
---------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------
------10-----10-----10-----10-------9-----9-----9-----9--------
8-8-8----8-8----8-8----8-8----7-7-7---7-7---7-7---7-7---5-5-5--
---------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------
7-----7-----7-----7-------7-----7-----7-----7--
--5-5---5-5---5-5---5-5-5---5-5---5-5---5-5----
-----------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------
Then:
Bb A G
---------------------------------------------------------------------
11-11-11-11-11-11-11-11-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8
10-10-10-10-10-10-10-10-9--9--9--9--9--9--9--9--7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7
8--8--8--8--8--8--8--8--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--7--5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5
---------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------- --
8-8-8-8-8------- 10
7-7-7-7-7------- etc. 8-
5-5-5-5-5------- then this 7-
---------------- several times: --
---------------- --
Ending
-10-------10-------10-------10-------10---------------------------------------
----13-------13-------13-------13-------13------------------------------------
-------12-------12-------12-------12-------12---------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-/14-------14-------14-------14-------14--------------------------------------
-----15-------15-------15-------15-------15-----------------------------------
--------14-------14-------14-------14-------14-----12-11--9-------------------
----------------------------------------------------0--0--0-------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------